The Mayor of Nkambe Council, Musa Shey Nfor, has proposed a practical solution to help councils in the North West Region tackle the persistent salary arrears owed to council workers.
His proposal came during a debriefing and benchmarking workshop organised by the Office of the North West Public Independent Conciliator, where mayors discussed governance challenges facing Regional and Local Authorities.
For years, many councils in the region have struggled to pay workers on time due to delays in the disbursement of the Additional Council Tax (CAC) by FEICOM. The situation has left hundreds of council employees waiting for months to receive their salaries.
The challenge was first raised by the Mayor of Fundong and President of the North West Chapter of the United Councils and Cities of Cameroon (UCCC), who revealed that some councils have still not received their fourth-quarter CAC allocation for 2025.
"Some councils are still to receive their fourth quarter for 2025. This makes the payment of staff salaries very difficult," he said.
Responding to the concern, Mayor Musa Shey Nfor suggested that councils should sign Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with microfinance institutions. Under the arrangement, the financial institutions would pay council workers' salaries on the 25th of every month, while councils would reimburse the institutions once FEICOM releases the CAC funds.
According to the Nkambe mayor, the arrangement would guarantee regular salary payments despite delays in government transfers, thereby improving workers' welfare and ensuring uninterrupted council services.
The proposal was warmly welcomed by the North West Public Independent Conciliator, Tamfu Simon Fai, who described it as an innovative approach to addressing one of the biggest challenges facing councils in the region.
He said timely payment of salaries would boost staff morale, strengthen their commitment to work and improve their living conditions.
If adopted by other councils, the initiative could significantly reduce the hardship currently faced by council workers across the North West. With insecurity continuing to affect economic activities and local tax collection in many municipalities, most councils depend heavily on FEICOM's CAC transfers to meet their financial obligations.
Many participants at the workshop expressed hope that the proposal could offer a sustainable solution to the recurring problem of salary delays and improve the financial stability of councils in the region.
By
Ndi Tsembom Elvis
0 Comments