MANYU ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE

The Making of Ache Manyu – An Untold Story of Cultural Revival. By Simon Etta

2011-08-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

In 1973, a courtly healthy baby named Bate Nico became the 4^th child of a blissful mother – Mami Pauline Bate (late) in Kembong, a village of 25,000 inhabitants, separated by a dusty 12 mile earth road from Mamfe town. By the age of six, the young Bate moved to Nguti to live with his aunt and attend primary school. He enrolled in Catholic school Nguti in 1979 and later returned to Kembong where he completed his primary education in 1985 after the aunt fell ill.

Like most young kids aspiring to enter secondary school, the young Nico’s parents could not afford to further his education. Ma Pauline Bate had just returned from a major surgery and depleted her little savings in medical bills. One evening, she called her young son and explained why he could not go to college but opted for him to learn a trade. After two years at home, and upon full recovery, Ma Pauline Bate sent her son to Mutengene to pursue a course in draftsmanship.

Nico set foot in Mutengene in 1987, and completed the program in building draftsmanship. He will then move on to open a business drawing plans and seeking building contracts. The business slowly developed, and a few apprentices were recruited who later became members of his musical troupe.

For Bate Nico, music is a genetic endowment, passing on from one generation to another within the family. One of his aunts was a famous singer who was widely revered and adored in the village with a voice befitting an angel. Legend holds that she was bewitched and lost her voice until her death. Based on historical accounts and testimony, Bate’s grandfather was also a custodian, storyteller and composer of Ekpe music. Upon his death one of the biggest Ekpe festivals in Manyu took place in Kembong due to his popularity. After grandfather died, Nico’s father kept up the pace, promoting the family’s musical legacy and became a founder of the famous Ngoh Njoh dance group in Kembong.

Since music was naturally in the family genre, Bate went on to start composing songs – mostly reggae, merenge, makossa etc. He played every instrument he could lay his hands on. His first break through came when the late McKnight Makoge invited him to CRTV Buea for a reggae program. His music clip hit the airwaves and fans started looking around for him including Regina Nkongho. When they finally met, Regina who was already a composer suggested they form a group to revive the Manyu culture. At first, Bate was hesitant believing music in the Manyu dialect will not have a wide appeal and be marketable like makossa or reggae.

In the early part of 1992, Bate Nico, Nkongho Regina, Ayuk Ashu, Taku Raphel, Epey Moses. Eta Unique and the late pa John Akem formed a group known as Ache Ejagham system. Later on, one of the members (Eta Unique) dropped out to continue on his own. The group went on to record its first album in September 1992 named “na money di find money”. The track was arranged by Jacob Nguni in Kumba with Bate Nico and Nkongho Regina as lead vocals. After collecting the master tape from Jacob, it was time to have it produced. In those days, most music in Cameroon was produced either in France or Nigeria, due to lack of recording studios. As a hungry lion in search of food, the group went around seeking for funds but to no avail until Ma Pauline Bate came to their rescue. With directions from Jacob Nguni, Bate and his group were advised to contact the famous late Nico Mbaraga in Nigeria for assistance with recording. After meeting prince Nico, he employed some of his workers to lead Bate and his team to Rogers all stars recording studio. Things did not work out as envisioned; Nico Mbaraga’s boys somehow led Bate and his group to the wrong studio where their master tape was destroyed. They later returned to Cameroon disillusioned, disappointed, broke and discouraged.

With disappointing results from the Nigerian trip, Ache Ejagham system disbanded. Nico and Regina decided to move on as couple, got married and began working and horning their musical skills. Since 1992, the couple has gone on to produce 8 albums and over 30 singles.

According to Bate Nico, music is something born in him. He considers music an appropriate medium to send messages far across and a way to sensitize people on day to day issues. To come up with lyrics, Nico often ponders about events that happen to people in society. He simply develops a story line, title and horns the instrumentals to perfection. Sometimes, he develops his thought process during sleep and gets up to pen down his ideas in paper. As a writer, composer, singer and instrumentalist, Nico possesses different skill sets in the music arena. He is directly involved in his music production, playing instruments, taking part in studio arrangement and recording.

As earlier depicted in his biography, Bate Nico is a likeable personality with an ever pleasing smile, electrifying dance steps, great vocals and sense of humor. His resourcefulness is a deep pride to Manyu and Cameroon.

Catch a glimpse of Bate Nico, the fervent artist with a silky rhythm as he concludes his musical tour of North America with a major concert billed for Friday August 12, 2011 in Lanham Maryland.

A Manyu Annual Carnival: Could this be the driver for Economic and Social rebirth of Mamfe?

2011-02-17T18:35:00.001-08:00

Social networks and blogs have fast become a means of sharing information and exchanging ideas. Not too long ago, I stormed into a discussion on finding a suitable name for a Manyu annual festival or Carnival. The idea sounded so plausible and refreshing. Could this be something that will bring back some social life to Mamfe town? After all, similar events are taking place in various parts of the world. We often think of the various Caribbean carnivals, Brazilian carnival, Mardi gras in New Orleans., the Cologne carnival etc. Recently, the carnival fever has captivated Nigeria, with one of the most spectacular, colorful and entertaining carnivals taking place annually in Calabar.

What then is all this carnival fever about? Are there any social, cultural and economic benefits? According to the Wikipedia, Carnivals are a season of festivities. They involve a public spectacle, celebrations, and parade replete with concerts, parading troupes and many events for children. Carnival goers dress up in fine costumes, masquerades and often led by music and dancing lasting for one or many days.

Besides the local economy, there are three main benefits of any carnival – social, cultural and economic. For many people and communities, a carnival is a social way of life which revolves around carnival related events throughout the year as part of the preparations. For some communities, it is estimated that hundreds of people will be involved in preparation activities, including clubs and social groups. These groups take part in fundraising, building of carnival entries, organizing and attending social events. Through these activities, men and women of all ages and backgrounds learn and develop team work and social skills with experts in fields such as costume design, carpentry, electrical work, performance arts, accounting, public speaking etc.

Carnivals do bring out the best in showcasing rich cultural traditions. Since a carnival is essentially a community bottom up event, it glues communities together. Various dance groups and artist also have the opportunity to entertain and expose their unique talents and creativities to a wider audience. The Abuja carnival, claimed as the mother of all carnivals was the catalyst that brought many people together in an atmosphere of harmony and joy in celebration of each other and where cultural diversity and unity was extolled.

The economic impact of a carnival can be seen from sales that are generated from tickets, restaurants, hotels, sales of crafts, private parties and other services with indirect yields from costume design, hairdressing, and transportation. Indeed, carnivals have shown to be a vital factor for businesses in the hospitality and logistics industry.

There is no doubt; the biggest driver of any carnival to a community is economic empowerment through direct infusion of capital by visitors. A Manyu carnival will therefore present a perfect platform from brand visibility for consumer and market awareness. Besides including and promoting aspects of the Manyu culture, it strengthens the capacity of our local communities across the division to participate in an economically beneficial way. This will certainly bring back the glory days of Mamfe as the pride of Southwest with tourist and traders alike flocking to town for many days. The eventual tarring of the Mamfe Ekok corridor and Mamfe – Bamenda will hence facilitate and ease mobility.

We know too well that Manyu’s cultural diversity is quite phenomenal. With an annual carnival in Mamfe town bringing out the best of our people and diversity, Manyu stands a chance to market its individual uniqueness and peculiarities. A Manyu carnival is bound to feature remarkable sights and sounds of Manyu, showcase the creative spirit of our people, hospitality and passion for festivity and celebrations that have been a part of history.

Have Conflicts Derailed the Agenda of Manyu Organizations in the Diaspora?

2010-12-22T13:59:00.000-08:00

In the United States, Manyu community organizations were the first to organize themselves within the larger Cameroon community. They did so by bringing their people who live in close proximity together and have a shared interest. They also drew inspiration and lessons from their parent organizations like MECA back home. Quite often, the interest of these new found organizations were to build coalitions for a common cause or assisting in the social, economic and cultural development of the homeland and division. In attempt to formulate policies and organize, these associations elect leaders, hold annual conventions, develop bylaws and seek for resources through member contributions and charity.

Despite the good intentions of these bodies to foster development back home, their foundations and reason d’être began to crumble. The organizations started developing unmanageable conflicts, derailing gains and impeding development efforts and initiatives. We all know too well that the potential for conflicts exists when and where people have contact. We also know that some Manyu men often display a pesky, aggravating personality, espouse a sense of superiority, and stubbornly refuse to give in during disputes. This display of non-negotiable skills and macho attitude has finally caught up with some in the leadership of the Diaspora organizations.

Although we tend to believe we know what causes some conflicts to emerge in our communities, we forget to imagine conflicts can be used effectively by groups as a strategy to bring desired changes. Indeed, not all conflicts are bad, although unmanaged conflicts which tend to linger for a long time can be a threat to the building blocks of a community group and thereby render it less effective as we may see in some cases.

Within the Manyu Diaspora community, we have witnessed a trend where individuals cultivate a dislike and disdain for certain people with whom they come into frequent contact. As a result of harbored conflicts, certain behaviors are manifested in public within the community and the long term effect seems to be aggression, disrespect and disregard to community building, solidarity and the unique thread that binds us all together “the Manyu culture and eyongemot”.

How then can the Manyu Diaspora community address its conflicts without demonizing one another and extending such aggression and disrespect to the children? Have we finally lost the moral fabric of a Grande Manyu community that was founded, carved and preserved by those who came before us? Is it ordained that every Manyu child must be a leader, Chief or Sesekou? These are some of the intrinsic questions we must reflect on.

The Manyu Diaspora like never before is today interwoven with conflict as a result of ethnocentrism. We tend to believe that our way of thinking and doing things is not only the best but the only right way. It is a belief that fuels a false sense of superiority even amongst our peers and thereby shows the lack of a shared sense of humility. We are therefore threatened by division and conflicts, dividing friends and families. At the very least, we fail to accomplish much as we compete, take sides on issues and lose sight of our common struggles and values. Today, there tend to be increased bitterness, alienation and divisions that will have long lasting impacts upon future cooperation amongst individuals holding positive views.

The way forward is for us to restructure our community organizations, deal with internal dissension and allow dissatisfied members to voice their complaints and opinions without penalty. Regardless of our levels of education, economic base or family heritage, we must recognize we approach life from different perspectives. It is therefore imperative to understand, if conflicts are not managed early and well, they tend to bring disinterest, lack of action and a breakdown of the community. Ultimately, members tend to withdraw and find it unwilling to participate in group projects. Although the best conflict control may be catching it early, avoidance whenever possible may be the best solution. As in the case whereby the conflicts already exist, a procedural resolution by reconciliation and/or compromise is the most appropriate solution.

For Manyu Diaspora, and in view of the conflicts harboring around the communities, the only option left on the table is to come to terms to negotiate for the interest of the community and division. Otherwise, if sharing common goals is no longer an option to those who have developed an ingrained hatred for their brethren, then living with conflicts to attain power and name recognition may be the only solution. The question is for how long and how far? That is a price too high to pay since it involves compromise and capitulation. Are we willing to compromise and capitulate for grand Manyu as we usher into a new year? The gods of Manyu will be watching and listening keenly.

Simon Etta

MEDWC Volunteer

Manyu Cultural Ambassador Dazzles Washington D.C.

2010-10-23T18:31:00.000-07:00

Some have dubbed culture as the cry of men in search of their identity; whereas others see it as a broadening of the mind and spirit. In the words of Albert Camus, “without culture and the related freedom it implies, society even when perfect is but a jungle”. It therefore surmises that a society and people that fail to promote its culture eventually loses its identity.

For Manyu and its people, the authentic creation of our culture is nothing but a gift to the future generation that must be preserved and protected by its stewards. As in every generation, ours is blessed to witness such a creation in the talents of Arrey Bate Nico whom some have titled the “Manyu Cultural Ambassador”.

On Saturday October 16, 2010 and for the first time since the first Manyu immigrant arrived the land of the pilgrims, the Manyu cultural ambassador took Washington DC and its environs by storm. For over twenty years since the creation of MECA - with a primary goal of promoting our culture in the Diaspora, no event has captured such imagination, attention and anxiety of the community like the Bate Nico concert. It was a well planned cultural merriment, calling on the Manyu community at large to turn out, witness, celebrate and be part of our common destiny. Over 300 showed up across the continental United States - including parents, children, friends and non Manyu folks at the event center in Beltsville Maryland.

The curtains came tumbling down at midnight as Ekpe USA members dressed in custom designed regalia’s with elephant tusk made bracelets, necklaces and red/white embroidered hats - dancing in uniform motion, led the cultural icon to the lighted hall. It was a dazzling and eye watering spectacle as Bate Nico holding a microphone on one hand and dancing to the applause of spectators, led the troupe in a typical upbeat Ekpe rendition. As dancers paraded the hall, the awe, beauty, pride and personification of the Manyu culture was finally on display. It was a rare spectacle that seems to crown the efforts of the founders of MECA in the Diaspora, a spectacle that reminds us of other struggles in human existence with the echo “finally, the pride of a people can be heard a few miles away from the seat of power in the world”.

One song after another, Bate Nico as a true cultural ambassador, and by displaying different dance moves was able to split “from the physical to the spiritual, from the body to the soul in dazzling fashion. As the mesmerizing Ngoh Njoh dancers of Washington joined him on stage, the tasteful acoustic guitar lines, drum beats of music, and uniform steps of the Ngoh Njoh dancers underscored tales about peace, family, faith and tradition. The highlight of the evening was when Bate majestically walked several Sesekous to the dance floor. He had composed special songs for these Ekpe Chiefs and was about to pay homage by singing and dancing in their honor. As a master artist, he taped his feet, tuned his soprano voice and took the audience as far back as anyone can trace the Manyu culture, reminding us that songs are handed down as part of oral tradition and that humans are better glorified in the midst of their peers.

In the final analysis, our Manyu culture can be referred to as our images. It is a reflection of who we are as a people, community and society with a common identity. There is nothing more that binds us together than our culture. It is a tradition that has passed on from one generation to another, uplifting our spirits and promoting not only our identity but self esteem. With a cultural ambassador like Bate Nico these images of us will never be extinct and forever the Manyu culture will remain a master piece of our intangible heritage of humanity.

As Bate Nico left the stage in the early hours of the morning, he was crowned with over ten awards and prizes befitting not only an ambassador but a prince. For those who missed this remarkable performance and concert in Washington, it was a lost opportunity to witness the true Manyu culture in display by a legend and icon of our time.

** Simon Etta blogs for the Manyu Economic Development World Conference. He lives and works in Baltimore, MD.**

A Grandfather's Inspiration: A Musical Star is Born - Bate Nico

2010-09-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

No Manyu artist in recent memory has influenced traditional pop culture the way Bate Nico has done. With a prolific silky rythmn, Arrey Bate Nico got inspiration to sing from his grandfather who was a custodian of the Manyu culture. He uses his music genre, form and style to promote and challenge cultural taboos and norms, believing music to be the most appropriate medium to communicate, heal, and emotionally connect with people of diverse backgrounds.

Bate Nico (alias) is the fourth child of a family of seven. Born to Pa Arrey Ebot Joseph and Ma Pauline Bate of Kembong, Nico began his musical career in 1987, three years before his maiden album named “Na Money di find money”. Soon after the release of that album, Bate was on a roller coaster though with difficulties finding a major producer. His love for music, especially folklore and translating Manyu tales did not slow down this future legend. As a writer and composer, he went on to produce 5 albums and over 20 singles.

