Guibai Gatama: Proposes Grand-Nord Cameroun Réorganisation to 7 Regions

• Guibai Gatama, director of L'Œil du Sahel, proposes reorganizing Cameroon's Grand-Nord from three to seven regions.
• His plan suggests subdividing Extrême-Nord into three regions, and both Nord and Adamaoua into two regions each.
• This proposal aligns with a broader territorial reform by Cameroon's Ministry of Territorial Administration (Minat) to update administrative maps and increase departments.
• Gatama argues that smaller regions would bring administration closer to citizens and better reflect local demographic, geographic, and economic realities.
• He cites the Mayo-Rey department's vast size, exceeding the combined area of the North-West and West regions, as an example of current administrative challenges.

Therefore, a more granular découpage administratif Grand-Nord is presented as a vital step towards ensuring that administrative structures are better tailored to local needs, ultimately leading to more effective public action and development in this expansive part of Cameroon.

Guibai Gatama, who serves as the publication director for L'Œil du Sahel, has put forward a detailed proposal concerning the territorial restructuring of Cameroon's Grand-Nord region. His initiative, framed as a significant contribution to the ongoing national discussion on administrative reform, specifically advocates for a substantial increase in the number of administrative regions within this vast northern territory. This Guibai Gatama réorganisation Grand-Nord Cameroun aims to transform the current three regions into a more granular system of seven distinct administrative units.

Under Gatama's specific plan, the existing Extrême-Nord region would undergo an Extrême-Nord subdivision régions, being divided into three separate entities. Similarly, both the Nord region and the Adamaoua region, which currently stand as single administrative units, would each be split into two new regions. This proposition sept régions Cameroun represents a fundamental shift from the present structure, intending to bring governance closer to the local populace and address long-standing administrative challenges.

This call for a more localized administrative structure by Guibai Gatama aligns with a broader national initiative spearheaded by the Ministry of Territorial Administration (Minat). The Cameroonian government, through the Minat, is actively pursuing a comprehensive réforme territoriale Cameroun designed to modernize and update the country's entire administrative map. This overarching reform includes plans to significantly increase the number of departments nationwide, reflecting a strategic effort to enhance governmental presence and efficiency at the local level.

The primary objectives behind the Minat's proposed changes are multifaceted. They seek to improve the supervision of the population across all regions and to bolster the effectiveness of local public services and actions. Gatama's specific suggestions for the découpage administratif Grand-Nord can be seen as a direct response to, and an attempt to influence, this ongoing governmental drive, offering a concrete model for how the principles of the national reform could be applied to a critical part of the country. The potential creation of Cameroun nouvelles régions is a central theme of this national dialogue.

Gatama's rationale for advocating such a significant administrative overhaul in the Grand-Nord is rooted in a desire for improved governance and a more equitable distribution of resources and administrative oversight. He argues that by creating smaller, more numerous regions, the administrative territories would become inherently closer to the populations they serve. This proximity, he contends, would make government services and administrative bodies more accessible to citizens, fostering greater engagement and responsiveness.

Furthermore, the proposal emphasizes the critical need for a better consideration of the unique demographic, geographic, and economic realities prevalent across the Grand-Nord. Gatama highlights the current disparities, pointing out that some existing departments, such as Mayo-Rey, are geographically immense, even surpassing the combined land area of the North-West and West regions. Such vastness, he implies, hinders effective administration and development. Therefore, a more granular découpage administratif Grand-Nord is presented as a vital step towards ensuring that administrative structures are better tailored to local needs, ultimately leading to more effective public action and development in this expansive part of Cameroon.

Lawyers should monitor the proposed territorial reorganization in Cameroon's Grand-Nord as it could lead to significant changes in administrative boundaries, potentially affecting jurisdictional issues, local regulatory frameworks, and business operations for clients in the affected regions. This is a developing policy discussion that could shape future legal and administrative landscapes.

Source: Original reporting via Actu Cameroun