The government of Cameroon and its development partners are currently evaluating the path covered by the Forest-Environment Sectoral Programme (PSFE), noticeable and foreseeable challenges and how to surmount them, in view of managing in a sustainable manner, the country's forests and environment for posterity. This is within the framework of a five-day joint evaluation and follow up committee forum of PSFE which went underway at the Yaounde Mont Febe Hotel yesterday July 9 under the chairmanship of Forestry and Wildlife Minister, Ngole Philip Ngwese.

Addressing participants, the Minister said the sector faces enormous challenges and the ongoing forum is expected to propose the way forward. "We are busy preparing the 2013 budget and our programme of action. So, this meeting is bringing together the government and our development partners who are financing the sectoral programme on forestry and environment in order to assess what has been done since the last evaluating meeting to the one we are holding today and see how far we have attained our objectives and at the same time, set the pace against next year," Mr Ngole Philip Ngwese said.

The meeting, he added, will also avail the ministry the opportunity of knowing from the partners where specifically they intend to intervene by bringing the necessary finances. "The challenges are there but we have been unwavering in efforts to counter the ills. We have had to publish information on illegal poaching and we have also recovered a lot of taxes and fines which were meted out to exploiters. "We are sensitising our collaborators to get rid of some of the attitudes which have given us a bad name," the Minister noted.

Speaking on behalf of donor agencies, Annette Coly of the German Cooperation said, "We are striving to ensure transparency in forestry and environmental governance. I want to see from where we can go and the things that Cameroon needs from the partners. At the end of the day, the preservation of the forest should be beneficial to all of us. The forum ends on Friday July 13.