This fervant artist is guided by a career that is lively and comprehensive, showing indefatigable wit, creativity and originality of vocals. He fully participates at national events like Mount Cameroon international race of hope amongst others. Bate’s musical troupe named “Ache Manyu” consist of his wife Nkongho Regina, two sons, a daughter and numerous dancers. Because of inclusion of typical traditional costumes and folklore in his rendition, the artist was nicknamed “Cultural ambassador”.

Bate's brand of folklore promotes the rich Manyu culture in an appealing sound bit. His music has enough verve vaulting his presence in homes across Manyu, Cameroon and the international scene. He displays a charming consistency on and off stage with alluring perfect and comforting tunes. The power of its catchy refrains simply makes you dance to sleep.

It is noteworthy to state that, Alias “Bate Nico” is a likeable personality with an ever pleasing smile, electrifying dance steps, great vocals and great sense of humor. His resourcefulness is a pride to Manyu, his peers, numerous fans and his country. It is for this reason that, this great star in the making and a future Manyu folklore legend is in great demand with concerts planned for North America, Europe and Africa. We are yet to see the best of Arrey Bate Nico.

The Gap between Computer “haves and have nots”: An early start for our Primary and secondary school bound.

2010-09-23T10:06:00.000-07:00

In Cameroon today, the computer revolution has affected almost everyone's life. Computers are utilized for business communications, shopping, postal service, banking and much more. Being computer literate is a useful skill in today's society. However, to become familiar with computers, one must first have access to them. Generally these skills can be learned at school, but a problem arises in the fact that there is not equal access to computers in most of our schools. There continue to be a large gap between the computer "haves" and "have nots," especially among our primary and secondary schools and worst off, schools in rural areas where there is lack of electricity.

According to the U.S. National Center for Education Statistics, computer literacy may be defined as "whatever a person needs to know and do with computers in order to function competently in our information-based society". Competency is therefore broken down into three categories: skills to use computers in learning and information management; knowledge of the capabilities, functions and social implications of computers; and understanding to learn and evaluate new applications and social issues of computers. These three areas encompass virtually every aspect of literacy in terms of computers.

Our information based society is fast becoming more dependent upon computers as resources. To function in many situations, familiarity with computer systems is necessary and therefore kids must acquire the required skills at an early age. In a minimal case, all stakeholders including the private industry, local and national government should be investing in computer literacy for the future generation by equipping schools with the right hardware and software.

Computers in education can be the foundation for students to learn technology based skills which are desirable for and often demanded in today's job markets. Generally, being accustomed to utilizing systems or being computer literate at an early age can aid not only in developing motor skills but being competitive on the global stage. Working together with the private sector, parents and government officials must therefore seize the opportunity and make sure young minds are not wasted at an early age. On a larger scale, our governments and development advocates have a responsibility to ensure diffusion of computer technology in our schools does not remain a national policy and lofty goal in paper but in practice.

Manyu Energy Crisis: Potential & Realistic Solutions by Simon Etta.

2010-07-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

A question that often comes to mind is - how do we start attacking the energy crisis that has plagued our people for many years? The absence of reliable energy in Mamfe means the entire division, and more so the rural areas will continue to witness poverty, falling standards in education, healthcare and water crisis linked to lack of access to electricity. The idea of renewable energy as a viable solution or an alternative in lieu of diesel generators producing noise and polluting the environment sounds plausible. However, introducing renewable energy has not been practical in years past due to the high cost of Solar panels and understanding technology applications. Despite falling prices and eventual diffusion of alternative energy solutions in rural communities across Africa and the World, questions still remain in the case of Manyu. What is our strategy to relieve the many poor villages and rural inhabitants of Manyu out of darkness and isolation? How long will it take for us to realize we have a role to play in initiating the change and development we seek – either as advocates or implementers? Will our children in some far remote villages ever work on a computer before they graduate from secondary school? How many more kids will die in villages because they were bitten by a snake and the nearby local clinic had no anti snake venom due to lack of a refrigerator. These are some of the questions we
must analyze, and seek potential and realistic solutions.

A greater portion of the rural inhabitants of our division have no access to modern forms of energy such as electricity. The energy needs of our people are mostly met by traditional fuel that has been in use for centuries. With over 90% of our folks living in villages, traditional fuels such as wood and crop residue are the only energy source they have ever known. Whereas this type of energy has served them for cooking and kerosene lightning, the accumulated adverse effect over many years can become a health hazard. Science has taught us that burning fuels increases indoor air pollution, which affects the health of vulnerable young people and the elderly.

Despite some advances, electrifying rural areas in Manyu division will no doubt remain a unique challenge even for the government of Cameroon for many years to come. From an economic standpoint, our remote and scattered rural homes are costly and often impractical to connect to the national grid. The current policy of the Utility Company is to satisfy urban customers and major industries who pay more. Secondly, the government has not formulated a national policy or effectively promoted renewable energy as part of its overall rural electrification strategy to enhance economic and social life.

A cursory look at the energy statistics in Cameroon paints a gray picture, and reminds us of the enormous task ahead. Overall electricity access is 46%, with 11% of rural households having electricity but subject to constant cuts, and interruptions lasting days. Approximately 80% of the rural populations use wood fuel or charcoal to meet energy needs. Out of 15,000 villages, 14% have electricity that is 1 out of every 1500. It is estimated that the lack of reliable energy service is costing the economy tremendously in terms of GDP growth.

In 2001, Sonel was privatized through a 20 year concession and granted monopoly over transmission and distribution of electricity throughout the country and the right to own 1000MW of installed generated capacity. Cameroon is dependent on hydroelectricity with an installed base of 77% hydro and 22% thermal (diesel and heavy fuel), but the major rivers are drying up due to global warming. In essence, investment in hydro dominated power system has not kept up with demand growth - risking shortages’ and load shedding particularly in rural and peri-urban areas.

There are 3 existing reservoirs in the nation but they do not have sufficient storage to maintain reliable power supply during the dry season. Currently there is a project to build the Lom Pangar dam. However the country will still need additional hydro power from 2012-13 and up to accommodate planned industrial projects such as expansion of Alucam, several iron, cobalt, bauxite and other mining projects under negotiation. It must be noted that Alucam accounts for 35% of total power consumption in the country and benefits from a guaranteed supply of 20% of national output.

So what is the panacea for the energy situation in Manyu? Every day we hear horror but true stories of Mamfe with no light and no water for two weeks. The power grid reaching Mamfe passes through the dense equatorial forest from Bamenda and is subject sometimes to trees, birds and snakes falling on high tension lines and causing short circuits. However, that is an iceberg to the problem. As illustrated above, there isn’t enough energy supply to reach Mamfe and nothing will change for the foreseeable future. Energy sector development in Cameroon has been subject to economic interest, political influence and weakness in sector planning.

We as a people have an obligation and a moral/economic duty to address and find a solution in the short term to our energy crises. We must start thinking out of the box and take proactive positions which will enhance the living conditions of our people. No electricity in Manyu means kids cannot do home work at night. Our parents will drink water from polluted streams and rivers. Standard of living will continue to deteriorate, more social exclusion and increased inequity between urban and rural areas, increased unemployment and urban migration in search of jobs.

Renewable energy and standalone energy such as Solar and wind power are the only solution to help fill the electricity void in Manyu. The sun is free and inexhaustible in our area with a solar irradiance of about 5 hours a day. Solar photovoltaic panels – convert the sun’s radiation directly to electricity with no pollution, little maintenance and long term reliability lasting 20-25 years for a one time investment. The panels generate enough power to run stoves, pump water, light clinics, schools, community centers and entire villages and towns. It is time to move Manyu out of the less traditional energy sources such as wood, biomass (crop waste) dominant for cooking. This comes at a huge cost to our long term health and environment with falling of trees. Manyu must therefore embrace Solar technology as other rural communities around the world are doing – India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Ethiopia etc, to witness economic expansion, unprecedented social uplifting and poverty alleviation. The time is now and organizations such as MECA USA must take the lead in education, sensitization and development of pilot initiatives. We cannot wait another 20 years for the power grid to come to our communities. Our educational levels and standard of living will continue to fall and we as a people will hence play second fiddle to the future development of Cameroon. Can Manyu afford to wait idle as development passes us by in this age of internet technology and globalization?

Note: Summary of a power point presentation delivered during the MECA USA 20th annual convention in Atlanta, Georgia - July 3, 2010. The writer has a strong background in Telecommunications and serves as Acting Director of Communication Services for the City of Baltimore - Government.

Bamenda - Mamfe Road - Real Transformation

2010-06-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

Cameroon Tribune:
Godlove Bainkong
22 June 2010

Chinese engineers in charge of the project are working tooth and nail to make the once muddy and winding road a thing of the past.

Never in the history of the people of Batibo and Widikum (North West), Bachuo Akagbe and Mamfe (South West) Regions, has there been serious construction works, with high-level state-of-the-art equipment, like what is going on now. Passers-by and the local population alike do describe the area now as a vast construction site, with efforts to modernise the once muddy and bumpy road taking centre stage. This is within the framework of a joint Cameroon-Nigeria project, code-named, "Bamenda - Enugu Multinational Highway and Transport Facilitation Programme" which seeks to tar the 443 km road from Cameroon to Nigeria and boost relations and socio-economic ties between the two countries.

From the 42km Bamenda-Batibo stretch to the 62km Mamfe-Ekok section, the 203 km distance of the multinational project to be executed in Cameroon is increasingly gaining steam. Bulldozers are digging, engineers surveying and the road and its vicinities taking a facelift. Deviations are all over as engineers of the Chinese consortium charged with the execution of the much-heralded project are altering the hitherto winding nature of the road to give the new one better visibility. Bridges are being constructed as machines are working round the clock around the Widikum forest to extract and grind hard gravel being used on the road. A Yaounde-based indigene of Mamfe who travelled with this reporter to and from Ekok rejoiced that work is rapidly progressing on the road. "I passed on this road two weeks ago and so much has changed. Tarring this road is synonymous with giving life a boost in these localities", she rejoiced.

In course of the Minister of Public Works' visit to Mfum and Ekok last week to officially flag off the Bamenda-Mamfe-Ekok-Enugu Trans-African highway, the populations of these localities came out like one person to appreciate the life-changing venture. In all of the sites where Mr Messengue Avom and his delegation made stopovers, the joy was total. The villagers wore t-shirts and erected banners with inscriptions like, "Road for Development", "We thank the governments of Nigeria and Cameroon for this move to improve on our living". Their joy was understandable as in three years when the entire project is expected to round off, people cultivating cassava, plantains and other food crops as well as cash crops will make a choice of either staying home and attracting buyers or taking their produce to a market of their choice. Analysts say upon completion, the once nightmare users of the road had when travelling on the road will be history, the hitherto days or weeks they took from Cameroon to Nigeria will be reduced to hours and the volume of trade between the two countries will greatly increase

Chief Mbi Oruh Michael - Funds for the Project are available.

2010-04-08T17:44:00.000-07:00

Cameroon Tribune

Chief Mbi Oruh Michael, Technical Adviser NO.1 in the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Technological Development and Project Coordinator.

What is the project on improving palm oil production all about?

The oil palm project has three components. The first component is technology transfer. We want to improve on existing mail, that is taking a small mail to a larger scale. The second phase is to increase the supply capacity. That is, helping farmers by giving them fertilisers and teaching them good agronomic techniques so that they can be able to improve their farm yields. Finally, we talk about market access and this means quality, for without good quality you cannot be competitive in the international market.

Does the project seek to modernise or industrialise palm oil production in the country?

Actually we want to industrialise it, you know that we are the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Technological Development. When you talk in terms of modernising, you move towards industrialisation. But we want to take those involved in the sector gradually. The Malaysians started this with four hectares per person and we think in Cameroon we can start it with five hectares per person but we are encouraging small and medium-sized companies likewise big ones into the sector. In the Malaysian context, we have the small producers about 80 - 90 per cent of the total production as against 5 - 10 per cent in Cameroon. So the agro-industries are producing about 90 per cent and that is why we have a problem of poverty. It is only when this is reversed that we can talk of improving the income generating potentials of oil palm production and stepping up the standards of living of the population.

How far with the project, some weeks after its official launching?

We launched it on March 4, 2010 and that was actually the inception where we are trying to identify the various pilot centres. We have visited some pilot centres; a lot of them have not met the criteria and based on that we are now trying to visit some other groups. However, the finances had been cleared. You know it is financed by the Common Fund for Commodities and to be executed by UNIDO. So everything is set in terms of implementation but we want to get the real actors because in a project you need to make a right choice so as to attain your objective. Cameroon has four centres and a big country like Nigeria has two. Another important thing is that we are going to help Cameroonians who have one hectare to move up to about five hectares and when you calculate you can realise that the person with five hectares can earn about FCFA 200,000 - 250,000 a month.

How much is the entire cost of the project and what will Cameroon government contribute?

We are talking about a project of about FCFA 2 .5 billion. The Cameroon government has what we call counterpart contribution which is about FCFA 400 million and it has started paying so we are on tract. So far, the money for the project is available.

What is national production, what is the actual demand and what is your target?

One difficulty we have in Cameroon is in terms of statistics. So far, we say we have a production level of about 200,000 tons yearly and demand is about 250, 000 tons so we have a deficit of 50,000 tons annually. Palm oil contributes greatly to the country's socio-economic development looking at the areas that are concerned with the product.

MEDWC USA bags $10,000 during Fundraising event for Akwaya

2010-03-07T19:20:00.000-08:00

Maya Angelou once wrote, “I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver”. With more than $10,000 raised in less than 3 hours, Manyu elements in Washington DC and its environs liberated their souls by giving back to the needy and under-privilege children of Akwaya.

The occasion was the (MEDWC) fundraising dinner that took place in Maryland on Saturday March 6, in support of the 2010 Economic Conference bound for Akwaya on March 22, 2010. The joyous evening was hosted by Mr. & Mrs. Cletus Ayuk in their Burtonsville, Maryland residence and in attendance MEDWC USA Coordinator Sesekou Dr. David Tambe who flew in from Dallas, Texas to grace the occasion and present an overview of the organization’s activities.

Knowing too well that in tough economic times money becomes tight, and thus making it difficult for others to donate, the master of ceremony for the evening Ms. Ivert Tambe employed her superb fundraising theatrics and called on donors to dig deep in support of the children of Akwaya. The response was overwhelming as attendees spoke of their deep rooted love and pride in the development of Akwaya and its complete disenclavement.

MEDWC will therefore like to extend a big thank you to all who participated and contributed to the success of the event. In return, the organization will continue its charitable mission and implement short term conference projects by organizing a health fair, support IT awareness with computers to schools, assist in sustainable energy, providing generators to clinics and promoting academic excellence through financial aid packages to merited students.

