CI-NEWS

Brighter days for social security, sea transport sector.

2020-05-12

No: 495

Brighter days for social security, sea transport sector.

President Paul Biya has enacted into law, three bills that were recently adopted in parliament which have a positive bearing on the country’s social security and sea transport sectors, as well as Cameroon’s position in the Economic Community of the Central African States, ECCAS.

In one of the bills enacted into law by the President of the Republic, he states:

“The revised Treaty Establishing the Economic Community of the Central African States, (ECCAS), signed in Libreville on 18 December 2019, is hereby ratified”.

Defending the bill in parliament last month, the Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Alamine Ousmane Mey, said the revised treaty stands to provide Economic Community of the Central African States, ECCAS, with a strong tool geared towards fostering regional integration.

“ECCAS is going to have an adapted judicial and legislative tool and a new framework for its activities. We will have a Commission in charge of five or six sectorial areas which all fall in line with our global goal of better integrating our sub region. We are going beyond the CEMAC area of six member countries to 11 countries which totals up to 190 million people.

The ratification of the draft bill relating to the revised ECCAS treaty entails enormous stakes both for Cameroon and for Central Africa. These stakes could turn into many opportunities”.

Members of Parliament, like those of the Senate, welcomed the bill as a new dawn for countries of the Central African Sub region. “The bill that deals with the re-organisation of ECCAS will reduce tariff quota on goods which will help budding industries to grow. This will subsequently boost employment among ECCAS member States”, said Senator Philippe Lekie Besongo.

The second bill enacted into law by the President of the Republic “ratifies the revised Treaty of the inter African Conference on Social Security (CIPRES), adopted in Abidjan on 14 February 2014”.

Defending the bill in parliament last month, the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Gregoire Owona was reassuring.

“Cameroon is already a member of the Inter-African Conference on Social Security which consists of 17 countries in Africa. We have to close ranks with all these countries in order to reinforce the capacity of the National Social Insurance Fund to continue in the process of Social Security in Cameroon”. The lawmakers were even more upbeat. “We have seen older people sit sometimes in front of the National Insurance Offices, suffering there for long to get their pension dues.

This bill comes to adjust workers’ rights and give them the ability to retrieve their retirement dues early enough,” Senator Philippe Lekie Besongo intimated. President Paul Biya decrees as follows in the third law: “Cameroon hereby accedes to the international Convention for the Control and Management of Ship’s Ballast Water and Sediment (BWM Convention), adopted in London, England, on 13 February 2004”. This in essence means that Cameroon will henceforth be given the right by the International Maritime Organisation, to take, individually or jointly with other parties, more stringent measures with respect to the prevention, reduction or elimination of the transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens through the control and management of ship’s ballast water and sediments, consistent with the international law. The bill was overwhelmingly approved in parliament. “The management of Ballast water is important given that it is another vector of disease.

We were edified by the Minister about the actions that are being taken to make sure that the ballast water will not constitute another source of disease for our population”, Honourable Banmi Emmanuel, Member of Parliament for Ngoketunjia South Constituency and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly said. “This bill will enable Cameroon to collaborate with other countries to make sure that the regulations governing the movement of ships are in conformity with the regulations in our country”, Fon Doh Ganyonga III, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate intimated.

The last bill which was adopted in parliament last month and now awaits the approval of the Head of State is that to regulate postal activity in Cameroon.

Culled from Cameroon Insider

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Brighter days for social security, sea transport sector.