The 2026 Public Budget for the North West Region was officially launched on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at the conference hall of the North West Regional Delegation of Economy, Planning and Regional Development (MINEPAT) in Upstation, Bamenda.
The ceremony, held under the theme “The Budget of Socio-Economic Impact,” brought together administrative authorities, sectoral stakeholders, development partners and local actors, all united by the common goal of accelerating development and improving the living conditions of the population.
Speaking at the event, the Regional Delegate of Economy, Planning and Regional Development for the North West, Buinda Godlove Nsakado, outlined the major priorities and interventions contained in the 2026 Public Investment Budget. According to him, the budget clearly reflects the region’s most pressing development needs, with special emphasis on “impulse program projects” designed to stimulate economic growth, agricultural productivity and educational development.
Top among the priorities is road infrastructure. Buinda Godlove highlighted the continuation of key road projects such as the Ring Road, the Babungo–Ngoh Road, the Wum–Bamenda Road, as well as the Ndu–Nkambe and Nkambe–Misaje roads. These projects, he noted, are critical for opening up production basins, facilitating trade, and improving access to basic services across the region.
The health sector also features prominently in the 2026 budget. Planned interventions include the construction, renovation and equipping of health facilities across the region. Notable among these are the Annex Hospital in Nkambe and the Regional Hospital in Bamenda, alongside subdivisional hospitals in almost all divisions of the North West.
Emphasizing inclusivity, the Regional Delegate stressed that development efforts are not limited to the regional capital but extend to divisional and local levels to ensure equitable access to healthcare.
Beyond infrastructure and health, the budget makes strong provisions for the social sectors, particularly education, water and energy. Addressing the long-standing challenge of electricity shortages in the region, Buinda Godlove announced that the State has allocated 2 billion FCFA to be managed at the regional level for the rehabilitation and extension of electrification networks.
This intervention, according to him, targets areas with unstable supply, communities that previously lost access, and localities that have never been electrified.
The Governor of the North West Region, Adolphe Lele Lafrique, welcomed the significant increase in the regional budget, which has risen by more than 170 billion FCFA compared to the previous year. He expressed gratitude to the central government for the gesture and called on all stakeholders to demonstrate transparency, commitment and responsibility in implementing the projects.
“Based on the experience of last year, we are asking all actors to mobilize themselves so that this budget is executed to the utmost benefit of the North West population,” the Governor said. He added that several major projects initiated in previous years have been renewed in the 2026 budget to ensure continuity and completion.
Governor Lele Lafrique expressed optimism that, by the end of the year, the North West Region would present “a new face” in terms of visible and impactful development projects.
Providing a national policy perspective, Dr. Nana Mbafong Emmanuel, Head of the Division for Cooperation with Emerging Countries at MINEPAT in Yaounde, explained that the 2026 Finance Law is fundamentally geared towards economic dynamization and inclusive growth. According to him, the regional budget, estimated at 8,800 billion FCFA, aims to improve living conditions, create jobs, reduce poverty and promote structural transformation through industrialization of the productive sector.
The Head of Yaounde Delegation also highlighted key innovations introduced by the 2026 Finance Law, including reforms in budgetary policy, operations, reporting, evaluation, governance and transparency. These innovations, he said, are intended to enhance accountability and ensure that public resources generate measurable socio-economic impact at national and regional levels.
As the 2026 Public Budget takes effect, expectations remain high across the North West Region. With increased allocations, strategic priorities and renewed calls for transparency, authorities and stakeholders alike hope that the budget will translate into tangible improvements in infrastructure, health, energy, education and overall quality of life for the population.
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