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00:00Hello, this is house connects.
00:29Your insights into parliamentary activities.
00:32It is exactly two weeks since the opening of the third ordinary
00:36session of the 2024 legislative year.
00:40And so far, 12 bills have been tabled by governments.
00:43The chairman's conferences of both houses, that is the national
00:46assembly and the Senate have deemed these bills admissible.
00:50Five of them have already been scrutinized and adopted at the
00:54national assembly on the program.
00:57Today, we shall be focusing solely on the purpose of these 12 bills,
01:02as well as giving you the details of the debates in the competent
01:07general committees, and also at a level of plenary, don't go away.
01:11We'll be right back in the JFE with the speakers.
01:19Achieving zero hunger by 2030, stamping out malnutrition and
01:24promoting sustainable agriculture have been major preoccupations
01:29for lawmakers and stakeholders in the sector.
01:32To that effect, the house speaker, the right to honorable
01:36granted audience to officials of the world food program, the
01:41German technical corporation and members of the parliamentary
01:44alliance for nutrition and food security.
01:48How did the exchanges go?
01:50Come up next on the program.
01:54On the path to achieving zero hunger by 2030, through climate
01:58smart agriculture, the officials of the German technical
02:01corporation, the world food program and the parliamentary
02:04alliance for food security and nutrition came calling at the
02:08house speakers with the right to honorable coverage rule, the
02:13social safety programs adopted in the partnership and projections
02:17were highlighted.
02:18There will be a visit in the extreme north in several in some
02:21weeks, and there will be a large conference in April, where
02:27we will bring together all partners which are active in the
02:30field of agriculture and food security.
02:34To meet mutual commitments on food and nutrition security, and
02:38the rights to adequate food, a strong legislation is a
02:41prerequisite.
02:43We need to ensure that everybody, the population and their
02:47representative are aware of of this problematics.
02:50And they can also engage in dialogues and in advocacy, as
02:55parliaments are expected to support funding with 0.5% of
02:58their budgets.
03:00Cameroon is modernizing its legal framework with the ongoing
03:03scrutiny of a bill to regulate the fisheries and aquaculture
03:07sector.
03:12The news of the day is the official inauguration of the 54
03:17billion CFA France new National Assembly edifice constructed by
03:22the People's Republic of China.
03:24The inauguration will take place on Saturday, November 30.
03:28Under the distinguished patronage of His Excellency Paul
03:32Beer, and His Excellency Xi Jinping.
03:35Ahead of the official inauguration, house connect today
03:38briefly presents to you what that architectural jewel looks
03:43like.
03:45An ultra modern imposing magnificent infrastructure erected on
03:50one of the seven hills of Yaounde.
03:53This is the new futuristic National Assembly complex, meeting
03:58the architectural ambitions of President Paul Beer to transform
04:02the country's institutional physical layout.
04:05We are very happy because we have been waiting for this for
04:10many years.
04:11Since the last incident we have here, now that this new
04:19building is there, I think it is a very big satisfaction.
04:23To be inaugurated this Saturday, November 30 by the house speaker
04:28in the presence of state dignitaries.
04:30The building located in the historic Ngwakele neighborhood in
04:34Yaounde is financed to the tune of 54 billion CFA France by
04:38China.
04:39With the new hemicycle, we have about 520 a place.
04:48If we have Congress, that means the meeting of the Senate and
04:52the National Assembly will not have problem again.
04:56And if the new elect president of the Republic is coming to
05:04shred in, the place will be sufficient to have all the parts
05:12that be Senate, National Assembly, Supreme Court, Constitutional
05:21Court.
05:22An example of the quality based cooperation between Yaounde and
05:26Beijing.
05:27The plus 500 seating capacity chamber house fulfills the
05:31aspirations of the lawmakers to be housed in a 21st century
05:36worthy parliamentary building.
05:37The MPs have seen for themselves today the excellent work of
05:41President Paul Biya based on his excellent relationship that we
05:45have with China.
05:46What I have here today is a clear proof that we have a state
05:51man at the head of the country.
05:53We think this structure, which shows exactly what Cameroon is
06:03made of.
06:04And I want to say we are very, very pleased.
06:07This building is a very fantastic one in modernism.
06:14And the capacity of the building is projecting our country in the
06:19future.
06:20When we look at all the beauty of this building and its capacity,
06:25I think we are very glad as citizens, we are very glad as
06:30members of parliament.