For more on MEDWC - visit http://www.medwc.org

AKWAYA 2010 CONFERENCE SET FOR MARCH 22

2010-03-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

The USA Cordinator for the Manyu Economic Development Conference (MEDWC) Sesekou Dr. David Tambe has once more called on sons and daughters of Manyu in the USA to work together for a successful economic conference in Akwaya. Reports from MEDWC Secretary General in Yaounde Mr. Enow Chris Oben confirm the official date for the 2010 event has been set for March 22, in Akwaya town with a possible delegation led by our patrons, H.E. Peter Agbortabi and Victor Mengot. It must be recalled that Sesekou Dr. David Tambe has professionally managed MEDWC efforts in the USA with two ground breaking conferences in Tinto (2005) and Eyumojock (2008) providing various forms of assistance to the local communities and the needy. The restructuring of the defunct Manyu world conference in 2003 created an enabling environment to rotate these events amongst the sub-divsions of Manyu.

Today, the Manyu Economic and Development World Conference operates as a regisitered Non-Governmental Organization - created in Mamfe in December 2003, in an attempt to integrate the efforts of the different organizations actively involved in Manyu development. Conferences thus provide a forum for the different organizations and stake holders involved in Manyu development to discuss and tackle problems of Manyu from a common Platform. Participants at each conference include the business community, non profit organizations, healthcare organizations and other NGOs.

For Akwaya 2010, conference projects will include, a health fair at a local health center. Conference health fairs provide an opportunity for participating health organizatons and physicians to provide health screening, free medical supplies and free medications to the local communities. Other conference projects will be donation of generators and computers to the Council and Health centers. Because tuition and fees has become an uphill battle for a lot of our young and bright, the conference promotes academic excellence by awarding financial assistance to secondary and high school students in the area.

For more information on MEDWC activites and its current organizational structure, please visit the website.

Promoting Small & Medium Enterprises for Sustainable development in Manyu through Trade shows by Simon Etta

2009-12-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

Beds produced with fine Manyu wood and sold locally.

Poverty results from unequal access to resources and power and sometimes between social and cultural groups. It is therefore important that the fight against any form of poverty galvanizes strong organizations that serve the interest of the poor and help change structures that sustain poverty. We also know too well that the basic purpose of development is to enlarge people’s choices by creating enabling environments to live long, healthy and prosperous lives. The question is how do we develop the right model within our current organizational structures to fight poverty in Manyu division?

This food processing company based in Mamfe packages spices for export.

Although global wealth has more than doubled since the 90’s, half of the worlds’ population still sustains on less than $2 (900CFA) a day. In most parts of the world, especially in sub-Sahara Africa, poverty remains a major challenge to sustainable development, security and stability. Economic growth that is inclusive and reaches the majority of the masses is the only medicine to alleviating chronic poverty. Since small and medium size enterprises are the backbone of economic activity in any society, improving their performance, and sustainability at the local level through public events and exhibitions can increase their leverage to the world.

Locally made Cane chairs are durable and affordable for many house-holds.

Food processing machinery - needed by our farmers:

Trade shows have therefore become a perfect setting to meet potential customers and develop business network resources for our local enterprises. One such event took place in Mamfe during the week of November 14, bringing together business and investors all over Cameroon and Manyu division. The forum provided an opportunity to make direct entries to markets, interact with exhibitors and show case products made in Manyu such as machinery, textiles, clothing, woodwork, building material, food products etc.

Egusi Pudding cake, now used for weddings and special events.

Although many of our people do not currently take advantage of trading for lack of capital and entrepreneurial spirit, events like trade shows do provide the opportunity to develop synergy with trading partners from far and near. With a vast forest land and abundance of food and cash crops, Manyu division can certainly develop a fledging small and medium enterprise infrastructure that will help sustain development and alleviate poverty through open border trade with the biggest market in Sub Sahara Africa (Nigeria).

Office table made out of Mahogany wood found in rich Manyu forest.

Customized/mechanized Tri-cycle for handicap use - made in Manyu division.

Note:

Pictures were taken by MEDWC USA Member - Mr. Victor Eware Tataw who was present during the 2009 trade show in Mamfe.

Buying a ticket for International travel by Elizabeth Smith, eHow Writer

2009-12-05T16:17:00.000-08:00

When you're purchasing plane tickets, timing can be everything. Ticket prices change from day to day, and even from seat to seat. When purchasing plane tickets, you can get the best price by heeding a few simple tips and following some basic strategies:

Time Frame

1. In general, the best time to start searching for a plane ticket is the moment you have an idea of your itinerary and travel dates. The sooner you start assessing the general trend of ticket prices, the more able you will be to find a good deal. As a travel date approaches, plane tickets tend to get more expensive due to increased demand.

Geography

2. When buying a plane ticket, consider the general trend of prices. Normally, ticket prices rise during the high tourist season. A ticket to Rome in January, for example, will generally be far cheaper than a ticket to Rome in July. When planning your trip, consider buying plane tickets for travel in the tourist off-season.

Identification

3. Take advantage of an airline search engine's alert features. Both Kayak and Orbitz allow you to sign up for email alerts when prices for your specified itinerary drop below a target price. When you get such an email, act immediately to purchase your plane ticket, as the price may rise soon thereafter. For some itineraries, ticket prices can vary by hundreds of dollars within the same month or week.

Features

4. Use websites like FareCompare to get an idea of the pricing history of you chosen route. FareCompare will give you the best prices between a selected pair of cities for each month of the year, and will allow you to see prices from the past year. Once you have selected a month to travel, the site will display prices for each day of that month, so you can choose by price or schedule.

Theories/Speculation

5. It is widely felt that the best time of the week to buy plane tickets is from midnight to 1 or 2 a.m on Wednesday. Apparently, this is the time when airline reservation systems are updated and new fares come into effect. As only a certain number of seats are generally available at a low fare, they tend to sell out quickly. While there is no hard evidence to support this belief, it can't hurt to try; also try your searches at different times of the day and night to increase your changes of getting a bargain.

Cameroon: Electricity supply - Foundation to Industrial Expansion by Lukong Pius

2009-11-10T09:20:00.000-08:00

Bassa Dam - Mozambique

Achievements

The liberalisation of the electricity sector followed by the privatisation of the then National Electricity Corporation (SONEL), giving out 56 per cent of its shares to AES SONEL, a component of the United States' group in July, 2000, remains one, if not, the major reform taken by the New Deal regime to foster energy production in the country.

The persistent shortage of energy accompanied by constant cuts and seasonal load shedding has not left the powers indifferent. This is explained by the building up of a national electricity development programme which consists mainly of the construction of giant hydroelectric projects. These include the Memve'ele Hydroelectric Dam to be built on the river Ntem in the South region and the Lom Panga water reserve in the East region. Other minor hydroelectric projects have equally been earmarked such as the Natchtigal dam to reinforce energy supply to the Aluminium Smelting company (ALUCAM) in Edea.

Another milestone covered in the drive to step up energy production was the creation in November, 2006 of the Electricity Development Corporation (EDC). The mission assigned to this structure is as follows: management on behalf of the state of public assets in the electricity sector; studying, preparing or executing of any infrastructure project in the electricity sector that is entrusted by the State; and participation in the promotion and development of public and private investment in the electricity sector.

Challenges

Due to certain factors, the measures so far taken may not have produced expected results notably satisfying increasing demand from industries and the population. According to AES-SONEL, total energy production in Cameroon today, stands at 971 Megawatts against an estimated demand of over 1,500 megawatts. The major challenge in the electricity sector is to put to maximum the exploration and exploitation of the country's energy potentials. Already, some electricity projects abound in the likes of Lom Pangar and Memve'ele. As the Head of State said in his speech to the Council of Ministers last April, there has been a lot of laxity in the execution of the said projects. Experts blame the delay on lack of financing. The seven-billion cubic metre-Lom Pangar dam project is estimated at CFA 140 billion while the Memve'ele hydroelectric dam will cost CFA 365 billion.

The Way Out

Menchum Falls - Bamenda

The cabinet meeting of July 09, 2009 that followed the Council of Ministers' Meeting set records straight. The Prime Minister defined the channel to follow in order to increase energy supply in the country. That channel has to do with using thermal and natural gas resources, pending the completion of on-going hydro-power projects. Authorities of the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources and AES-SONEL have earmarked a strategy to boost production pending 2011 when some of the Kribi gas Fired Plant and the Lom-Panga projects are expected to go operational. The strategy has to do with rehabilitating energy supply plants and stations to enable them attain their normal production capacities. These include: the Edea and Songloulou electricity supply stations which could lead to additional 43 Megawatts, the Bafoussam power station (13MW) and the Bertoua power station (between 11 and 12 MW).

Ref: http://allafrica.com/stories/200911060902.html

NEWEST PROFESSIONS, GROWING SALARIES: By Larry Buhl

2009-10-12T05:28:00.000-07:00

The latest directory of job titles from Occupational Information Network (O*Net) features a variety of new entries that many people have never heard before.

Some of these jobs -- at least the duties -- have been around in some form for a while. What's new is a "professional pathway" for these careers, according to employment expert and author Laurence Shatkin. "O*Net officially recognizes job titles once there is a critical mass of workers in those jobs and a clear road map for attaining the positions," he says.

Green Energy
There are many new green-collar job titles on O*Net, which is developed for the U.S. Department of Labor. The number of new green jobs is not surprising, given the federal government's active role in building a green economy.
Even before the federal stimulus dollars kicked in, wind energy was big and growing. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) reports that the wind industry grew by 45 percent in 2007 alone. Civil engineers who work on various aspects of the wind farm now have their own job category: wind farm engineers. These engineers work on performance of turbines and the overall performance of the wind farm and also oversee aspects of construction and mechanical development. They usually have a B.S. in engineering with a focus in construction or civil or structural engineering. Some technical colleges now offer degrees in wind farm engineering. AWEA pegs the average salary at $80,000.

Solar thermal technicians design, develop, install, and maintain solar thermal systems used to heat water and produce energy. Renewable energy plants, companies that install solar panels for domestic use, construction companies, consulting firms, and hotel chains use these technicians. A degree (2- or 4-year) in mechanical engineering or electronics is helpful, but some apprenticeship programs exist as well.Salaries vary widely and will increase if demand continues to outstrip supply. Solar thermal technicians can expect to start at around $40,000 a year or $20 an hour, according to Red Rocks Community College in Colorado. The upper salary limit is a moving target, as the job category is emerging so quickly.

Health Care
Nursing informatics is a nursing specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice. Informatics nurse specialists are registered nurses trained in graduate level informatics. Salaries start at $60,000 but can more than double after a few years' experience.
"Most often they are liaisons between clinicians and information and computer science people. These jobs are growing because information technology is now becoming a major tool in health-care settings," says Stacey Prince of the American Nurses Association.

Anesthesiologist assistants work under the direction of a licensed and qualified anesthesiologist in hospitals. They perform preoperative tasks, support therapy, recovery room care, and intensive care support. They do well money-wise: around $90,000 to start and more than double that with 10 years of experience, according to the American Medical Association. A master's degree in nursing and certification by the National Commission for Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants are required.

Business and Management
The roles of IT professionals continue to splinter and become more specialized as new technologies dominate businesses. Business continuity planners are responsible for developing plans to recover from cyber attacks, terrorism, or natural disasters. They also may be responsible for scaling IT as a company grows (from regional to national, for example), duties that used to be handled by information systems managers. A bachelor's degree in business, management, or disaster management is the minimum requirement. The median salary for disaster recovery managers, who have a similar job description, is $100,000, according to salary.com.

America's interest in getting healthy has led to a growing business specialization of spa managers, who are employed by resorts, health clubs, and other facilities offering sports and wellness activities. The median income for spa managers in the U.S. is $56,000. A college degree is not mandatory, but a high school diploma or GED and at least five years experience in the managing a related area are usually required.

Education
Distance learning, which provides instruction to students who are not on-site, is booming. O*Net now recognizes distance learning coordinators, who prepare and run online courses at colleges, trade schools and secondary schools. A master's degree instructional design, curriculum design, curriculum development is usually required, as is a strong understanding of Web-based technologies.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't yet recognize distance learning coordinators as a job category, but an analysis of job openings shows a range from the upper $30s to the low $60s for a coordinator with at least two years' experience.

Entertainment and Media
Video game designers have been around for a while, but as the $9 billion interactive entertainment industry matures, new specialties are emerging, such as user experience designer, which focuses solely on improving the user interaction. Designers can also move up to be creative directors as well. A college degree is still not mandatory everywhere, however, strong skills in computer programming, computer engineering, software development, computer animation, graphic design, and computer graphics -- or all of them -- are helpful.

Big employers like Microsoft and Electronic Arts snag a large chunk of new designers, but smaller companies are starting to offer competitive wages and career tracks as well. Designers earn $50,000 and $80,000 annually, and the highest reported salary was $200,000, according to the International Game Developers Association.

Social media is a specialty field of public relations that uses the growing social networking technologies, including RSS, Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. A few years ago, social media duties were performed by marketing managers or communications directors. Now there is a social media career track.

An entry-level company blogger can earn less than $20 per hour (and many blogging jobs are part-time). A director of social media, the top of the social media chain, can pull in $70,000 or more. In the middle, a social media manager, can expect to earn around $50,000. A bachelor's degree is usually required, and job seekers should possess strong writing abilities and a keen understanding of online marketing, public relations, and new media.

Taako Industries Cameroon: Leading the way in Food Processing Machinery and Equipment construction by Simon Etta.

2009-09-21T14:46:00.000-07:00

Lack of private sector investment in Sub-Sahara Africa’s manufacturing sector, has been identified as a primary reason for dismal growth, and increase in poverty. Most consumers and local producers continue to feel the impact as most industrial equipment is imported from abroad. The only remedy is a striving service sector with goods and services at 300% cost of production. However, without an increase in manufacturing to raise local production, increase employment and leverage the economies of scale, Sub-Sahara Africa will never bridge the poverty gap.

As a general rule, the greater a society’s entrepreneurial activity, the faster the growth of its local economy. Increase in economic activity therefore calls for innovation through manufacturing and use of abundant raw materials. One may be tempted to ask, what benefits a country most, manufacturing of goods or financial institutions? Although both institutions supplement one another, it has been documented that wealth in any country comes primarily from one of only three sources. What we manufacture, what we grow (agriculture) and what we extract from the ground (mining). Indeed sub-Sahara Africa has failed to industrialize and in some cases experienced de-industrialization. One reason is the lack of affordable machines for use by small businesses. The tide may be turning due to the technical ingenuity of a few local firms. Takoo Industries has leap frog the pack in Cameroon with innovative strategies in mechanizing processes that took manual hours to complete.

Taako industries innovation can best be visualized from an industrial revolution prism; conception, design, manufacturing and production. Although most engineers spend a great deal of time in research, development and design, very few venture into the manufacturing phase.

Engineer Patrick Egbe is a seasoned and passionate professional. With a chemical engineering background and a passion for manufacturing and production through years of working experience, Patrick is changing the lives of Africans in his native Country of Cameroon by transforming scrap materials into production machines.

Plastic Recyling MachineTaako industries was founded in 1987 and specialize in research, design and construction of processing machines for Cameroonian raw materials. It also designs and constructs artisanal and semi industrial machines and equipments tailored to the customer’s need. Unlike foreign competition, Taako industries provide turnkey solutions with maintenance and after sales service support. Capable of constructing, delivering and commissioning hundreds of machinery, its customer base is growing with well over 200 clients in Cameroon.

