Budget Orientation : Bafut Council Sets Priorities

The Bafut Council in Mezam Division of the North West Region has set out to prepare the 2025 budget that addresses operational needs and supports innovation and growth. This explains the budget orientation session that took place on December 4, 2024 during which the various departments, stakeholders and community leaders drawn from villages within the Bafut municipality gave their input stressing more on priorities for inclusive development.
Talking to the press after the session, Bafut Council Mayor Ngwakongoh Lawrence expressed the staggering situation of the council caused by the ongoing insecurity in the North West and South West Regions. He said there is low revenue collection, revealing that the council is collecting no revenue for the over nine markets in the municipality. He also said that other sources of revenue such as patents, building permits are for now free.
The budget orientation session is evidently a way to get everybody on board in order to revamp revenue collection and boost development of Bafut. This is because, “During the budget orientation meeting, the community leaders have accepted that they are going to be mouth of the Council to talk to people. They will tell the Bafut people that their development is in their hands and that if they pay patents and other dues they are contributing to development. Everybody is on board.” Mayor Ngwakongoh Lawrence said. He further disclosed that the council is anticipating a budgetary increase of 26.6 per cent in 2025 compared to 2024 financial year depending on the sponsored projects that are coming from the Special Council Support Fund for Mutual Assistance (FEICOM). The priority projects and actions, the Mayor said, include the construction of two bridges. One is the bridge over River Mezam linking Tingoh, Nchoho and Okwala Village...