The Ministry of Tourism plans to spend 4 billion CFAF (50% of its budget) on running it in 2024.
The Minister of State, Minister of Tourism and Leisure, Bello Bouba Maigari, defended his ministry’s budget on November 2 before members of the Finance and Budget Committee of the National Assembly. According to the presentation document, the ministry requests 8.5 billion CFAF for the year 2024. Half of this amount will be spent on operating costs, namely CFAF 4.3 billion.
The Ministry of Tourism expects to spend CFAF 1.7 billion on staff salaries, CFAF 363 million on ‘other personnel costs’ and CFAF 2.1 billion on ‘other goods and services’, while the remaining CFAF 4 billion will be allocated to the Ministry’s public investment budget. One billion CFA francs will be transferred to 27 devolved local authorities and 300 million CFA francs to the regions. A further 2 billion CFA francs is to be spent on “other major projects to be carried out”, to be distributed among the various programmes. These include the development of tourist sites, such as continuing work on the Ebodje Tourist Centre in Campo Kribi in the South Region, continuing work on the rehabilitation of the Ayaba Hotel in Bamenda and extending the Kribi Visitor Centre.
“The main task in 2024 will be to continue the development of the infrastructure of the Lagdo and Maga water sports resorts in the North and Far North regions,” said Minister Bello Bouba Maïgari. For 2023 budget, ithe tourism sector received CFAF 7.2 billion.