A listing of some machines in circulation is as follows:
- Palm oil mills
- Fruit juice equipment
- Palm kernel oil mill
- Egusi peelers
- Cassava processing
- Powder soap equipment
- Plastics recycling machines

One advantage of the machines produced by Taako industries is the small front print and little space they occupy. Due to lack of electricity in some rural communities, machines are manual, motorized or electrical. Patrick understands halting sub Sahara Africa’s relative weakness as a Manufacturing force remains a challenge due to lack of skills, management and industrial organization. Moreover, in a continent where manufacturing lags behind other regions of the developing world, Takoo industries is putting growth and poverty reduction at the center of Cameroon’s development efforts by providing machinery to tap and maximize both human and natural resources. The company welcomes potential investors and interested parties in joint ventures.

Contact Information:

Company Name: Takoo Industries
Location: Douala Cameroon
Telephone: 7773-8032 or 7999-7895
Fax: 3337-2453
Address: B.P. 7382, Douala, Republic of Cameroon
Promoter: Engineer Patrick Egbe
Email: patrickegbe2003@yahoo.com

Africa Connected - the Internet Revolution by Shin Shagaya

2009-09-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

It will change Africa forever. Within the next couple of months four high-speed fibre optic cables will link up the east and west coasts of Africa to the rest of the world. It’s going to revolutionise how the continent connects and communicates in many ways – some we can imagine, some we can’t.

Through the 20th century, Africa was regarded as a media backwater – little communication and even less content. In many African countries, up until the 90’s, TV was government owned, newspaper articles had to be approved by the state, and phone lines were provided by inefficient bureaucracies. Back then, an ambitious coup plotter only had to sever a few lines of communications infrastructure to render entire nations effectively deaf and dumb.

Then the revolution started. The first decade of the 21st century for Africans represented the advent and proliferation of the mobile phone. The private companies that spawned these mobile networks made huge profits and their Pan-African brands have become fixtures in the minds of Africans. Internet cafes mushroomed across the continent, PCs were imported in ever increasing numbers and remorseless software piracy ensured that basic productivity applications were available to most people.

One particularly illustrative anecdote is of a particularly challenging installation of an outdoor digital billboard in Nigeria’s capital city – Abuja. After my team and I spent a few days unsuccessfully dealing with technical problems, I called the Chinese supplier who asked if I had a sufficiently fast internet connection. We quickly connected our billboard to a recently acquired wireless broadband modem.

Our Chinese technician, sitting in Shenzhen, took remote control of the billboard and undertook the process of fixing our media equipment – as if he was sitting next to me in the sweltering heat. Periodically, he would ask to see the billboard, and it would require only a few minutes to take a photo with my blackberry and email it to him. Barely a year earlier, we would have had to fly that Chinese engineer to Nigeria – securing a visa, buying an air ticket, and booking a hotel room with attendant expenses in time and money.

This experience represents the kind of productivity gains that can be obtained by the application of Internet technology. While there still remain real problems with electricity and transportation infrastructure, the mobile phone and the Internet have greatly reduced the barriers to entrepreneurship.

These technologies also have implications for governance and civil rights. Recently, a passerby recorded, on his mobile phone, an ugly episode involving Nigerian security forces physically abusing a woman. The video was quickly posted on YouTube and led to an unprecedented firestorm of criticism and legal action against the federal security services.

Because of technology, the negotiation between government and the governed has changed permanently. Now, it seems, the aforementioned coup-plotter who seeks to undemocratically change a government must do much more than seal off a few broadcast stations and newspapers to silence a nation. All of a sudden, every African is a journalist and there are a multitude of information paths into, out of and within the continent. Perverse political forces can no longer as readily control our collective mind.

Governments also will utilize information technology in interesting ways by creating more efficient systems for delivering healthcare, education and other public services. Successful public administration will, for a large part, be defined by how innovatively governments in Africa apply technology to simultaneously improve the quality of service deliver and fiscal position.

When not building outdoor media assets, I nurture two Internet properties – Alarena.com (West Africa’s largest matchmaking community) and Gbogbo.com (free local classifieds). Both are essentially online services that seek to fulfill specific needs in the life of the modern African who finds himself increasingly mobile, urban, global and internet savvy. The success of both services speaks to the ability of Africans to grab new technologies but speaks even more to a lack of incumbent alternatives.

Craigslist, gumtree and kijiji have proved that free local classifieds services are valuable, but my bet is that they are even more needed in the complete absence of old-fashioned yellow pages and telephone directories. The lack of fixed line phones, for further example, has effectively made Africa an almost purely mobile environment. The absence of retail bank branches, ATMs and credit cards have led us to a point where mobile payments are becoming mainstream in Africa before Europe and North America. Already, you can spend a cashless day in Nairobi and other African cities and pay for everything with your mobile phone.

It seems that Africa, by not investing in older systems can leapfrog entire models of communications and commerce and apply the newest and most cost-effective way of doing things. This unexpected advantage conferred by being late to the game is about to reveal itself with all its ramifications. While the first decade of the 21st century represented the mobile telephony revolution, the second decade will bring an explosion in mobile broadband.
A number of large infrastructure projects promise to deliver cheap and reliable broadband across the continent. One month ago, the SEACOM undersea fiber-optic cable landed in Kenya.

As I write this, I have just learned that the Glo-1 undersea cable has arrived in Nigeria. In a couple of years, the O3b satellite network (O3b stands for “Other 3 billion”) sponsored by Google and HSBC will deliver “fiber-like” broadband connections to the continental interior.
For Africans, these fiber and satellite networks represent massive pipes of information and, more importantly, liberty. Acting with these pipes are 3G and Wimax networks, low-cost open-source based netbooks and smartphones, and affordable software that will be delivered online as a service. In concert, by the end of the next decade, these technologies will reach the most remote corners of Africa – bringing with them opportunity and enlightenment.

But these systems must be supported by human capital of some form. With the failure of the public school systems on the continent, many young Africans programmers and engineers will teach themselves complex skills. It is unclear whether an army of African autodidacts will be sufficient or required to power this transformation. However, the very tools of software creation are becoming more simple and modular as to one day make creativity more important than brute technical ability. Should this be the case, Africa will thrive in the new world – and likely be more of a driver than a follower of new models for organising economies and societies.

Sim Shagaya is a serial technology and media entrepreneur who shares his time between Nigeria and South Africa. He has worked for Google, RealNetworks, Microstrategy and other tech leaders and holds degrees from George Washington U, Dartmouth and Harvard.

Private Business Investment Key to Economic Success

2009-09-07T21:51:00.000-07:00

The private sector is the most important vehicle for economic growth and regional integration, the Director of NEPAD and Regional Integration Division at the United Nations Commission for Africa told participants at the 5 th African World Business Congress (AWBC) and the 1 st IGAD Investment Forum 2009 (IIF). Addressing the closing session of the three-day congress, Mr. Abdalla Hamdok said that although the global economic crisis had seriously affected the continent in terms of trade, investment and remittances, Africa remains the best place to do business.

But he warned that countries of the region would need to create an enabling environment for business venture in order to strengthen economic growth, which is estimated be more than 3 percent this year.

He said that the current global economic downturn should not cause African countries to lose sight of the long-term goals of achieving Millennium Development Goals (MGDs) and diversification.

He urged African countries with large reserves to use them to finance projects such as infrastructure and other basic services to help increase domestic development and diversify economies. “It is time to achieve our short and long term objectives and by focusing on diversification and achieving the MGDs Africa will be able to recover (from the economic crisis) in two to three years time”, Mr. Hamdok assured.

The AWBC is a forum where experts brainstorm on topical issues with the view to coming up with useful recommendations for practical actions. It also provides a platform for doing business.

This year the conference was held in conjunction with the 1st IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) Investment Forum and the Government of Ethiopia hosted both events at the UN Conference Centre.

The African Business Roundtable and the NEPAD Business Group also participated in the Congress.

The Congress opened on 2 March under the theme “Achieving Economic Growth under Global Downturn ”.

Subjects discussed were: Investment opportunities in IGAD countries; Success Stories of Investments in IGAD countries; Roundtable meeting on issues of Trade and Regional Integration; Africa Readiness for the 21st Century Economy; Identifying Effective Infrastructure Projects to facilitate Inter-Regional trade and developing suitable financing mechanisms; Enhancing Africa's Industrial and Manufacturing Competitiveness, Output and Access to markets; African Economic Outlook: Achieving Growth under Global Downturn; and Privatization Programme and Investment in the mining and Energy Sector.

The meeting ended with a strong call on African governments and the business community to put the development of ICT on the national agenda to make Africa an active participant in the paperless and secured global economic interaction.

It also expressed the need for private sector investment and for creating value added African products, which allow for meaningful regional economic integration.

http://www.uneca.org

Reinventing Manyu - Street Tree Planting and Environmental Problems: By Augustine Tambekong

2009-09-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

Introduction

In the first half of this century we learnt that the community cannot achieve its aims without the help of government providing essential services and a backdrop of security. In the second half of the century we learnt that the government cannot achieve its aims without the energy and commitment of others – voluntary organizations, businesses and crucially, the wider public. That is why the third Sector is such an important part of the Third Way, (Blair, 1998).

This paper triggers a recollection of memories when some of us where growing up in towns and villages surrounded with canopy of trees within our village cathedrals. Much was not known of man’s tree health benefits. As a result of such ignorance today we live in concrete environments without trees around us or on our streets. This paper however, intends to trigger that reminder for the present need of street tree planting development for our local environments in Manyu as well as a road map for a local environmental action plan (LEAP), to try and bring to the attention of our people the importance of maintaining the biodiversity of Manyu planet Earth and of carrying out our daily lives in a fashion that ensures our offspring will inherit a cleaner, greener, more ecologically sustainable Manyu environment through this literature review..

What Mamfe- Manyu Division could look like in 2020
The specific objectives of the paper were to:

Review the published literature from the biological, medical and social sciences to determine whether there are quantifiable physical and psychological benefits to human health, and to the indoor and outdoor environments, that could be linked to street planting in Manyu.

Recommend strategies based on proven science that could form the basis for unique approaches to marketing street plants based on improving lifestyle, health, and the world in which people live, work and play in our towns and villages.

Identify new opportunities for domestic marketing and increased sales of street tree planting beyond the traditional concepts of beautification of the outdoor environments.

Provide a functional bibliography of sources of further information that could be quoted to justify any future marketing claims if necessary.

Street Tree planting :

Given the “scotching heat” that burns down our necks in Manyu due the tropical sun, it has to be acknowledged that many studies have found significant energy savings for the cooling of buildings when trees are planted in streets (Rosenfeld et al., 1998; Akbari, 2002). The trees provide shade and reduce the amount of solar radiation hitting a building, thereby reducing energy requirements for cooling that building. Akbari (2002) estimated that planting one shade tree in an urban setting can avoid the combustion of 18 kg/yr of carbon due to savings in demand for air-conditioning. Plants can be used to manage air movement and wind to create more comfortable and pleasant microclimates (Robinette, 1972).

BENEFITS:

Increased Property Values

Private landscapes can influence habitat and water quality, among other environmental attributes (Helfand et al., 2006). To capture these benefits, landscapes that incorporate ecologically beneficial land cover patterns have been designed on different scales for private homes (Nassauer, 1993). Many studies have documented the positive effect of landscaped yards on the value of residential homes.

Des Rosiers et al. (2002) summarized a number of past studies dealing with the effect of landscaping on house values (Des Rosiers et al., 2002). The following table outlines the results of these studies.

As well, Des Rosiers et al., (2002) surveyed 760 single-family homes sold between 1993 and 2000 in Quebec. The survey focused on landscaping characteristics of homes and their immediate environment, i.e., the neighbourhood visible from the property.

Their results found the following relationships regarding landscapes and property values:
. A tree cover between the property and its immediate neighbourhood raises the house value.
. For bungalows and cottages, the higher the percentage of ground cover (lawn, flower arrangements, rock plants, etc), the higher the value of the house.
. The presence of a hedge or a landscaped wall raises a property’s value by nearly 4%.
. The presence of a landscaped patio can result in as high as a 12.4% premium.
. Landscaped curbs also provide value, as high as a 4.4% premium.

Overall, a 7.7% market premium for either a typical bungalow or cottage was estimated could be achieved in the presence of different landscaping variables and the presence of a hedge.

Municipal Economic Benefits:

Effective landscape design can also add value to municipalities and communities. The presence of landscaping has already been shown to increase property values, but it is also a wise city investment for many reasons:
• It increases community health and vitality through civic involvement in beautification projects.
• Beautification projects represent a sense of pride and value by residents and businesses.
• Plants stabilize soil and reduce runoff in open spaces (refer to section 3.0).
• Natural habitats protect biodiversity (refer to section 3.0).
• Low maintenance open spaces and xeriscaping reduce maintenance costs.
• Evergreen trees reduce the impact of cooling wind in rainy season and deciduous trees provide shade in the dry season.
• Increases public safety and reduces crime and accidents.
(Gardner, 2006)

Community Beautification and Pride:

Plants play a role in the development of healthy communities by:
1) providing a physical condition or appearance that makes people proud to be considered part of the community and by enhancing the economic and social condition of the community;
2) providing opportunities for sharing value interests and commitments; and
3) providing a surrounding that is more comfortable physically in which to live and work (Relf, 1992).

Passing time in Mamfe:
This is the opposite of the above, stressful and uncomfortable environment for our people. Street trees planting will give our communities the beautification and pride described above.

Research at the University of Washington examined how trees were valued in the community, across eight revitalized communities in the United States (Center for Urban Horticulture, 1998b). Participants of the study were asked to aesthetically rank 32 different scenes. Overall, the survey found that retail shopping districts with an orderly and well-maintained planting scheme, including both trees and accessory vegetation, received the highest visual quality ratings. Manyu can have this vision and reinvent herself by attracting better quality people to retire and invest there. As seen in the picture above, a dry scotching environment drives people and businesses away.

A mail survey of licensed drivers in Washington State was used to evaluate the perceptions of places that people may associate with roadside landscape (Center for Urban Horticulture, 2000). The study was aimed at determining whether the amount of green space and vegetation along the road and in a community influenced what people thought of the community. The survey found that the presence of trees and green space positively influenced consumers’ attitudes about the character of a place, and also the prices that shoppers were willing to pay in local businesses (Center for Urban Horticulture, 2000).

Furthermore, trees and landscaping in neighbourhood commercial districts will create a pleasant space that attracts patrons in Manyu. A study of business owners and business association staff indicated that trees and landscaping attracted patronage through the following means:
• Acting as an outdoor extension of the business’ customer service commitment.
• Developing a distinctive identity for and defining the boundaries of a business district, which encourages repeat visits. (Center for Urban Horticulture, 1998a)

Privacy and Security:

Trees and shrubs can be used to build both physical and visual barriers, providing security and/or privacy. With specific reference to privacy, Robinette (1972) discusses that there are varying degrees of privacy and different lines of sight that should be considered in planting design. Thus, the density of planting and the types of plants used are necessary considerations. Privacy can bring with it a certain amount of security but hedges can be used to screen (block from view) a security fence that provides the physical secure barrier (Robinette, 1972).

