Decentralization As an Instrument of International Cooperation

The study is about the materialization of public policy for local development through international cooperation between Cameroon and the Federal Republic of Germany. It uses the Support Program for Decentralization and Local Development (PADDL), a program realized in Cameroon under the supervision of the German International Development Agency (GIZ) to illustrate the cooperation between the two states. It is revealed in this study that apart from the numerous areas of cooperation between Cameroon, decentralization as a public policy has received serious attentions since its adoption in Cameroon. However, decentralization policy as a soft power diplomacy practiced by Germany is not void of interest as in international relations states have no permanent friends but interest to protect and consolidate.