PIC Team on Bench Marking at the Limbe City Council on Organization and Council Functioning

On Law no.2019/024 of 24^th December 2019 instituting the general code of regional and local authorities and Decree No.2020/773 of December 2020 laying down the conditions for the discharge of the duties of the Public Independent Conciliator for the North West and South West Regions, hold that the Public Independent Conciliator have among other functions the following mission;

-Examining and amicably settling disputes between users and regional and council administrations;

-Defending and protecting rights and freedoms in the relationship between citizens and the region or the Council in the Region;

-Designing and implementing measures to prevent and combat any direct or indirect discrimination against users of regional or council services;

-Ensuring that persons serving in the regional and council administration fulfill their ethical obligations;

-Conducting any investigation on the functioning of regional and council services at the request of 5 (five) regional councilors;

-Preparing an annual report on the state of relations between citizens and regional and or council services and

-Improving the quality of regional and Council services by proposing statutory and regulatory amendments to the president of the republic.

In a bid to comply with its mission, the Public Independent Conciliator engaged in a Bench Marking visit to some Councils out of the North West Region where its staff can make a comparative study on what the law stipulates vi-à-vis the practical ope-rationalization of councils.

The Bench Marking visit authorized by the Public Independent Conciliator  had as principal objective to strengthen the capacity of the staff of the Office of the Public Independent Conciliator to understand how council services are offered all in a bid to increase staff performance.

Tilarious Atia (PhD), Dimla Hanson Tamfu (Esq.), Miss. Waidim Mbu Claudia, Mr. Ngome Beldmon and Mr. Banji Jowvet embarked on the said mission to the Limbe City Council under the supervision of the Secretary General of the Limbe City Council Mr. Kinge Thompson Molonge.

The working visit was guided by the following;

• Involvement of the population in the affairs of the council
• Management of human resources
• Operation of the vocational education and training services
• Functioning of the civil and archives services
• Creation of revenue and resource mobilization
• Functioning of the tourism and leisure services
• Modalities for urban planning and urbanization of the city, including the procedures for issuing building permits and demolition orders
• Communal infrastructure management
• Management of municipal projects (design, execution, monitoring and evaluation)

On arriving the Limbe City Council, the Staff were received by Mr. Kombe Gardidien Eko who is the Director of General affairs and presented them to the Secretary General (S.G) of Limbe City Council Mr. Kinge Thompson Molonge. The team met Mr. Lejiogoya Simplice Merlin, the chief of service in charge of personnel who then drafted an agenda for them.

In their meeting with the chief of service in charge of personnel, they were informed of a council session in the City Council auditorium the next day (30^th of April 2024) and that the 1^st of May 2024 was going to be a public holiday and the council will be fully involved in the Labour day celebrations. The team could only have effective work within 2 days since the entire council were involved in the council session and Labour Day celebrations. The team had an agenda to follow.

• The secretary general briefed them on the Involvement of the population in Council affairs,
• The director of general administration drilled them on the Council’s management of human resources and other general affairs touching on the council and
• The chief of services in charge of personnel rounded up the work session by briefing them on the operation of the vocational education and training services.

Meeting with the civil status service

The head of the civil status department drilled the team on the functioning of the civil status department and archives services. After her presentation, she entertained questions and answers and had pictures with them.

Meeting with the Municipal Treasurer

He received the team and drilled on the creation of revenue and resource mobilization, revealed various sources of income of the council and how these finances are being spent.

Meeting with the Archivist

From the municipal treasurer’s office, the team went to the archives office where they were received by the archivist. He presented the various archives to the team and said the Limbe city council archive is a source of income to the council. He ended by highlighting the various challenges they face.

Meeting with the Tourism office

We visited the office at down beach Limbe and she disclosed details on the functioning of tourism and leisure services, explained how the tourism office can be a source of income. The team also learnt that with the coming of the civil unrest in the North West and South West Regions, the office no longer generates a dime. She equally drilled us on the challenges faced by the tourism office.

Meeting with the Director of Urban Development

He explained the modalities for urban planning and urbanization of the city, including the procedure for issuing building permits and demolition orders.

Meeting with the Interim Director of Technical services

The team also got to know about the communal infrastructure management and their challenges

Meeting with the Sub Director of studies and technical service

He drilled the team on management of municipal projects that is designs, execution, monitoring and evaluation

The team ended their mission in Limbe by having a working session with the hygiene and sanitation service. They equally had a general discussion with the Secretary General of the council who expressed his gratitude and readiness to receive the team any other time.

The team from the Office of the Public Independent Conciliator North-West Region made an appraisal of their mission to the Limbe City Council. Some of which include;

• The structure of the City Council is perceived to be a non-inclusive building;
• The workers of the council are predominantly youths;
• Despite being informed at short notice of our coming, those who received the team were very receptive, kind and ready to share knowledge
• The good organization and functioning of services with well spelt out job descriptions and
• The workers were collaborative and respectful to their hierarchy.

It is worthy to note that the Limbe City Council has a well constituted corps of municipal police agents working within the municipality. The Limbe City Council is guided by the 2019 law governing regional and local authorities.