Officials on the high table during the SW Regional Assembly session in Buea
By Guy-Bruno Maimo
The South West Regional Assembly has rescinded 11 contracts awarded to non-performing contractors and warned that firms lacking the financial and technical capacity to execute public projects will no longer be tolerated, as the institution seeks to improve service delivery and accelerate development across the region.
The announcement was made during the twin ordinary sessions of the South West Regional Assembly for the 2026 financial year, held on June 3, 2026, at Mountain Hotel in Buea. The sessions were devoted to the presentation of the state of the region and the examination and adoption of the administrative, management and stores accounts of the 2025 financial year.
Presenting his report, the President of the South West Regional Assembly, Zacheus Bakoma Elango, disclosed that the execution rate of projects in 2025 was significantly better than in 2024, attributing the improvement to measures introduced by the assembly to hold defaulting contractors accountable. “At the end of last year, I took the courageous decision to rescind 11 contracts due to the inability of some contractors to execute and realize their jobs not only within contractual deadlines, but also within the deadline for the close of budgetary engagements imposed by the Minister of Finance,” he stated.
Elango expressed concern over what he described as the growing phenomenon of contractors taking on more projects than they can effectively execute. He noted that some bidders secure multiple contracts despite lacking the financial resources required to complete them. To him, the problem with contractors is that: “they want to chew more than they can swallow,” he said in an interview after the session. “A contractor will go in for ten jobs whereas he can only finance five jobs,” he added, stressing that the ultimate objective of the assembly is to ensure that projects are successfully executed for the benefit of local communities
Participants at the South West Regional Assembly session
The assembly president revealed that one contractor whose contracts were terminated has taken the regional assembly to court seeking damages worth FCFA 70 million, while the assembly is also pursuing compensation amounting to FCFA 80 million over uncompleted and poorly executed projects, citing water project in Bakogo, Eyumodjock Subdivision, where no work had been completed before the contract was cancelled, as well as borehole projects in Mbonge and Kumba that failed to meet required standards.
Beyond the challenges posed by some contractors, Elango highlighted several projects completed or advanced during the 2025 financial year. These include the installation of solar street lights in Nguti, the construction of pedagogic blocks in Fontem and Bonadikombo, the equipping of a mother-and-child centre in Mundemba District Hospital, and improvements to health facilities across the region. He also pointed to progress on the hemodialysis centre at the Kumba Regional Hospital, the equipping of a surgical theatre in Mamfe, and the completion of the fourth phase of a cement-paved road project in Kumba.
In his address, the Governor of the South West Region, Bernard Okalia Bilai, described the session as an important exercise in accountability and transparency, stressing that development should be measured by its impact on people’s lives. “Success is not solely measured by funds spent, but by the tangible impact on the lives of our people,” he said, while commending improvements in project implementation and collaboration with development partners.
Echoing concerns earlier expressed by the President of the South West Regional Assembly, the governor urged authorities to blacklist contractors who consistently fail to execute projects within agreed timelines, emphasizing that accountability is key to maintaining public confidence.
Looking ahead, he challenged the regional assembly to be more ambitious in implementing the 2026 budget, particularly through infrastructure development, youth and women empowerment programmes, and support for reconstruction efforts in communities affected by the socio-political crisis.
Among the future projects highlighted during the session was the proposed establishment of an educational technology factory at Ombe. According to Elango, the initiative emerged from discussions at the Commonwealth Trade and Investment Forum in London and is expected to support the digitalization of secondary education in Cameroon.
The session also paid tribute to the late Chief Etina Monono, a member of the South West House of Chiefs and second-class chief in Buea Municipality, who passed away on May 7, 2026. A condolence register was opened in his honour.
As deliberations ended, regional councillors were urged to maintain close ties with their communities and ensure that development projects continue to respond to the needs of the population. Both state and regional authorities reiterated their commitment to transparency, accountability and sustainable development as the South West Region moves forward with the implementation of its 2026 agenda.
