Hon. Cavaye Yeguie Djibril was at the Yaounde Conference Centre on October 2, 2014, to check the level of preparedness.

Cameroon’s parliamentary authorities are leaving nothing to chance to ensure that the 60th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, CPC, which begins today October 3, 2014, with the Commonwealth Women’s Parliamentarians’ Steering Committee meeting, goes on hitch-free.

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, yesterday, October 2, 2014, chaired a meeting of the CPC Organising Committee. Sources from the meeting, which was held behind closed doors, said it was to receive last-minute briefing on the level of preparedness for the conference which lasts till October 10, 2014. It was also an occasion for various committee heads to report on their work and for directives to be given on any grey areas. The Organising Committee began work on January 4, 2014.

After the meeting, Hon. Cavaye, accompanied by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Victor Yene Ossomba and Senate Vice President, Tchatchouang Paul, went on a guided tour of the Yaounde Conference Centre, the main site of the event. The team was led on the tour by the Director of the Yaounde Conference Centre, Christophe Mien Zock, who showed them round various board rooms, the conference hall to receive the over 800 delegates, and the giant makeshift outdoor restaurant for feeding guests. The Speaker also visited the site chosen for the group photograph of delegates after the official opening on Monday, October 6, 2014.

Throughout the guided tour, Hon. Cavaye Yeguie Djibril listened to explanations, asked questions and made suggestions on what needed to be improved to make the event a huge success. The House Speaker later left for the Monte Febe Hotel to also see for himself the level of preparedness under the guidance of Hon. Datuou Theodore, the Chair of the Lodging Committee. Five other hotels in Yaounde have been retained to lodge CPC delegates. They are the Yaounde Hilton, Hotel des Deputes, Franco Hotel, Djeuga Palace and Hotel la Falaise.

Meanwhile, some 130 out of the 175 CPA branches had as at yesterday confirmed their participation. Many more are expected to do same this weekend before the conference is officially opened on Monday. The CPA in 1989 created the constitutional posts of Patron and Vice Patron. The President and Vice President are each elected for one year by the General Assembly.

The President is nominated by the branch to host the next CPC and the Vice President by the branch to host in the succeeding year. As the CPA tradition holds, Queen Elizabeth II, as the Head of the Commonwealth, is CPC Patron. The Vice Patron is the Head of State or Government of the branch hosting the CPA conference. Thus, the 2014 Vice Patron is President Paul Biya of Cameroon.