Recreation, Parks, Sports and Fitness :

Mamfe-Manyu, is an example of a community that should be attempting to revitalize itself with the use of landscaping schemes (Burchfield, 2004). One of the primary efforts should be the restoration of town/city parks and recreation areas. Mamfe as the central location of many communities can attract a lot of activities, athletics, businesses etc. The global promoter of sports, the Olympic movement, has acknowledged the importance of the environment by incorporating Agenda 21 into their action plan (International Olympic Committee, 1999). Agenda 21 is the global plan for sustainable development which has been defined as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." That emerged from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in 1992. Recently the committee developed a guide for integrating sport, environment and sustainable development. The document covers many aspects of environmental protection and improvement. One aspect, which is of particular interest to the horticultural industry, is the promotion of biologically diverse environments. The horticultural industry is the provider of plants within built environments and sporting venues (International Olympic Committee, 2007). In addition to the opportunity for the horticulture industry, there are multiple spin-off benefits to the host city (from the Olympics initiative) as outlined above.

Tourism:

A study conducted by Evans and Malone (Relf, 1992) looked at the hotel/tourism industry at Opryland. The study found that the landscaping positively impacted a number of things including a high occupancy rate (85%), numerous awards, and continuous expansion. Additionally, the higher rate charged for rooms overlooking the scenery, plus the high occupancy rate can translate into much revenue in additional annual income.

The above studies show that landscaping brings positive economic benefits to communities. It encourages tourism, recreation, and attracts businesses to the area and all of this translates into more finances flowing into the community.

Environmental Benefits of Street Planting:

I believe that by some time in 2020 over half the Manyu population will live in an urban environment (Worldwatch Institute, 2007). The urbanization of Manyu would be reducing the connectivity humans have with the natural environment. Despite human disconnectedness that we shall have from the natural world, street plants will continue to provide environmental benefits at every spatial level: global, local and individual. This section outlines these environmental benefits of street planting in the following: oxygen production, pollution amelioration, indoor air quality improvements, water management and erosion control, plants in ecological sewage and wastewater treatment systems, wildlife attraction and preservation, windbreaks and noise amelioration, urban shade, green space and location of plants. In brief, let me dwell into some of these environmental benefits slightly:
Oxygen Production :

The fundamental benefit provided by plants is their production of oxygen; thus providing the atmosphere with the element that allows humans to breathe and live on this planet. Oxygen is produced by the plant during the process of photosynthesis as shown in Figure 3.1. Photosynthesis is how plants produce their food (energy). It requires carbon dioxide, water and sunlight. The outputs of photosynthesis are sugars and oxygen. On average, a tree can produce 260 pounds of oxygen per year and two mature trees can produce sufficient oxygen for a family of four (Environment Canada, 2005). Similarly, a natural turf area just 50 feet by 50 feet releases enough oxygen for a family of four (Virginia State University, 2004).

Pollution Amelioration:

Trees and plants have been labeled as the “lungs of cities” (McPherson, 2005) because they have the ability to remove contaminants from the air that is breathed. Acting as natural filters and reducing air pollution, it has been shown that plants generate health benefits by reducing the mortality rate and reducing visits to the hospital (Powe and Willis, 2004). A few ways in which plants reduce air pollution are as follows:
Absorption of gaseous pollutants through their leaves, e.g., ozone, nitrogen oxides, and sulphur dioxide.

Further reducing ozone concentrations at ground level by reducing the temperature via evapotranspiration as mentioned above.

Collection of dust, ash, pollen and other particulate matter on their leaves hence reducing its presence in the air breathed.

Releasing of oxygen, as mentioned above, which increases the quality of the air for human use.
(McPherson, 2005)

Indoor Air Quality Improvement:

As our population continues to urbanize, the number of people spending 80-90% of their time indoors (Orwell et al., 2004) is also increasing. Many studies have reported that the concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are higher indoors than outdoors (Sakai et al., 2004). Plants continue to function as atmospheric filters indoors as they do outdoors and enhance the air quality of confined environments.

As with the outdoor environment, particulate matter such as dust, ash, pollen and smoke are also irritants and pollutants of indoor air. Lohr and Pearson-Mims (1996) found that the levels of particulate matter accumulation in a room were lower when plants were present than when they were not. In addition to finding a reduction in particulate matter it was also found that relative humidity was slightly higher when plants were present. An increase in relative humidity, particularly in heated environments, increases the comfort level. Another means by which indoor plants improve enclosed environments is by removing offensive odours from the air (Oyabu et al., 2003).

Water Management and Erosion Control (retention, filtration, purification, flood control)

There are significant benefits that can be gained from plants with respect to water management. As the discussion above pointed out, plants can be used to remove pollution from soils and air. In addition, plants can also remove pollution through filtration and purification processes and can also assist in flood control by retaining water.

Using plants to reduce run-off and pollutants can occur in many situations. As watersheds increasingly become urban landscapes the amount of penetrable ground is reduced. This can be improved by using “rain gardens”, a small swale or retention ditch, near impenetrable surfaces (e.g. roads, parking lots). This creates areas for water to be cleaned and reduces the speed with which water re-enters the watershed (University of Wisconsin, 2004).

For clarification purposes, I include in this paper a list of trees for Street and Avenue planting which are entirely hardy under all conditions. These standard types of shade trees can be planted almost under any condition of climate or soil, and be rest assured that they will develop an interesting normal habit of growth. This list may be termed “the TEN best trees” for general use in Street and Avenue planting in city, suburban, and urban districts:

1) Acer Saccharum Sugar Marple
2) Quercus alba White Oak
3) Quercus Coccinea Scarlet Oak
4) Quercus rubra Red Oak
5) Quercus Velutina Black Oak
6) Tilia Euchora Crimean Linden
7) Tilea Tomentosa Silver Linden
8) Tilea Vulgaris Common Linden
9) Ulmus Americana American Elm
10) Ulmus Glabra Scotch Elm

Conclusions:

It is my belief that this study clearly illustrates that there are significant benefits from street tree planting in Manyu, whether economic, environmental or lifestyle. Many of these benefits, however, are not well known or understood within the general population. As a result, there is a considerable opportunity to educate the masses based on the benefits identified throughout this literature review. This essay has discussed planning and management of Manyu urban street tree planting and suggests a model for urban planning. Whilst street planting of trees can beautify the communities, it is not without its difficulty to adequate funding that this might entail, increased citizen demands for municipal services, low visibility, lack of public advocates, dispersal of tree management responsibilities, limited recognition of benefits of urban trees, and environmental stress. To succeed I do suggests that the wider public to get involve to the success of future urban tree planning. The planning process must be comprehensive in scope, including municipal, national agency - the Forestry Department, and private lands. Planning must also incorporate a broad range of benefits such as aesthetic or visual quality, microclimate modification, energy, conservation, environmental suitability and the fulfilment of community needs. Community participation can occur on three basic levels: official lay groups, community activist groups and private individuals or corporations. Education will also provide a necessary support to this community involvement. Finally, the essay emphasizes the need for establishing goals. The goals suggested include: economic survival by attracting tourism and businesses, neighbourhood vitality, preservation of city character and urban health and liveability. Discussion was heavily based on developed counties, predominately the United States. Given these conclusions, some obvious recommendations emerged and are outlined below.

The natural beauty of street lined with trees:

Recommendations:

• Tell the people about the ‘big picture’ benefits of street planting provides and how comprehensive the ‘good news’ story is.

• Study and emulate the successful programs of Europe, the US and Australia.

• Work more closely with municipalities to show them how street plants can improve their bottom line, make citizens happier and more proud of their community, and reduce crime and violence in inner city locales.

• Develop national-class centres of street tree excellence that will be immune to the political nature of government and changing forestry Department policy.

Future Research Opportunities:

• Investigate opportunities presented by climate change.

o Greater variability in temperature, day/night temperatures, water and more extreme events may make today’s climatic conditions unbearable.

o This research finding is not exhaustive but merely a scratch of the problems behind problems facing Manyu. It is therefore recommended that further research into same or other areas of our environmental problems be conducted to ascertain ways of exploring tangible solutions to them in future.

References :

Complete list of references and tables for this article will be posted on the MEDWC website: http://www.medwc.org/ under publications.

Manyu Diaspora: Do they have a role in the Economic Development of their Division? (Part II) by Simon Etta

2009-08-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

Simon Etta:

Advocates for Manyu Economic Revival:

It is not enough to question what Manyu has done for you. We must ask, what have we contributed to the well being and development of Manyu? How much are we giving back or investing? It is only Manyuans who can advocate for their own development. Without a doubt, strangers will not do it for us.

During visits from abroad some of us embark in Limbe, Douala and Yaoundé without ever visiting our towns and villages of origin. How do you develop a place you don’t even know? The portrayal of our division amongst us in the Diaspora has not always been positive. We fail to motivate and instead paint a picture of a division that remains under-developed and in neglect. We talk of Mamfe without a single petrol station, township taxis, decent hotels and restaurants.

The German bridge Mamfe:
It is alright to discuss all our ills, but fail to ask what we have done to produce a cure. Isn’t time we challenge ourselves to a higher order for the economic progression of Manyu? Besides, we have stakes as the educated and well financed class. Now is the time for the Diaspora to advocate for the economic rebirth of the division.

Market in Mamfe:
A Vibrant private sector:

The Diaspora has a chance to strengthen the private sector in Manyu. The existence of a vibrant private sector with warehouses, IT and industrial training centers, to cater for a 21st century workforce, shops, banks, private schools etc will benefit the masses and economy, creating jobs and employment. By us playing an active role, small businesses will operate on the basis of wealth, ideas and skills learned from the Diaspora, thus facilitating the transfer of technology and sound business practices.

In the old days, our parents cultivated and opened small size farms for food consumption. Manyu has plenty of vast forest land for us to implement industrial farm practices, cultivating hectares of farmland for palms, cocoa, coffee, and cash crops such as cassava, plantains. What about snail and fish farming, a sector with a ready market that fetches quick returns.

Tinapa - free trade zone Calabar:
Legal Cross Border Trade:

Although trade is often cited as the best solution to Africa’s problems, the irony is, many countries find difficulties trading formally with each other. Custom duties, tariffs and other barriers tend to hinder intra-country trade.

For many years, informal cross border trade between Manyu and Nigeria has manifested an inseparable economic link of the communities living along the borders. The tarring of the Ekok – Mamfe road will hence open doors for formal trading. The Diaspora can infuse capital by setting up warehouses in Mamfe. These storage facilities will be a replica of “John Holt”, and serve as distribution points for wholesale trading and employment.

Furthermore, Manyu benefits from Tinapa in Calabar, the premier Africa business and leisure resort free trade zone. Tinapa is the Dubai of Africa and no other free trade zone offers similar services in the West/Central African region. Manyu also has a dynamic opportunity to ensure food security by availing markets for its agricultural products. Large markets are good incentives for our farmers to produce more. The Manyu Diaspora can play an active role in this sector through partnerships and joint ventures.

Infrastructure development:

Many of us own and live in decent housing abroad. However, when we return home to visit, we end up in hotels or put up with friends. One simple and obvious reason is because the infrastructures we left behind are no longer comfortable and lack basic amenities.

A few years ago, former Minister of Environment Chief Clarkson Mbianyor challenged every Manyu elite to build a house in their division of origin. The idea of owning a piece of property in Manyu is meant to help us strengthen ties with our families and division. Besides being a lifelong investment, it encourages us to make frequent visits as custodians instead of passive observers in our own land of birth. There is no better pride for a Manyu person than a simple investment of owning a piece of his own property. “Show me your house, show me your farm, or better let us die in our poverty” (Clarkson Mbianyor).

All it takes is for us to engage a Nigerian or Ghanaian in a conversation and he will tell you of his investments back home. We can definitely acquire knowledge about community development from these people. The Manyu Diaspora can help boost the economy by embarking on infrastructure development projects which employ our youths and spur economic activities. If ten Diasporas per year were to invest in building construction, the net gain for the Manyu economy will be less unemployment, increased commerce and wealth distribution. Every sector of the economy will benefit as well as the investor, and even in Manyu real estate do appreciate in value over the long term.

Manyu rain forest - idle for large scale agriculture plantations:

The Diaspora needs to assist in the establishment of small and medium enterprises (SME) and engage in large scale agriculture production to accelerate economic achievement. There is no doubt the Diaspora can contribute their quota and make an impact.

What Manyu needs is development and empowerment at all levels. No single person, group or organization has a monopoly of ideas or policies that can lead to Manyu’s economic evolution. It is therefore apparent we need an inclusive strategy and not one that is exclusive. We need a development strategy founded on the ideals that unite us and core principles that can uplift our people and economy. Because there is so much that unites than divides us, we have to confront new ways of doing things. To achieve this, we have to be creative and be challenged to contribute our quota. Manyu is our pride, to help develop it; we must therefore have a shift in mindsets and not only follow but act, guide and lead.

About the writer:

Simon Etta has been an active member of MECA Washington since 1989 and served as chapter President. He strongly supports the activities of MEDWC and manages its blog and website (http://www.medwc.org/) during his spare time. Mr. Etta is a telecommunication executive; he lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland. He can be reached by email: ecotelusa2002@yahoo.com

Manyu Diaspora: Do they have a role in the Economic development of their Division? (Part I) by Simon Etta.

2009-08-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

Justice Hilman Egbe (then Minister of Forestry) visits Washington DC and meets with Manyu community.

From the Americas through Europe to Africa, the Manyu Diaspora’s role in the development of its division continues to decline as compared to similar ethnic groupings. Groups from Cameroon, and other African countries like Nigeria, have time and again jointly committed substantial resources during conventions, and other annual gatherings to raise funds and implement major projects in their homelands of origin. Lately, instead of moving forward, the Manyu Diaspora has shown a tendency to divide and conquer, argue, bicker, belittle one another, disrespect elders and women and at the same time lack a sense of humility. We all want to be leaders with no followers even when it means burning down the same house it took us years to build. Whatever happened to the community spirit, sense of purpose and one voice (eyongemot)? Is our arrogance a curse or a genetic disposition?

Credible data on the number of Manyu elements pursuing education or working as professionals abroad is lacking. However, estimates put the number of our people overseas at close to a few thousands. The irony is that, this vast wealth of economic power consisting of students and professionals has not done much collectively to advance economic and social development back home. Whereas many belong to organizations like MECA and NOMA, the average contributions from individuals on enlisted projects has been very little to make an impact. MECA has for many years been run as a cultural organization and has been successful in promoting our rich culture abroad. However, cultural preservation alone will not foster needed development. We must start to embrace economic and social initiatives as part of the overall MECA development framework. For some, the status quo of relishing in our comfort and privileges while our division continues to struggle is simply unacceptable. We need to do much more in the long term to ensure that Manyu once again become the beacon of hope for the younger generation. This noble vision can be achieved. All it takes is the initiative, leadership and “a can do attitude”. When each of us collectively and through partnerships decides to do something, the cumulative effect can be huge. What then is our role in the development of Manyu? The answer is, there is none for now unless we reassess our priorities and become proactive.

Portion of the Mamfe - Ekok Road (soon to be tarred - ADB project)
As Manyu awaits the completion of the Numba – Bachuo road and the eventual tarring of Ekok- Mamfe, the Manyu Diaspora is well placed now more than ever to not only help in strengthening support, but more importantly make practical economic contribution to accelerate growth and development. There is no question that the Diaspora is seen and regarded as an important stakeholder. After all, it has at its disposition the highest number of intellectuals and high income earners out of the division who collectively or as individuals can make an everlasting impact in development. It is true some have started, but only a minority who truly believe they can make a difference are doing so.