06:31The lawmakers from all the political parties agree on the
06:36technological inputs used in the construction of the edifice.
06:41I'm full of joy.
06:43In fact, I was here when they started.
06:47And little did I know that it is going to be such a beautiful
06:53piece of work.
06:55And I'm happy
07:03which is seeing this happen.
07:07I'm happy with the work as a member of parliament, a member of
07:12the bureau, a member of the technical committee of this
07:15site, a member of the technical committee.
07:17The new National Assembly building is an architectural
07:21jewel seen as one of the greatest achievements of the
07:25major accomplishment program of President Paul Biya.
07:34Faithful to the role of government oversight, members of
07:37the Senate have been at work.
07:39In the space of one week, the great members of government and
07:43the functioning of the ministerial departments, they
07:46propped into the inadequate supply of road infrastructure
07:50in the country and the slow implementation of the universal
07:53health coverage plan.
07:55Their worries also were on the irregularities noticed in the
08:00transports, as well as the post and telecommunications sector.
08:06The plenary session at the Senate began with the reading of
08:09the legal disposition governing the question and answer session
08:12in parliament read out by the Vice President of the Senate,
08:16Robert Mckinley, who ushered in Senator Françoise Pionnet for
08:20the first round of questions directed to the Minister of
08:22Post and Telecommunications, Minette Libon-Lili-King.
08:26The senator is pretty much concerned about the poor services
08:30offered by mobile telephone operators, accusing them of what
08:34she termed unstable network.
08:36In response, the Minister of Post and Telecommunication was
08:39quick to remind the senators that the improvement of digital
08:43communications in Cameroon is government's top priority,
08:47stating the role of the telecommunications regulatory
08:50agency.
08:51She also announced the putting in place of a service in charge
08:54of an equitable universal coverage of the network.
08:58The question from Senator Samuel Obama-Assam on the poor
09:02working condition in some embassies was addressed to the
09:05minister delegating the Minister of External Relations in charge
09:08of Commonwealth Affairs, who underscored the importance of
09:11e-visa in the modernization, digitalization and security
09:16process of consular transactions.
09:18The e-visa system is a project, a PPP project, public-private
09:25partnership project put in place with two objectives. To
09:33modernize as part of the modernization of our
09:37administration, but particularly to digitalize the functioning
09:44of our foreign ministry, but also to secure consular revenue.
09:53This is done by having a single platform which permits users to
10:01apply wherever they are in the world for their visas, and the
10:05payment is done on this platform and goes to one treasury.
10:12The development of needs of indigenous people and local
10:15communities living in and around national parks is a case to be
10:20reconsidered. Meanwhile, developing large-scale
10:24ecotouristic activities as a socio-economic means to sustain
10:30territorial decentralized collectivities could continue to
10:34cater for some development needs at the local level, and also
10:40double as a contributing source of revenue to the national
10:44economy.
10:45A question from Senator Lekunze Nimbo about finding a common
10:49ground between conservation and socio-economic development of
10:53protected areas and the inhabitants. Reacting to the
10:57question, the Secretary of State and the Minister of Forestry and
10:59Wildlife, Kulsumi Adlajibuka, made reference to the 2024
11:04finance law with protected areas like Kampo, Man, as examples to
11:09emulate. The Minister of Public Works, who took questions from
11:13Senator Malumbra, very preoccupied about the deteriorating
11:17state of airfields often plied by overloaded heavy-duty trucks, and
11:22that go unchecked, referencing localities like Fotokol Kusiri,
11:27Dabanga Kusiri, and Kiriwa Maruwa in the far north region. In
11:32response, Minister Emmanuel Gano Njume, CF Public Works, assured
11:36the senators of a series of measures taken by his ministry to
11:40protect airfields in the country, adding that it demands a
11:43collective effort to keep the roads possible. On issues
11:47pertaining to basic education, Senator Pierre Flambon-Gayeb was
11:52concerned about the low financial resources allocated for public
11:56investment in the ministry compared to other countries in
11:59sub-Saharan Africa. Minister Laurent-Serge Tundengwa was quick
12:04to remind the senators that the government's budgetary allocation
12:07to the Minister of Basic Education increases every year, thus
12:11dismissing every allegation of negligence from the part of
12:15government. Next to Mount the Ross Room was the Minister of the
12:18Economy, Alamin Ousmane May, who answered questions from Senator
12:22Ngangumbe Aminatou on the growth of digital economy in Cameroon.
