2023 Annual Conference and New Year Wishes

The Annual Conference of Senior Officials of Central, Devolved and External Services of the Ministry of Finance, combined with New Year Wishes Ceremony, took place on January 3, 2023, at the Conference Center Yaounde, under the theme “Strengthening Budgetary Regulations as an Economic Recovery Lever in 2023”.

Addressing participants, the MINFI Boss  Louis Paul MOTAZE, recalled that, like in the past, the meeting provides a unique moment and privilege to the great family of the Ministry of Finance, a framework for reflection on a central theme, a supreme moment of cogitation and collective enrichment of employees both inside and outside the national territory. That, beyond all the very legitimate concerns having an essentially operational character, it is above all a question of exchanging and sharing our knowledge and experiences, faced with growing challenges and challenges in a world in perpetual change.

But that this year, the broad outlines that will establish our reflection both politically, Economically and Socially in the current difficult context plaguing our country, were revealed to us by the President of the Republic H.E. Mr. Paul Biya, in his message to the Nation on December 31, 2022. In this regard, what inspired reflection is the following: Our country like many others, continued to face in 2022 exogenous shocks, while the global economy was just beginning to recover from the distortions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, in Eastern Europe he recalled, a weapon conflict between Russia and Ukraine, to name but a few.

He went further that, the objectives of the SND30 must be achieved through, acceleration of the implementation of our structural reforms, reduce some of our expenditure which has become unsustainable or non-priority, restructure the State budget with the recent orientations of the Head of State, and create budgetary spaces for priority spending. Thus were the different avenues of reflection by participants during the 2023 Annual Conference.

During deliberation at the conference, chaired by, Gilbert Didier EDOA, Secretary General of the Ministry of Finance, were presentations on: the Innovations of the Circular on the execution of the State budget by Mrs. Augusta Arrey TABENYANG, DCOB; Fiscal regulation as a determinant of Effective State Cash Management by; Cyril EDOU ALO’O, DGD and Moh Sylvester TANGONGHO, DGTFMC, and Fiscal policy and economic recovery by; DGC and DGT.

Some recommendations were put up amongst which are: to put in place a credible commitment plan consisting with cash expenditures; Prohibit cash advances; Put in place a plan for the clearance of outstanding amounts for the 1^st quarter of the exercise in progress and, Limit tax compensation practices.

The last part during the day was presentation of New Year Wishes to Minister Louis Paul MOTAZE and the Minister Delegate to the Minister, Yaouba Abdoulaye, which took place after a detailed presentation of a retrospective of activities as assigned to the Ministry. The achievements and challenges as well as the determination of the entire staff of MINFI to put hands on deck, relentlessly, this year to achieve greater results.