Custodians of the rich Manyu culture - display Ekpe attire

Without dwelling on the role of the MECA’s abroad which have become weakened in recent times due to infighting and squabbles, the Manyu Diaspora has organized itself into a myriad of small groups. Groups such as subdivisions, villages, quarters and even families do co-exist with each involved in some form of development effort and virtual networks. Despite their small memberships, these unique groups enhance culture and provide long term commitment to the development of their communities with modest efforts. It is therefore reasonable to surmise that, grand style development programs can still originate from these groups if properly planned. Now is the time therefore for the Diaspora to wake up and provide the necessary impetus for its development. We believe such contributions can come in the following areas:

Part II – to be continued.

The modern day African Entrepreneur: Balance between success and failure.

2009-08-15T07:52:00.000-07:00

Whereas striving to become independently wealthy is the American dream, being self employed can be termed an American destiny. Almost 70% of all U.S. business revenue is accounted for by small business. They also account for half of the private workforce and national output. Small businesses fill niche markets, boast competition, provide market innovation, and offer an opportunity to create wealth.

Every day the opportunities for self employment grow but in most Africans economies, the primary source of employment is government first and business second. The idea of of running your own business although varied and enticing is often a challenge to many. For one thing, governments in Africa make it so difficult to set up a business. The bureaucracy and upfront taxes are a compounding nightmare. Despite these roadblocks, a few daring Africans venture into small business and eventually succeed. Ideally, if you want to run a business and become an entrepreneur, you must have a passion – passion for your product or service, passion for day to day rewards and challenges of being your own boss and dealing with a diverse and demanding clientele.

For some people, the decision to start a business may be based on factors such as the need to make a living, work at your own pace, do something after retirement or simply own a business and make lots of money. To begin with, the aspiring African entrepreneur needs to firstly identify what motivates him or her. For some people, the fear of starting a business is a willingness to take risks. By taking risks, it implies working in an environment that allows you to try out new approaches that are distinctively yours. It also implies taking an approach that goes beyond conventional practice; the risk taker believes he or she can provide a service or product that can not only compete with others but goes above that which others offer.

Quite often when one visits Africa and meets a relative or friend, the first thing they demand is money to start a business. The next question one tends to ask; what type of business and how much do you need. Without any serious thought, the casual response is - I just wish to start something and any amount will do. What this indicates is that the prospective entrepreneur does not have a business plan, and there is every indication the business will fail. Sometimes we meet friends or family who were in business and after a year, they tell stories of failure. On careful examination and analysis you later discover, they did not spend much time managing the business and hired relatives who instead helped to run it down. We are therefore left to ponder, why do some small businesses in Africa stumble so fast?

At some time in the life of a business, most will experience failure due to over taxation from the government or loose financial controls. Besides arbitrary tax policies that stifle growth, most of the prevailing reasons small business fail in Africa are poor management, insufficient capital, poor location, and lack of planning and in some cases expanding too quickly. Most new business owners in Africa frequently lack the relevant business and management expertise. They tend to lack the expertise in hiring and managing employees, finance and book keeping. Because small business owners in Africa tend to hire relatives, they are not alert to fraud until the situation becomes uncontrollable. These individuals neglect their business and forget to take regular care to study, plan, organize and control all activities of the operation. Due to the excitement and anxiety in owing a business, the African entrepreneur fails to ascertain how much the business will need not only in startup cost, but operating cost. The reason is business takes about a year or two to get off the ground and therefore enough funds are needed to cover all initial cost for those early years.

Lack of business planning is common amongst Africans wishing to get into business, having a business plan is critical in setting goals. Most start up entrepreneurs are so fast to get the business running and neglect to write down their business plan. In essence, your business plan should include a detail outline that evaluates the economic viability of your business. Since a business plan is the roadmap to chart the course of the business and eventual success, it must outline your business purpose, goals, profile and economic assessment.

According to the U.S. small business administration, (SBA), you will have a better chance of entrepreneurial success if you have a passion for what you will be doing and believe your product or service will fulfill a need in the marketplace. Besides possessing a mental stamina to withstand potential challenges, success comes with having a drive, determination, patience and a positive attitude. Eventually, you will make mistakes and have failures, however do not defeat yourself by building on failures. Every small business man must strive on independence and be skilled at taking charge when a creative solution is needed. The successful entrepreneur has to be compassionate, provide good customer service, like your fellow man, show honesty and integrity when interacting with others.

Ultimately, everyone is drawn into business to create wealth and become wealthy. The reality is the African entrepreneur has a stepper hill to climb. African governments must realize as the U.S. did a long time ago that small businesses are the drivers of any striving economy. Small businesses hire more people than the government and if allowed to operate in a free market where competition reins, will contribute immensely to the national output. The success of any new business hinges on the owner. For any business that strives to succeed, failure is never an option. Armed with a determination and a positive outlook the successful African entrepreneur must view any setback as an opportunity to learn and grow. Some self made African millionaires have been known to possess average education and intelligence. However, what distinguishes them is their openness to new knowledge and willingness to learn what it takes to succeed even in a hostile environment where the tax man is overzealous and arbitrarily assess tax on income and inventory.

The Falling Standards in Manyu Schools:

2009-08-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

Secondary high school in Manyu Division

In educational cycles, it is generally accepted that competence and commitment of teachers should be the most important determinant of learning outcomes. However, it is difficult to find any systematic studies that have been undertaken on motivational and incentive issues among teachers in Cameroon. Furthermore, it has not been possible to find a study that tracks levels and determinants of teacher motivation and deployment to schools in different parts of the country such as Manyu. Nonetheless, there is strong generalization to conclude, the standards of education in Manyu division are on a downward spiral. Solid evidence based on current GCE results and that of a few years back point a bleak picture. The truth of the matter is educational standards in Manyu schools are actually declining and the long term impact on the social and economic development of the division will be felt for many years, a situation which calls for prompt and impacting intervention.

For most University and Secondary school graduates in African countries, teaching has become employment of the last resort. Consequently, some teachers often lack a strong long term commitment to the vocation. Quite often the status and pay of a primary school teacher is much lower. Thus becoming a secondary school teacher with higher pay stands out as an avenue for social and economic advancement. This trend has important implications for the development of a critical mass of competent and experience teachers in primary schools and this is where early learning begins.

Secondary School Students.

In areas like Manyu, the problem is exacerbated because teachers at both the secondary and primary level refuse to teach in certain communities due to many prevailing infrastructure problems, notably bad roads, acute electricity, water shortages and finally pay incentives. In general, the motivation for teachers at the public education system to perform well is frequently weak due to ineffective incentives and standards. Low pay forces large proportion of teachers to earn secondary income from other sources such as private tutoring. Where teachers bribe to secure employment and desired postings, this may also impact on job commitment and motivation. In these situations, teachers do not feel accountable to school Principals, parents or the wider community. Being posted to a rural school is therefore likely to de-motivate the teacher, and with a low proportion of qualified teachers in rural areas, this amounts to lower standards and failing grades. Another problem is teacher absenteeism due to poor motivation and lack of accountability. As compared to private schools, absenteeism is lower because sanctions are imposed for those absent with no legitimate reasons.

The educational sub-committee of the first Manyu world conference in 1996 had as a term of reference to seek ways and means of promoting academic excellence. In its final report, the sub-committee suggested the following ways to redress the situation:

a) Equip schools with libraries, workshops and functional laboratories. The public should be involved in motivating our children in science based professional, vocational and technical careers. Improve the academic staff in our institutions by providing funds for teachers in disciplines that are related to desired careers.
b) Creation of academic foundations, even those at local levels could be encouraged to promote academic excellence e.g. Dr. Mengot Foundation.
c) Manyu sons and daughters teaching outside must be prepared to come back home whenever they are, to enhance performance in certain fields.
d) Finally, the committee recommended the processing of documents for the acquisition of a plot and the approval of the opening the Manyu polytechnic.

Almost twelve years later, the Manyu economic development world conference met in Eyumojock in 2008. This time around the education committee had a term of reference “poor performance in Manyu schools and how this can be avoided”. The committee identified three problems; lack of teachers, hostile environment and lack of motivation and low pay for PTA teachers. Here are some of the proposed solutions:

a) Training programs to motivate teachers should be organized as well as sourcing for necessary funds.
b) Meritorious Manyu teachers should be awarded certificates of excellence so as to motivate them.
c) Teachers should inculcate a culture of commitment and patriotism.
d) Everybody in society should partake in the training of children.

Based on these committee reports, we recognized the issue of falling standards in our schools almost a decade ago. It is true that lowly qualified and ill motivated teachers will never provide the quality of education needed. There is also evidence of lack of proper infrastructure and congenial environment for effective learning especially with schools in our rural areas. School fees are a barrier especially to our kids from poor backgrounds. Unlike fifteen years ago when the only secondary high school was in Mamfe town with good infrastructure and teachers, most of our students attend government sponsored schools in villages.

MEDWC donates technology equipment to area schools. In order to tackle the falling standards of education in Manyu since most schools are now in our rural communities, we must initiate innovation that could help schools excel in exams to enable the division take its prime position in the educational records of the country. Parents and stakeholders need to exercise control over headmasters, principals and teachers by attending PTA meetings and contributing to infrastructure development. Manyu politicians and those in positions of influence must address entrenched teacher deployment policies in Manyu. Effective decentralization over staffing is the, most effective way of ensuring a more transparent, equitable and efficient deployment of teachers to Manyu urban and area schools. The system should not only force Manyu indigenes to teach in their land of birth but also encourage and motivate them with incentives.

Is Sun Power the Solution to Manyu Energy Crisis?

2009-07-31T11:47:00.000-07:00

Solar Street Light NEPAD, Africa’s development blueprint calls for countries in sub-sahara Africa to boost access to cheaper and reliable energy in order to achieve the desired social and economic prosperity for their nations. It is estimated that in some African countries, fewer than 5% have access to electricity with the figure falling to less than 2% in rural areas where the majority live.
Indeed, Africa posses some of the world’s largest watercourses –hydro potentials as well as worlds’ largest oil, coal and gas reserves. In order to move forward, African nations must find cheaper power sources to ensure sustainability and minimize environmental hazards. Experts believe that solar power, clean and renewable is the way forward for energy consumption in Africa.

Solar Technology

The sun is free, priceless and inexhaustible. Solar technology therefore converts the sun’s radiation directly into electricity with no pollution or harm to the environment. Solar panels generate enough power to run appliances such as televisions, radios, stoves, water pumps and produce light for households. Basically, the solar panel itself is a battery charger. When exposed to sunlight it produces direct current (DC).
The solar charge controller regulates the amount of energy that the panels put into the battery. Once the battery is fully charged it opens the circuit to prevent damaged caused by overcharging. After using some of the stored energy, it automatically closes the circuit and starts to recharge the battery during sunlight hours. Solar panels are rated in watts. For example, a 12 volt 15 watt panel averages about 15 watts per hour of sunlight. Multiple panels can be wired together in most cases. Another component used with solar panel is the inverter. It converts 12 volt DC energy in the battery to standard 220 AC voltages found in homes in Africa. Finally, batteries used in Solar systems must be deep cycle types. A standard car battery will be damaged quickly. The two common types of batteries used in Solar are sealed lead acid deep cycle and standard marine.

Case study – Ethiopian and Zimbabwe villages

According to BBC news, two years after the installation of a solar power project funded by international aid groups, villagers in northern Ethiopia now say the sun’s energy has turned their lives around. Rema, 150 miles north of Addis Ababa is home to Ethiopia’s largest solar project with every house in the village powered by solar lighting systems amounting to over 2100 homes. Village roofs are dotted with solar panels and one panel provides power for four lamps as well as energy for radios and tape players. Villagers now don’t have to struggle with smoke from wood or other biomass such as crop waste dominant fuel for cooking. Gas lamps are now something of the past, kids can do their homework and local businesses have seen an increase in night time activities. As in Ethiopia, some numerous villages in Zimbabwe turned to solar power in the 1990’s, a project supported by UNDP through the global environment facility (GEF). This project installed 9000 solar power systems throughout the country in a bid to improve living standards and curtail land degradations.

Bringing Sun Power to Rural Manyu:

Solar projects like those implemented in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe villages did not happen by some divine intervention. These projects were developed, initiated and forwarded to international organizations by stakeholders of those areas. By this we mean the indigenes and there lies the challenge and task in front of groups like MECA USA , MEDWC and development minded Manyuans.

Despite substantial amounts of money invested in the energy sector, only a minority of Manyu rural households are able to enjoy modern services provided by electricity. The majorities of people in our villages have no grid based electricity, and will not receive nor use it in their lifetime. In most of our villages, solar will make sense because households do not consume much electricity, at least initially. Village household usage is limited to a few lamps (2-3), a radio and or TV equivalent to 30-50 KWh per month. These services can easily be provided by low cost solar systems. Better access to electricity would definitely make a big difference to the quality of life in rural Manyu.

Solar panels mounted on the roof of a Village house.Although our people sometimes consume conventional modern energy, they do so in small amounts and pay dearly. Imagine dry cell batteries, they provide electricity but expensive. A candle or kerosene wick lamp does give light but a house will need much more to obtain same amount of light emitted by a single 40 watt incandescent lamp or 12 w compact fluorescent. Those who use candles and kerosene limit themselves to using enough light points to walk around the house. Hence the rural Manyu man has limited access to energy because of cost and accessibility. The levels of service our rural households enjoy now are only barely distinguished from that of medieval Europe. The Manyu rural household will never obtain a level of service, and improvement in social and economic conditions comparable to urban dwellers unless they get access to electricity - other than wood, dry cell batteries and biomass.

Future action:

For decades, kerosene lamps and sore eyes are the routine for children in Manyu villages to study and do their home work. Imagine painful eyes and headaches from fumes, not to mention the long term health impact of mothers cooking with firewood and inhaling smoke. How about impact on life span, aging and not living long enough to see their children grow? The Manyu land is blessed with plenty sunlight all year round. We can tap into this free and clean energy source to light up our remote and isolated villages that will never be linked to the national electricity grid. It can be done one house and one village at a time.

We owe it to our people, for economic prosperity and better living to explore the solar option. Bringing solar energy to a Manyu village is now conceivable than ever before. The average price of a one watt panel including electronics runs $7-$10 or 3500cfa - 5000CFA. With $500, we can light up a village hall.

Energy Crisis in Mamfe: Who is to blame?

2009-07-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

High tension power line - Mamfe through Bamenda
For many years, the population of Mamfe town in particular, and Manyu in general has been plagued by constant power disruptions due to inadequate electricity supply from the power company. The economy of Mamfe, and Manyu division continues to suffer from frequent power cuts, thus retarding economic growth and social development. In many occasions, prolonged shut-offs have lasted several weeks, bringing commerce to a total halt. The population is often left helpless and exasperated as electric households appliances falter, night time attacks and burglaries increase. Some businesses have managed to operate for a few hours a day with the help of generators but the high price of fuel makes it cost prohibitive to run these machines for a prolonged period. It is safe to say, the common man can barely understand why Manyu continues to suffer blackouts despite privitization.

Electric Meter - the bills keep coming: After privatization, AES/SONEL promised a grande scheme to ease access, and improve the quality of electricity service by increasing power production capacity in the country. If any improvements have been done by AES, it has not filtered to Manyu. The question therefore is where do we go from here? Is there an alternative plan? Maybe, just continue to wait for the management of AES/SONEL to someday remember - equal treatment of all its customers is paramount to success. It is true energy business is about technology, rehabilitating dams, developing power plants but it is also about operations and good customer relationship. For one thing, electricity is a utility that tends to spur economic development and where there is monopoly customers suffer.

