BANGOU HOSTS LAUNCH OF AFRICAN DECENTRALIZATION AND CIVIL REGISTRATION DAYS

         Bangou, West Region — Activities marking the 15th African Day of Decentralization and Local Development and the 9th African Day of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics have officially been launched at the Bangou Council in the Upper Plateaux Division of the West Region.

The ceremony was presided over by the Minister of Decentralization and Local Development, Georges Elanga Obam.

In his welcome address, the Mayor of Bangou, Mr. Sikapin Paul, highlighted the council’s achievements and challenges in local development. He noted that the municipality has 42 boreholes, five gravity-fed water supply systems and several public standpipes, although these facilities are not yet operating at full capacity.

On civil registration, the Mayor noted that Bangou is one of five pilot councils in the West Region implementing the RECORD Project, which supports the digitalization of civil registration services. He recalled that the council issued its first digital birth certificate on December 12, 2025, marking an important milestone in the modernization of civil registration.

The Director General of the National Civil Status Registration Office (BUNEC), Mr. Alexandre Marie Yomo, indicated that 64 of Cameroon’s 374 councils have so far been digitalized. These include 11 councils in the Centre Region, seven in the East, 13 in the Far North, seven in the Littoral, eight in the North, two in the North-West, five in the West, seven in the South and four in the South-West.

Addressing participants, Minister Georges Elanga Obam said the joint celebration, organized within the framework of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, highlights the importance of decentralization and efficient civil registration systems in promoting sustainable development across Africa.

He called on stakeholders to reconvene on August 10 in Obala Council for the official celebration of the two events.

The ceremony concluded with a visit to the Bangou Council Civil Registration Service, where the Minister witnessed the production of digital birth certificates, showcasing the progress achieved in the digital transformation of civil registration services in Cameroon.