The National Agency for Information and Communication Technologies, in partnership with other stakeholders, is engaging municipalities in the region on the issue during a three-day seminar that opened on July 15, 2026, in Bamenda.
The work that began this Wednesday in the regional capital of the Northwest is intended for the 35 municipal councils of the Northwest region. It is part of the 7th edition of the capacity-building seminar on information and communication technologies organized by Antic. Held under the theme “Local development in the era of digital transformation,” this seminar aims to support and assist municipal councils in their digital transformation efforts on one hand. On the other hand, it aims to equip the IT administrators of the region’s municipal councils with 21st-century digital skills.
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The work is taking place in a context where digital technology is an essential requirement in the modernization of public institutions. According to the Director General of Antic, Prof. Ebot Ebot Enaw, “For local authorities, the adoption of ICT is no longer an option but a necessity aimed at improving service delivery, promoting local development, enhancing transparency, and encouraging greater citizen participation.”
To reach this level, actions must also take into account the challenges accompanying digital transformation, namely the exploitation of vulnerabilities for malicious purposes; the online publication of confidential documents, in particular. Faced with these challenges, information systems must be secured.
However, to date, only 230 municipalities, or 64% of the country’s municipalities, have benefited from capacity building through the technical assistance provided by Antic. In the Northwest region in particular, 17 out of 35 municipalities have a website, or 48.6%, and only 12 municipal councils have a Facebook page. There is also noted growth in the adoption of social media platforms by municipalities. However, security challenges remain. None of the concerned pages are certified, which increases their vulnerability to identity theft and impersonation.
“I hope that the knowledge and skills acquired during the seminar will help reverse this trend,” said the agency director while reaffirming his institution’s full determination to support municipal councils throughout the certification process of their official pages on social networks.
Organized in partnership with the Ministry of Decentralization and Local Development, the National Civil Status Office, and Feicom, the event provides experts the opportunity to present on various topics. These include the importance of an IT master plan for municipal councils; the establishment of a secure information system; the digitization of the civil status register; seeking funding for ICT projects; and change management.
Beyond these aspects, this seminar offers another advantage. It provides the opportunity to assess the needs of the region’s municipal councils in terms of ICT; to establish the current state of ICT penetration within the councils; and to guide future support and intervention actions by ANTIC.
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