Is Sun Power therefore the solution to Manyu’s energy crisis? We will discuss this topic in our next write up.

Rural Development Projects in Manyu: Focus on Manyu Rural Radio.

2009-07-14T15:27:00.000-07:00

Vehicle for spreading information to our community

Rural development in Manyu Division can best be described as having a retarded growth. This is because since independence and re-unification, the cry of the Manyu man and woman has been that their division has been neglected by government. By this they have often referred to their poor road infrastructure.

In spite of this cry of the Manyu citizens, it requires only a cursory look at the division to arrive at the conclusion that if government has indeed neglected Manyu Division, the teeming population of Manyu for nearly four decades neglected their division themselves.

Manyu is blessed with highly educated intellectuals, vast forest resources, a big river running through the length and breadth of the land, a big population with a high literacy rate, and to name but a few, a large capitalist oriented market as a neighbor. Nigeria, a country which up till date gulps a big share of Manyu’s forest and agricultural resources and so likely to pump billions in currency into the economy of Manyu, if commercial interchanges had been properly arranged all these years.

Before the Manyu radio project came up, (around 1996) when the administration got wind of it and stepped in to endure its materialization), no project had ever been introduced which engulfed the active participation of the entire division’s population and which was significant and challenging enough to test the collective will of the people, asses their readiness to sacrifice or evoke their patriotism for the division native to them.

What people had been engaged in and not even successfully all these years had been individual self subsistent farming with little attention paid to the need to develop even those food – crop farms to the dimension of a serious economic venture. For those who owned cash crop farms, their ambitions before the eighties did not rise to a high commercial level either. Nobody thought of developing the fishing industry despite the vast water resources and to date, there are still traders who travel hundreds of kilometers to buy fishery products and sell in Manyu Division.

Groups such as Common Initiative Groups (CIGs) have existed in our neighbor North West Province for over two decades. Their activities have created a flourishing rural development spree that has given birth to extensive dairy products, cottage industries, communal rice, potatoes, animal husbandry ventures and even arts and crafts works, while in Manyu CIGs are still a novelty. It is only today that people’s eyes are opening to the existence of loaned and grants from international bodies for agricultural development.

ENTER VOICE OF MANYU (V.O.M.)

With the rash of CIGs, NGOs and co-operatives in Manyu came the one project that could help galvanize all the fledging macro and micro groupings into a veritable development oriented entities – the Manyu Rural Radio project.

Typical Community Radio Studio in Rural Africa

The radio station better known as the Voice of Manyu (V.O.M.) is a gift from La Francophonie, spearheaded by Canada. It was installed in September 1997 and hit Cameroon’s airwaves for the first time on September 20, 1997. For the equipment to come to Manyu, it was mandatory for the people of Manyu to build the station. At the level of the division, as a result of the absence of a well co-ordinate body that could mobilize the population for much needed development, the administration had to step in before even the construction work could be effected. A loan of 3 million FCFA was contracted from a local Manyu co-operative bank, Solidarity Savings and Loans (SSL) and a levy of 200 FRS, per person was imposed on the population.

As usual, if construction depended only on contributions from the population, the project could have failed. A substantial amount to build the structure came from Manyu’s external elite, MECA branches of Yaoundé, Douala, Limbe, USA and Europe; but by far what clinched the job were the contributions of Mr. Johnson Agborsangaya (late) who not only lent blocks, iron rods and other materials but worked physically day and night (with a chantier lamp) for two weeks to raise the building from foundation to completion. Other Manyu businessmen like Mr. Isaac Enowkpa (late) lent building materials and also supervised work. Mokoko and some others are still being owed. The Kembong community worked hardest, one might say, perhaps because the station is situated in their village. They also supplied zinc.

Modern Community Radio Studio

So it can be seen that for a Division – wide project to succeed in Manyu, some individuals must be ready to sacrifice. There is no gainsaying the fact that staff who have voluntarily given their best since 1997 without remuneration to speak of, now need to be looked after, as the success of any project lies in the people who work there.

The station itself needs furnishing, painting, a fence, toilets and repairs of equipment. V.O.M. has become symbol of Manyu solidarity. Let us keep it alive.

Radio Station Antenna - needed for Voice of Manyu

Addendum by Simon Etta:

When MEDWC USA last visited the station in December 2008, it was still alive but limping. The radio house relocated from Kembong a few years ago when the main transmitter got bad, and the signal could barely reach most of the listeners beyond 8 km. It is currently operating in the Mamfe town hall occupying two small offices.

Management has also changed hands with Cyprian Agbor - pioneer Manager retiring. Voice of Manyu is badly in need of modern equipment to operate effectively – transmitters, microphones, DVD players, tape recorders, mixers, just to name a few. There is also a need to construct a 50M antenna to help with better signal penetration across the division. The previous 30 m antenna was damaged by thunderstorm.

Whereas similar community radio stations are functioning well in other parts of the country, V.O.M has been a dismal failure. The lack of communication throughout the vast region of Manyu is a major barrier to sustainable development. The vision for a community radio is to spread information to our community whether related to education, health, agriculture, women or children's rights.

Once again, we are challenged to build a community spirit and learn how to work as a group/team. We are reminded that human life in common is only made possible when a majority comes together. As we seek achievements for ourselves, we must not forget that prosperity and progress calls for community development. It is time we rescue VOM from life support and rebuild it as a community effort for the young generation.

This story was originally published by AGBOR Cyprian Agbor - Pioneer station Manager for Voice of Manyu (V.O.M).

MEDWC (USA) Kicks off Akwaya - 2010 Fundraising:

2009-07-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

These young Akwaya girls need your help:

Akwaya, the divisional headquarters of Akwaya sub-division is known as an under-developed enclave municipality. Basic infrastructures such as electricity, water and health centers are lacking in the area. The development of Akwaya in economic and social terms is further hampered by lack of earth roads despite the region having 99 villages and by far the largest sub-division in Manyu. Lately, there has been an earth road project from the South heading North. It has been reported the project is currently half way completed and in future will ultimately disenclave Akwaya as we know it today.

Although there are a few secondary and high schools in the subdivision as well as health centers, they still lack modern facilities. The development challenges of Akwaya are therefore many and urgent. They will certainly not be solved overnight but something must be done in the short term. With no infrastructure, how do families generate income activities, produce and market food crops or improve the quality of life of impoverished children? There is a growing need to promote long term sustainable economic development to break families out of the cycle of diseases and poverty. Children need educational opportunities to reduce illiteracy and develop their God given potentials for greater economic independence and sustainability. It has also been recorded that girls in some particular Akwaya tribes such as the Olitis, Yves, Assumbos and Becheves tend to get married too early. This practice deprives the girl child of an opportunity to attend school, achieve an education and be able to make informed life decisions due to lack of awareness.

Fundraising Kickoff for Akwaya 2010 in Burstonsville, Maryland USA

Within this backdrop of challenging development issues, the Manyu Economic and Development World conference (MEDWC) USA, kicked off its 2010 Akwaya fundraising campaign in Burtonsville, Maryland on Sunday July 5, 2009. The event took place at the residence of Mr. /Mrs. Cletus Ayuk former President of MECA Washington with a goal of raising $20,000. The occasion was presided by MEDWC USA Coordinator Sesekou Dr. David Tambe from Dallas Texas. Sesekou Tambe announced the Akwaya economic conference will be taking place in April 2010 on a soon to be established date and called on all sons and daughters of Akwaya in the Diaspora to help lift the sub division from neglect and under development. He additionally appealed to Manyu elements the world over to donate generously towards the success of Akwaya 2010 and help put a smile on the face of a young Akwaya boy or girl in need of an education or medicine.

In keeping with the mission of MEDWC, the Akwaya conference follows the footsteps of Mamfe Central in 2003, Tinto 2005 and Eyumojock 2008. It is geared towards putting Akwaya subdivision on the economic development map of Manyu and highlighting the enormous potentials existing in the area.

Akwaya village women - backbone of the family:

Akwaya 2010 will be the first event of such Magnitude in the history of the subdivision to promote grass root development, bring elites and interested stakeholders together to take stock and develop a road map for economic prosperity and empowerment of the Akwaya people. In brief remarks, Sesekou David Tambe summed up the mission of MEDWC and hence Akwaya 2010 conference as a means to empower the Manyu people by encouraging and facilitating the creation of small business and hence jobs, promoting investments and business initiatives, alleviating poverty by promoting sustainable grass root self reliant development. For Akwaya 2010, MEDWC aims to improve the health care delivery system by providing medical assistance to local clinics, conducting a major health fair with free medications and increasing awareness on issues such as HIV/AIDS, female genital mutilation and empowerment of the girl child. The conference will promote education with assistance to schools in the form of financial aid and modern technology equipment. This will encourage students and teachers to work hard in producing citizens with self confidence, capable of tackling rapid scientific and technological changes of the 21st century. As a short term project delivery, the conference will also assist schools and local clinics with generators to address sustainable energy crisis.

MEDWC Short term accomplishments:

In less than six years, the Manyu Economic Development Conference (MEDWC USA), has raised over 20 million CFA in contributions and provided financial assistance to well over 250 Manyu students in Secondary and high schools. As short term projects, electrical generators and modern computers with software have been donated to local government offices, hospital/ health centers and schools to assist with lack of energy as well as improve educational standards. With the support of Manyu medical professionals, health fairs are conducted during conferences providing free medication and consultation to women, children and the elderly. The Manyu participatory development fund (MAPADEF) was initiated in Tinto during the (2005) conference. Mapadef is tasked with building partnerships and creating access to resources. In 2006 after its official launching by H.E. Hilman Egbe, Mapadef raised approximately 21 million CFA. Some of the funds raised have been allocated to projects within the four subdivisions. One such project was assistance rendered Mamfe rural council to repair the roof of the town hall after a devastating thunder storm. Another extension of MEDWC is the Manyu government action committee (MGAC) created in 2008 at Eyumojock. MGAC serves the role of a supervisory watchdog team for all state funded projects within Manyu division through contractors or otherwise and to ensure such funds are fully utilized for the intended projects.

Donations for Akwaya 2010 are currently being accepted and can be mailed to:

MEDWC USA
P.O. Box 865002
Plano, Tx. 75086
Email: Davetambe@yahoo.com

For more information about MEDWC activities, visit http://www.medwc.org/

Peter Agbor-Tabi - Minister, Deputy Secretary General at the Presidency:

2009-07-02T06:04:00.001-07:00

Professor Agbortabi listens to speakers at the 2008 Eyumojock Conference.
Born in February 1951 in Mamfe, South West Province, the new Minister, Deputy Secretary General at the Presidency, is an Associate Professor who among others obtained a Ph.D in International Studies, University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA in 1982 and a Fulbright Scholar in Residence-Spellman College, Atlanta, GA, USA between September 1983 and May 1984.

Peter Agbor-Tabi has held several positions in the administration including post of Deputy Director of the International Relations Institute of Cameroon (IRIC), Director of IRIC, Chancellor, University of Yaoundé, Rector, University of Yaoundé, Minister of Higher Education and Pro-Chancellor, University of Buea. At the moment of his present appointment, he was Head of Department International Economics and the Board Chairman of the University of Yaoundé II. He is member of the Central Committee of the CPDM.

Relatives and friends came spontaneously to greet the news of his appointment almost a few minutes after it was released. The celebration was calm and disciplined for reasons one could imagine. After 12 years off government, it was almost becoming clear; he had been "forgotten". But the Head of State in his usual style dismissed such hypothesis by bringing him back and even closer to himself.

Peter Agbor-Tabi himself in his reaction immediately after the appointment stated inter alia how grateful he is to be remembered 12 years after. "I am grateful but it is a very difficult moment and I do promise that I will use all my energy to assist the Head of State and the Prime Minister, Head of Government to achieve the goals and the policies of the President", he said. In this light, he promised to work diligently with everything the President assigns him, with the belief that his role is to assist the President to succeed in his mission.

Contributed by Lukong Pius Nyuylime. http://allafrica.com/stories/200907010361.html

Professor Agbortabi recognised for contributions towards Manyu Development by Manyu Development club (MDC):

2009-07-02T05:44:00.000-07:00

The association that has embarked on development projects in Manyu such as the donation of laboratory equipment to Eyoumojock Hospital, organisation of orientation seminars for Manyu youths in the university and donation of sport equipment to Government High School Tinto etc, recognised the Professor recently.

As an innovation this year the association decided to launch the man of the year award for members and for an outstanding personality from their community. The club whose entry qualification is at least a first degree and being employed, in recognising the contributions of one of theirs, selected Prof Agbor Tabi as Man of the Year 2008 for his relentless services to Manyu people.

He was singled out for having opened a farm and built a hotel in Manfe and has helped many young people get jobs. To the MDC, their model understood the impact of developing human resources and did everything for his people.

Agbor Tabi was handed the award at his residence in Yaoundé on January 17, during a colourful ceremony spiced by choral singing and the Manyu traditional dance. Agbor Tabi, while addressing his guests, said he was impressed and surprised to be chosen as Man of the Year. "I tried to invest in Mamfe and in young people to grow, not for compensation.

But if from my quiet corner I have been recognised it is an encouragement for people to be development oriented," he said. Acknowledging that development is not the sole preserve of government, he maintained that the MDC can make Manyu Division an important place.
He said the time has come for people to know that development can only be achieved through synergy and not individually. Agbor Tabi, who was recently appointed as the Board chairman of the University of Yaoundé II, talked of himself as one who cares about people, and regretted that some decisions he might have taken in good faith might have hurt some people.

Success, he said, is from God, adding that hard work can change destiny. One of the guests at the occasion, Prof. Martha Ayuk, said Prof. Tabi`s award is well merited, for, according to her, he represents a dedicated person to the development of his community and worthy of emulation.
She said Manyu needs linkages and partnerships towards development. While all the Manyu people agreed that lack of good roads is a major problem, Prof. Ayuk exhorted them to do what is in their power to render the roads accessible by building the earth roads and cleaning gutters.
As priority project the MDC that ushered in a new executive announced the creation of a micro-finance scheme with the contribution of members.

This story was written by Leocadia Bongben.

MAMFE GETS SHARE OF $61 MILLION FUNDING FOR WATER AND SANITATION BY ADB:

2009-06-25T06:01:00.000-07:00

Children scramble for Rare
Water: A Basic life necessity.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group Board of Directors has approved a loan of 40 million Units of Account (UA)*, equivalent to US$ 61.6 million, to help finance a Semi-Urban Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation project in Cameroon.

The Project, to be financed by the African Development Fund (ADF), the concessionary window of the AfDB Group, will cover 19 councils in the Central, Far North, Littoral, West, South and South-West provinces of the country.

The project aims at improving the living environment of the communities through better access to drinking water and sanitation in 19 council areas: Akono, Bafia, Ngoumou, Kousseri, Loum, Manjo, Mbanga, Nkonsamba, Bafan, Banka, Bana, Banganté, Bangou, Bansoa Penka-Michel, Foumban, Ebolowa, Sangmélima, Kumba and Mamfe).

Lack of drinking water and sanitation services in the areas was highlighted in the 2008-2009 Country Strategy Paper (CSP) approved by the Bank Group after a mid-term review conducted in September 2007. The CSP underscores the need to improve access to drinking water supply and sanitation. The ADF loan falls under the second pillar of the CSP relating to infrastructure development to combat poverty.

