The 7th Commonwealth Heads of African Public Service Forum held in Yaounde, Cameroon from the 27th to the 29th of July 2010 under the theme "Managing and Integrating Public Sector Reforms in an Era of Global Economic Crisis"

Opening the forum, the Prime Minister, Head of Government of Cameroon, Mr. Philemon YANG called on the Heads of Public Services in Commonwealth Africa to propose innovative ways in mitigating the impact of the global financial crisis and draw up strategies in managing, integrating and consolidating public sector reforms to overcome these challenges. While hailing this prestigious organization, Cameroon’s Prime Minister used the opportunity to salute the excellent partnership Cameroon enjoys with the Commonwealth. Mr. Yang underscored strides made in the Cameroon administration in the political, economic and socio-cultural domains which he said were results of this partnership. He cited fruits of these ties which are clearly visible on our national landscape. Some of which include: The setting up of Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) and the building of the capacity of its personnel; the reform of our National Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms; The setting up of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (CONAC); The elaboration of our new and harmonized Criminal Procedure Code; The computerisation of the data base of detainees in our penitentiary institutions; as well as reforms made in the public service to enhance efficiency and improve output in service delivery, so as to ensure total satisfaction of its users. Earlier in his welcome address, the Secretary General of the Ministry of the Public Service and Administrative Reform in Cameroon, Mr. Philip NGOLE NGWESE welcomed all the delegates attending this 7th Commonwealth Forum in Yaounde while assuring them of the hospitality of Cameroonians. The Secretary General expressed profound gratitude to the Commonwealth Secretariat for the invaluable support they provided towards the success of this forum which according to him is a dream come true. In his opening remarks, the Acting Director for Governance & Institutional Development Division at the Commonwealth Secretariat, Mr. John Wilkins presented the complexity of today’s global village characterized by human connectivity, borderless economies, and global competition. To him, the challenges facing many African countries in meeting the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 have been exacerbated by the current global economic crisis. Therefore the delivery of high-quality services with scarce resources is a daunting task that requires self-examination, business process re-engineering, innovation, and prudent financial management to all public services. He added that the forum gives member countries the opportunity to share and learn from each other’s experiences in mitigating the impact of the global economic crisis while shaping reform strategies that are realistic and produce best results. The three day meeting brought together delegates from sixteen member countries, representatives of management institutes and reform units in Africa. The forum witnessed key note presentations on topics like:

  - ASSESSING AFRICA’S CAPACITY TO COPE WITH AND ADDRESS THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC AND OTHER CRISES;
  - THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS: WHAT DOES THE FUTURE PORTEND FOR AFRICA?
  - INTEGRATING AND RE-ALIGNING PUBLIC SECTOR REFORMS TO RESPOND TO CURRENT AND FUTURE CRISES,
  - EFFECTIVE PUBLIC SECTOR REFORMS: CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS etc.

Participants closed the forum visibly satisfied by the nature of the organization, the intensity of deliberations as well as the hospitality of Cameroonians while taking the rendezvous for next year in Namibia.