$425 Million to finance the 2011 Presidential Election in Cameroon?

Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon (Unity Palace) ©

 

Presidential hopefuls in Cameroon might be up for a steep climb. The government just announced it will be using a complex financial instrument to quickly make about $425 million available in cash. The funds will be made available through three local banks, Afriland First Bank, Societe Generale de Banque au Cameroun

and Citibank.

Money for Presidential bid or development? ©

Officialy, the  funds are destined for the Lom Pangar dam in the East region of the country and the Kribi thermal electricity plant in the Littoral region.

Cameroon up for grabs to the highest bidder? ©

Earlier this week, the government was taken by surprise when Ms. Kah Wallah, a popular female councilor in the country's second largest city, Douala, declared her candidacy for the presidency. We should look forward to an earlier date for the scheduled election aimed at stalling Ms Wallah's campaign before it gathers any real momentum.

Who is Kah Wallah? Is she the next President of Cameroon?

 Kah Wallah Image © Respective owners

The internet is abuzz in Cameroon with news of he country's first female candidate for president. Kah Wallah resigned October 23rd 2010 from the leading opposition party, the Social Democratic Front (S.D.F.) where she was a member of the central committee, and later  declared her candidacy for president..

What she brings to the table amongst other attributes are her strong organizational skills and extensive international experience working with rural women's groups on empowerment. This gives her a good knack for connecting with the working class, and rallying them for community efforts fighting for a cause.

However, even with all the excitement about her candidacy, she is still pretty unknown at the national level in Cameroon. Is she ready prime time? We shall see.

There is as yet no prominent backer from the northern part of the country. supporting Kah's candidacy.  An Alhadji throwing in his weight behind her will certainly get other timid ones coming ... maybe in droves. One cannot forget to mention that she may have been just a year late for some erstwhile disgruntled insiders like Hon. Adama Mody of the ruling CPDM party who this year reconciled with the speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Cavaye Yeguie Djibril.

The CPDM will have to do a lot, maybe get outside consultants to stem this tide before it becomes a tsunami. Kah will have technology and the rural women and disenfranchised youths like the Nanga Mbokos on her side, while the CPDM will have a well oiled election machinery in place, financed by the state with oil money. They won't be able to turn on a dime.

Now if only the opposition leaders could agree on a single candidate...