Public investment appears as one of the major triggers to achieving growth. It is probably for the reason that authorities of the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development decided to focus their reflection on this during their annual conference of central and external services this year.

The decision to talk public investment is timely considering the poor performance of the various stakeholders in 2013 wherein lest than 50 percent of what was budgeted for public investment was consumed. The objectives assigned to the Growth and Employment Strategy Paper will surely go down the drain if credits allocated to public investment continue to be poorly executed.

The Head of State in his New Year address to the nation visibly expressed his disappointment at this state of affairs. And as nature would have it, everything seems to be taking off rather enthusiastically this new fiscal year. The publication of the Logbook as early as the beginning of January rekindles lots of hope. But the whole issue does not rest on publishing logbooks but on identifying the hurdles that have often stood on the way of executing public investment budgets and dismantling them.

It is no longer any news that the complex nature of the public contract system is largely blamed for the poor performance registered in the years past. It is equally no news that the contract award process remains long and provides several openings for corruption. Finally, who does not know that because of self interest; the Head of state singled out this vice in his speech, actors in budget execution prefer abandoning projects already streamlined for execution?

That this should be happening at the time Cameroon is in dire need of public investment is to say the least disgustful. What some people might not know is the fact that public investment projects remain a solid base for other investments, notably private hinge on. Many ambitious private projects have been pinned down because of the absence of energy, good roads, water, telecommunication and other infrastructure. A greater majority of these projects are a responsibility of the State which has to take the lead for the private sector to follow.