Civil society organisations and developmental activities in Buea, South West region, Cameroon

All over the world, there have been a talk on civil society organizations (CSOs); with the hope and aspirations that CSOs will be active in ensuring sustainable development. The activities of some CSOs around Buea reveals that these CSOs are out to provide help to the helpless, gives voice to the voiceless, raising awareness on some social and sensitive issues, advocating for change by empowering communities to develop programs aimed at meeting their needs. This study was centered on the role of CSOs and sustainable development in Buea. It involved a total of 15 organizations and Questionnaires were used for data collection. The study found out that CSOs provides capacity building to those around Buea.It was also realized that CSOs are faced with challenges of getting funds for their own projects which makes them dependent on the resources from the donors or government. Studies have also indicated that the problem of lack of resources has greatly contributed to some negative impact on their relationship with their beneficiary. The study also reveals that in most of the projects executed by CSOs the concerned communities in most cases are not empowered enough to sustain their level of economic and political development; the beneficiaries (communities) do not also account for the resources that are made available to them by donors. They cannot demand accountability from their civil leaders. It is recommended that CSOs at National level should strengthen ties with those at international level and government institutions to curb issues of funding as well as other issues that might arise. Also, community members who are at the forefront of development should be involved in all the stages especially at planning stages.