Abstract:

This paper studies the emergence of non-formal or voluntary village development committees (VDC), their structure and projects as well as the capacity of these VDCs to contribute to the decentralization and sustainable development of Cameroon. Analysis is based on case studies of the VDCs in three villages in three different provinces of Cameroon and information gathered from key informants in the government and at development organizations. The capacity of Cameroon’s VDCs to contribute to decentralization and sustainable development was assessed by analyzing the institutional development of VDCs in Cameroon and the organizational development and project impact of three VDCs in particular. Cameroon’s VDCs seem to have first emerged in areas where there were extreme circumstances that brought the people together for their common good. VDCs are in general well structured; however, each of the VDCs studied could benefit from stronger financial and strategic management systems as well as stronger communication practices. The study determined that there is great potential for Cameroonian VDCs to contribute to sustainable development if partnerships are formed with other NGOs and government agencies. However, their impact is limited if they continue to work alone as they are limited to the financial and material resources available in their communities and to major donations from one or two elites. VDCs are already contributing to the decentralization process in a very informal way by taking financial and administrative responsibility for schools, health centers and in some cases water points and other infrastructure projects generally considered the government’s responsibility.