12:27Plus, the Minister of Public Health, Manauda Malashi,
12:31drifted by Senator Koma Uchin on the problems surrounding the
12:35registration of successful candidates in the Council of
12:38Paramedical Personnel. The question and answer session, it
12:41should be noted, is proof of the viability of the country's
12:45parliament.
12:50Our focus on the program today is on the bill relating to data
12:54protection, defended by the Minister of Post and
12:57Telecommunications, Minette Libom-Lelikeng. The bill was
13:01examined in committee, and it is already adopted at a national
13:06assembly in a plenary chaired by the House Speaker, the Right
13:09Honourable Kawa Ekejibilu. It comes at a time when the average
13:13Cameroonian decries the deplorable quality of services
13:17offered by mobile telephone operators. They're also worried
13:21about the security of their data.
13:51When you are connected, you produce data about your private
13:59life. So as a government, as we protect citizens, we need to
14:05protect them on the cyberspace.
14:22Since 2015, we have a lot of laws, you know, and all those
14:29laws were at a period when we have just 2G and 3G. With 4G
14:35and very soon 5G, we produce a lot of data. We are more and
14:40more connected.
14:41This is one of the contextual elements which determined the
14:45formulation of the bill on the protection of the personal data
14:49of Cameroonians as the country moves to an emerging one by
14:532035, in a world where the government sees threats coming
14:58from the artificial intelligence community technology on
15:02information manipulation as unacceptable.
15:05Today, we have a lot of demonstration that they can
15:09change your behaviour, they can change your mindset by
15:13manipulating your data.
15:17Today, the digital economy which injects about 18 billion CFR
15:22francs on the Cameroonian purse also means the availability
15:27online of tons of material like texts, calls, bank cards, and
15:32other financial documents which need safety.
15:36People who before used to work, don't pay attention on the
15:41protection of data must review their way of working.
15:46The bill on personal data protection was first judged
15:50admissible by the Chairman's Conference before it entered the
15:54Constitutional Laws Committee for examination by the lawmakers.
15:59When you use ICTs platform and so on, you produce data and
16:04data are very important. And today, there is very big
16:10business on data.
16:12Containing 76 articles spread in eight chapters, the draft
16:17legislation seeks to establish a robust legal framework to
16:22secure the personal details of Cameroonians online and how they
16:26can be used in digitally motivated transactions without
16:32abuse. And if there is an abuse, sanctions can follow.
16:36We are more and more connected. It was crucial for Cameroon to
16:41protect the personal data and to put the individual in the
16:46heart, in the center. If I want to use your data, I need your
16:51authorization.
16:52Examined critically at the Constitutional Laws Committee
16:56level, because of its cross section impact on lives, the
17:01legislation according to Post and Telecommunications Minister
17:05will institute a state managed entity to manage the personal
17:10data of Cameroonians to ensure they are properly preserved to
17:14respect privacy in this fast changing technological world.
17:19The issue of privacy is so challenging. First of all,
17:24because it has so many parameters that are involved. It
17:31is so volatile. And it needs, you know, competence, you need
17:37competence, it needs equipment. If it has to be done with total
17:44success and efficiency. We are trying to copy from other
17:49countries, which is very good. It is always good to copy best
17:52practices. But I just want to find out from you, what mechanism
17:57have you put in place to ensure that we don't, you know, copy
18:01against something that is just, you know, a kind of elephant
18:06dressing.
18:07The plenary to adopt the bill on data protection is chaired by
18:12the House Speaker, the Right Honourable Kavai Yege Jibril, as
18:16the entire House examined article by article, the text
18:21understudy.
18:22We want to position Cameroon as a leader. And we are able to do
18:29it. Because we have equipment, we have people, young people
18:33well trained, there is a government will, and we have
18:37achieved a lot.
18:38The plenary to adopt the bill on data protection in Cameroon at
18:43the National Assembly was also a moment for legislators to
18:47question the post and telecommunications boss on other
18:51issues, like the state of internet connectivity in their
18:56communities nationwide.
18:58In Cameroon, particularly from my constituency from which I
19:04come from,
19:09division,
19:11Momo, West,
19:13Wamngi, Wamjiqua, and Witikum.
19:18They are in total blackout.
19:21No internet services, not to talk about network.
19:26The government bench responded by stating the limitations of
19:31the service providers.
