The Ministry of Development, Territorial Equipment and Public Works, with the support of World Resources Institute, the Green Brain Institute 2063 and USAID, celebrated from October 9 to 13, 2017, in Ouesso, in the Sangha department, the week of the orientation law on regional planning and development (LOADT) promulgated on October 10, 2014.

Celebrated 3 years after its promulgation, the orientation law on regional planning and development whose week gave rise to a series of visits to public and private companies in order for them to be informed on texts and related provisions, was sanctioned by an activity in the conference room of the headquarters of the Sangha prefecture.

An opportunity to promote the right to information, the main ambition of which was to raise awareness of public and private actors involved in the rational and equitable management of the territory while strictly respecting the objectives of sustainable development, on the one hand, and availing itself of legal mechanisms in the development of the national land transfer plan on the other.

Opening the proceedings of this ceremony, the Secretary General of the Sangha Department, Chaudin Florent Onguiembi, thinks that it is an honor for Ouesso, the cocoa capital to host the first edition of the popularization of this law coupled with its 3rd anniversary. This will help inform the populations on territorial development, notably in its good management, with a view to avoiding possible conflicts that could arise on a daily basis. “Sangha and Likouala alone constitute the largest forest reserves in our country.” 

In his presentation, The Director General of Planning and Forecasting, Antoine Goma , seized the opportunity to inform participants, among others, on provisions of the orientation law on regional planning and development which consecrates the principles of coordination, participation and consultation ; the decree on the composition, organization and functioning of the national council of territorial development ; the decree on the composition, organization and functioning of the inter-ministerial planning and development committee , the decree on the composition, organization and functioning of the departmental planning commission ; the decree on the composition, the organization and the functioning of the municipal planning commission. Finally on spatial planning, one of the components of the harmonious development of space.   

In addition, Antoine Goma underlined the importance of the involvement of the actors concerned in the various specialized committees with a view to providing informed opinions, during work or meetings on the national territorial development policy.

To this end, participants took note of provisions issued by the OADT and expressed their concerns in the context of the low involvement of the actors concerned in decision-making.

Removing the gray areas of the National Urbanization Plan, the adviser for publics works of the Minister of Development, Territorial Equipment and Public Works, Francis Ekassa Nzassa, thinks that the concerns relating to them can be summed up in terms challenges to meet.

The second presentation was made by the regional coordinator of World Resources Institute, Mr. Jean Maurice Muneza, through a PowerPoint projection, and focused on the practice of spatial planning aiming at the harmonious development of space through a better distribution of the population and activities. Jean Maurice Muneza also listed some challenges to be met. These include, amongst others, reconciling economic development with the sustainable management of natural resources in all their diversity, promoting balance between the various land users, building the capacities of the main actors in this domain and, finally, diagnosing national needs.

The orientation law on territorial development reflects the government's desire to provide beforehand a regulated framework, in order to reduce conflicts of powers in decision-making.