Cameroon Open Participatory Budget (COPB) – Phase I

Background and Rationale

Democratizing access to financial data within local government councils is essential to preventing corruption and maximizing infrastructure returns in Cameroon. Supported through the French Embassy’s specialized PISCCA competitive fund, the “Cameroon Open Participatory Budget” project equips local citizens with digital entry points to inspect municipal accounts, voice development priorities, and hold local mayors accountable.

Project Objectives

• General Objective: Drive local open governance by legally and technologically embedding citizen-led participatory budgeting methodologies across target councils.

• Specific Objectives:

  1. Deploy localized digital tracking systems to break down municipal expenditures into understandable citizen portals.

  2. Build independent public oversight mechanisms to track municipal budget execution.

  3. Engage diverse community groups to co-design municipal investment priorities directly with elected officials.

Administrative Control and Reporting Guidelines

• Execution Framework: AfroLeadership retains total liability for executing all project activities and commits to sourcing its matching internal funds to fulfill the total balance sheet ratio (11.6%).

• Project Governance: The partner must convene a structured Project Steering Committee exactly every 4 months, gathering all technical, operational, and financial consortium members. Additionally, a formal monitoring committee will meet at least once per semester under the Embassy’s oversight to inspect accounting entries and authorize minor modifications to line-item funds.

• Mandatory Contractual Reporting Deliverables:

  1. Interim Technical and Financial Report: Due before February 1, 2021, verifying the compliant expenditure of a minimum of 40% of the aggregate initial funds.

  2. Final Project Execution Dossier: Due within exactly 3 months of project completion. This must comprise an extensive text-based narrative impact report (utilizing the mandatory Annex 8 framework) evaluating targeted performance indicators, alongside an exhaustive Excel financial ledger (Annex 9) mapped to sequentially numbered, audited physical receipts.