19:32The reality of connections in some region under crisis are a
19:42real challenge.
19:45Please, you know, to have connectivity is not only a
19:53problem of telecommunications. If you have no electricity, you
19:59cannot have connectivity.
20:02Other questions were on the quality of internet services,
20:07like abuse on credit cards.
20:09A lot of people are telling you about how the MTN and Orange are
20:14treating the Cameroonian people. We don't know where to go and
20:16post these questions. We think that you are the right person to
20:19call them. And I don't know whether you're always sitting
20:22with them to ask them why all these things are happening.
20:25People go on using many SIM cards to do bad because they want
20:31to do bad things through internet. And now you and me, we
20:37need to be sensitized. We need to be educated not to take all
20:42what they are proposing to us.
20:45One other preoccupation of the house was the safety of
20:49transactions on mobile technology platforms in the
20:53country.
20:54Even yesterday, when Orange, the general manager, came to
21:00present me his award as the best CEO somewhere, what I say is
21:07that congratulations. Well done, because you have been
21:12recognized outside that you are a good manager. But what I'm
21:16expecting from you is that the consumer also must give you an
21:22award as a good operator.
21:25At the end of the question and answer session, the bill was
21:29adopted and forwarded to the Senate.
21:37The finance and budget committees of the Senate and of
21:41the National Assembly, as well as the audit bench of the Supreme
21:44Court, are two control structures who've been working
21:47tirelessly to promote transparency and good governance
21:51in the management of public finances. In the course of two
21:55separate exchange fora, they reminded governments on the
21:59imperative to take their recommendations into
22:02consideration if there must be efficiency and effectiveness in
22:07the management of public funds.
22:10The Judiciary and Parliament are two control institutions
22:13designed to task the government with accountability for better
22:17governance for the benefit of the people. One moment where both
22:21meet for such a synergy is the regular exchange forum between
22:25the Parliament and the audit bench of the Supreme Court.
22:28This is a very useful exercise in terms of governance policy in
22:35the country, where legislators are drilled and equipped with
22:40tools that can enable them to control government action. For
22:45instance, we have gone through the rudiments of controls and
22:50auditing from the audit bench and I want to say that we are
22:54grateful and we are thankful for putting their expertise into
23:01display within the circles of the Senate.
23:05This time at the Senate, it was the 20th exchange forum with
23:09focus on the general allocation for decentralization, which the
23:13Senate has a mandate to ensure its proper implementation.
23:17The audit bench of the Supreme Court has a primary
23:20responsibility to control state accounts. And when you mean
23:26state accounts, you mean at all levels, not only.
23:34When we meet, we look at the challenges they have in
23:39executing their duties.
23:41The senators also examined ways by which accountability can be
23:45increased through the strengthening of the work of the
23:48audit bench of the Supreme Court.
23:50Recommendations are made because there are some abnormalities in
23:55the way public funds are being managed. And the recommendations
23:58are meant to ameliorate the way in which those who handle public
24:03funds manage them. Unfortunately, the audit bench
24:06itself does not have the means to implement some of those
24:09recommendations. That's why they meet us, the legislatures, to
24:13see how we can put our heads together and to be able to
24:16implement these recommendations.
24:19At the National Assembly, the exchange was with the Finance and
24:23Budget Committee of the House, and it was the 30th exchange forum.
24:27The law of 1999 on public establishments and public
24:33enterprises, you know, it is true recommendations that the law
24:37was revised in 2017. And the law, which was a unique law for the
24:43two establishments, were divided.
24:45Just like in the Senate, the control legal institution asked
24:48for synergy of action.
24:50We need Parliament because they are the voice of the people. You
24:54know, maybe if the two houses speak in one voice and our
24:59recommendations are read out and publicized to the media and even
25:04the civil society, we think that those recommendations will be
25:09implemented.
25:09Today, it is almost an imperative to seriously take
25:13into account the recommendation of the Supreme Audit Bench to
25:16improve financial governance in Cameroon.
25:25It is on that note that we wrap up this edition of House Connect,
25:29which was largely dedicated to providing details on the
25:33tabling, scrutiny and adoption of bills tabled by governments in
25:38the last two weeks.
25:40You also had snapshots of the probings of the lawmakers on the
25:44functioning of ministerial departments.
25:47Until the fourth night with what would have happened in Parliament,
25:51it is goodbye from the entire production team of House Connect.
25:59Transcribed by https://otter.ai