The Cross River In Mamfe:
Source of water when the taps cease to flow.

The Project will benefit 1.15 million residents of the cities, 51% of whom are women. It will also benefit the Cameroon Water Utilities Corporation (CAMWATER), the Camerounaise des Eaux - Cameroon Water Company (CDE), the Directorate of Water Resources and Hydrology branch offices, municipalities, SMEs, women’s and youth associations that will be involved in its implementation.

The Project is expected to increase the average rate of access to drinking water in the towns concerned from 24% to 80% and access to sanitation services from 13% to 40% by 2013. The average prevalence rate of water and sanitation-related diseases are expected to decline by half during this period. Furthermore, the project will create employment during its implementation and after its completion in the form of micro-enterprises in the water and sanitation sector.

The total project cost is estimated at UA 45.58 million. The ADF loan accounts for 87.76% of the cost. The government will contribute UA 4.48 million while beneficiaries (urban communes) will contribute UA 1.10 million.

Source: http://www.afdb.org/en/news-events/article/cameroon-us-61-million-funding-for-water-and-sanitation-4275/

MANYU VILLAGES TO ENJOY NEW TIMBER ADVANTAGES

2009-06-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

A tripartite meeting aimed at addressing pertinent issues concerning forest exploitation in Manyu Division, was held recently in Mamfe, headquarters of Manyu.

It grouped traditional rulers along side the elite of 41 villages, the forestry administration and the forest exploiting company, Transformation REEF Cameroon (TRC). All these stakeholders finally agreed to bury their differences and turn to a new leaf in forest management.

Addressing the meeting participants, the Senior Divisional Officer of Manyu Mr Patrick Simou Kamsu, called for the creation and proper functioning of village forest management committees as a way to solve what he termed a "misunderstanding among various actors in forest management". The SDO said, according to the forestry law No94/01 of January 20, 1994, the management of the forest is participatory. As such, the administration initiates the management units, the local population is custodian of the forest and the exploiter is chosen by the State. Otherwise, the government lays down rules, prepares the log book (cahier de charges), chooses the exploiting company, collects taxes and gives forest rebates to beneficiary communities.

But what triggered the Mamfe meeting? Tende Augustine Ashu, Manyu Divisional Delegate of Forestry and Wildlife, said he is aware that some of the rights and obligations of the different stake holders were not totally fulfilled due to diverse reasons. Village heads said some of their rebates had not yet reached the 41 villages where timber is exploited since 2006. A total of 103,510 hectares of forest are under exploitation. The three subdivisions of Manyu are subdivided into three forest management units (FMU) by Transformation REEF Cameroon, in partnership with SEPFCO, EFFA and SEFECAM. How do the villages get their rebates or royalties?

The Manyu meeting styled as "Information and Sensitization Meeting on Forest Exploitation", was the first of its kind and the explanation came from the Manyu chief executive that "assistance comes to the community through forest rebates but a good understanding between local villages and the exploiting company can lead to additional advantages which will be included in the log book for definite concession". The SDO Simou Kamseu, promised to work with TRC for additional advantages in favour of the villages concerned. He also reminded the villagers that the royalties paid cannot be given to them in cash, adding that they should prepare projects and send to the council where this money is paid to sponsor the project.

This Story appeared on http://allafrica.com/stories/200906230254.html and posted by Asong Sylvester - Cameroon Tribune June 23, 2009.

THE ROLES OF MEDWC, MAPADEF AND THE MANYU GAC BY DR. DAVID E. TAMBE

2009-06-19T05:45:00.000-07:00

Sessekou Dr. David Tambe

I will like to start by thanking you all for your continuous and relentless dedication towards the affairs of Manyu economic revitalization. It is indeed my pleasure to be here as coordinator and to bring you warm greetings from the Manyu family in the USA. Despite the difficulties that have plagued this conference, we do hope that we will be able to make substantial progress towards our anticipated targets by the time the conference is over. My report is three parts. In the first part, I have tried to shed a little more light on the confusion surrounding MEDWC and MAPADEF. In the second part, I am proposing the creation of another subsidiary of MEDWC devoted specifically to the activities discussed in that section. Finally, in the third part, I will like to officially thank our host sub-division Eyumojock for having us here despite the difficulties that usually surround conferences.

The Challenges of Manyu Community Development:

The current state of decadence of Manyu Division can be attributed largely to the lack of sufficient/significant capital investments within the division. To date, most of the efforts at developing Manyu have relied primarily on uncoordinated individual adventures, as well as the efforts of non-profit philanthropic groups like MECA, Manyu Solidarity Foundation, Efokuyu, NOMA, etc. just to name a few. Despite their hearty intentions, none of these organizations really has the backbone to raise and to invest the type of resources needed to develop Manyu division. Community development is the process by which local people build organizations and partnerships that interconnect profitable business with other interests and values - for example skills and education, healthcare, housing, employment, transportation, the environment, etc. In community development the various stakeholders typically get involved, describing how the community should change, while the associated organizations seek for avenues to make their actions and investments reinforce the wishes and intentions of the whole community. Business becomes not only a means to accumulate wealth, but an avenue to make the local way of life more creative, inclusive, and sustainable now and in the future.

Effective community development requires a multi-functional, comprehensive strategy of sustainable on-going activities, in contrast to individual economic development projects and/or isolated attempts at community betterment as is evident with our current struggles. Effective community development also requires the integration of both economic and social goals so as to achieve far-reaching community revitalization potentials. Sustainable communities recognize that their economic and social structures, and the health of the local environment are intertwined. The community development process is thus guided by strategic planning and analysis, in contrast to opportunistic and unsystematic tactics. Additionally, sustainable community development seeks to empower the people by providing them with the tools necessary to effect change in their own communities. This is achieved by increasing the political, social, and economic strengths of individuals and groups of individuals.

It is thus evident that the vitality of any vibrant or aspiring community/economy depends on the ability of its community leaders (i.e. community development practitioners) to identify and to attract the resources necessary to achieve development. Experience has shown that small and medium size businesses often account for up to 90% of all production activities in these striving economies, and Manyu division will be no exception. The future of Manyu development thus resides on our ability to attract the pertinent stakeholders and to lure much needed financial resources into Manyu division. The pertinent stakeholders in this case will include the business community seeking for business opportunities and the associated profits, potential investors seeking for returns on their investments, non-profit organizations, healthcare organizations, etc.

The Roles of MEDWC and MAPADEF:

Given the challenges involved in effective community development, it is anticipated that MEDWC will provide a structure that will serve as platform for Manyu community development. MEDWC was created in December of 2003 (after restructuring the former Manyu World Conference) in an attempt to better integrate the efforts of the different organizations involved in the multiple facets of Manyu economic revitalization. MEDWC thus serves the role of an umbrella organization, seeking to work in conjunction with non-profit organizations, the business community, the local government, and the Manyu people to develop and to implement more efficient and profitable Manyu economic development solutions.

The Old German Bridge (Mamfe)
To be successful, however, MEDWC will be expected to put in place some of the essential infrastructures necessary to achieve and to maintain a vital community. These will include, but not limited to, a social infrastructure, an economic infrastructure, and a physical infrastructure. A social infrastructure usually includes access to adequate medical and social services, while the economic infrastructure is intended to ensure a sustainable quality of life consistent with available resources, community goals, living standards, expectations, and aspirations. On its part, the Physical Infrastructure assures the existence of transportation systems, healthcare facilities, housing, public facilities, water systems, technology transfer systems, etc. The task for MEDWC will thus be directed primarily towards creating the right partnerships so as to attract the appropriate infrastructures to the communities, as well as to improve and secure the communities’ access to resources. To that effect, MEDWC needs to create concrete structures with specific community development targets.

The Manyu Participatory Development Fund (MAPADEF) was initiated during the MEDWC conference in Tinto and subsequently launched in Mamfe town in April of 2006 under the distinguished patronage of H.E. Hillman A. Egbe. The creation of MAPADEF fits appropriately with MEDWC’s tasks of building partnerships and creating access to resources. When fully functional, MAPADEF will serve as one of the financial branches of MEDWC. As a financial wing, the activities of MAPADEF will be geared primarily towards raising funds and executing approved projects for MEDWC. On a larger scale, MAPADEF could also serve as a financial resource for small business entrepreneurs desiring to establish or to expand a business in Manyu division. Furthermore, the funds secured by MAPADEF could also serve as collateral to attract investors, solicit for community development funds from foreign organizations, or to initiate business partnerships and joint ventures with other businesses seeking for opportunities to make profit. Finally, MAPADEF can also serve as the ‘Manyu NGO’, soliciting/biding for projects into Manyu division. We are thus very hopeful that MAPADEF will play a very crucial role in Manyu development.

Proposal for a New Subsidiary of MEDWC- The Manyu Government Action Committee

Another potentially beneficial extension to be considered by MEDWC is the creation of a Manyu Government Action Committee (Manyu GAC). This will be a recognized non-partisan committee devoted exclusively to lobbying and/or pressuring the state government for the interests of Manyu division. Public interest groups have been shown to work constructively and positively to impact the development of local communities. Manyu needs to create and maintain such a group. The structure of Manyu GAC could be similar to the model adopted by MAPADEF, consisting of a representative general assembly and a board of directors. The creation of a government action committee or its equivalent will ensure that the issues of interest to Manyu division are consistently being evaluated and presented to the appropriate channels for funding considerations. This committee will ensure that funds allocated for projects in Manyu division through contracts or otherwise are fully utilized for the intended projects. The committee could also serve the role of a supervisory/watchdog team for all state funded projects within Manyu, such as the yearly maintenance of roads, so as to ensure that contractors/subcontractors are meeting their contract obligations. Creating and maintaining a public interest group is certainly a more efficient approach to accessing available state resources than spontaneous actions that tend to have negative connotations.

Good roads when properly monitored by (GAC)

In summary, with the right support from the Manyu community, MEDWC, MAPADEF, and other subsequent extensions, such as the proposed Manyu GAC, possess the potentials to set up a Manyu development structure that is consistent with sustainable community development. Finally, I will like to use this time to thank the entire Eyumojock family for hosting the conference. I will like to specifically extend very warm greetings from the Ndep Nju family group. The Ndep Nju family group USA has been very supportive both morally and financially to my efforts as USA coordinator to raise the funds necessary to finance various aspects of this conference. I will also like to thank all the other Manyu brothers and sisters in the USA who have been very supportive. A complete listing of the sponsors of this conference within the USA is currently on the internet. The list can be accessed through www.medwc.org. A copy of that list will be available for the conference proceedings.

As a token of appreciation for hosting the conference, MEDWC agreed to provide the following services and/or make the following donations to the host subdivision.

- A free health fair with free medications and medical supplies at a designated health
centre.
- Donate 6 new computers to selected educational institutions and health centres. These computers will be used for record keeping and processing, disease tracking, accessing the information super highway, and other essential functions.
- Donate 3 new generators to serve as backup to select educational and/or health institutions. We hope that these will serve very vital roles especially given the frequent blackouts experienced within the local area.
- Provide financial aid of up to 1.8 millions FCFA to students of the sub-division.

As I close, I will like to invite you to take a look at the newly created website for MEDWC. The URL is www.medwc.org. We hope that this site will serve as a vital source of information for the past, current and future activities of MEDWC.

Sessekou Dr. David E. Tambe is the USA Coordinator for MEDWC. Email: Davetambe@yahoo.com

DEVELOPING A COMMUNITY SPIRIT AS A GATEWAY TO ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT.

2009-06-12T07:10:00.000-07:00

Manyu people at home and abroad need to develop a community spirit which is a prerequisite for economic empowerment. A community spirit entails working together as organized groups to realize projects or solve problems that plague our community. A community spirit suggests a sense of reciprocity, reaping from the benefits that come from working together. Empowering the people is enabling them to become self sufficient, alleviating poverty.

Poverty is a state of material, intellectual or moral destitution which prevents one from properly assuming responsibility for oneself and from integrating in the social, economic, cultural, or political life of the community or nation. Such a state can be partial or total, but never beyond remedy. Every individual must find ways and means to break away from this state.

As an individual, one can be very rich and self sufficient but if the one is surrounded by poor family members who depend solely on him; they all drift towards the poverty line. It is therefore very important for us to put our heads together, diagnose the causes and look for appropriate solutions.

The fight against poverty can be seen as a wealth generating activity undertaken by the poor or the poorest sections of the population. This means that people interested in their welfare, instead of providing them with materials goods (rice, drugs, clothing etc) for a limited period of time, it is better to teach the poor to generate their own income. Giving aid to people is just an accident, but ownership is more permanent and it leaves the whole population richer. In order to reduce poverty, in our Division, a number of issues have to be addressed.

Building a community Spirit: encouraging team work

Many of us like to work as individuals probably as a result of past experiences we have had working with other people. If your first child dies of malaria you will not stop giving birth. Working in organized groups will enable us to:
* attain economic self sufficiency faster and share the risks involved,
* have a new insight into challenges around us and stimulates the search for solutions.
* mobilize enough resources to solve our problems.
* save and invest wisely as individuals and as groups to reduce poverty.

The fight against ignorance (Education)

Creating awareness in the population of other possibilities or opportunities available to them is of primary importance.

Teaching them: various ways of production and conservation, how to plan for the future, carrying out ongoing education on programmes that lead to economic enhancement will reduce poverty and create new jobs.

The schools should therefore aim at producing an all round citizen that will adapt without self-negation to scientific and technological change, to maximize his or her chances; to be grounded in the customs of his or her environment; and to face unavoidable competition in and out of their immediate environment.

The fight against subsistence agriculture

Over 70% of our population is engaged in subsistence agriculture. We need to go beyond this and start creating large farms and estates that will be of economic importance. This can only be possible through Common Initiative Groups which can attract us other sources of finance.

This entails the implementation of a policy for the:
* Promotion of the production and processing of all types of farm products (maize,
groundnuts,
cassava, peppers, pigs, poultry, palms, coffee, cocoa etc,)
* Promotion of improved seed variety
* Promotion of the organized sale of the surplus food produced.

Promotion small scale industries This implies developing activities which enable: Transformation of raw materials;
Promotion of specialized training in the sector;
Promotion of the sale and even the exportation of the products.

The fight against basic diseases (healthcare)

This involves: Giving the underprivileged access to quality drugs; setting up specialized medical units, especially in the hinterlands; setting up specialized training institutes, developing research and creating paramedical centres.

To achieve this, there must be a total mobilization of resource from external and internal elites and most importantly from the local populations.

There is a need for appropriate microeconomic financial institutions with a good legal framework; flexible regulatory framework; fair interest rates;
Consideration of socio-cultural values; forms of the guarantees tailored to socio-cultural values and needs of the poor.

Government Policy is encouraging private initiative and more and more she is using organised groups to promote its policy as seen in law N° 92/006 of 04/08/92 and decree N° 92/455/PM of 23rd November 1992, regulating the creation of cooperatives and Common Initiative groups. The government of Cameroon and many donor organisations are now using these channels to enable people to help themselves and overcome the devastating effects of poverty. Let us like other Cameroonians encourage our population to organise themselves and get these people with charitable hearts to help us.

There has been considerable effort in the past to carry out joint ventures with various degrees of success. We have had groups like Semosengo in transportation, various Cooperative Movements, financial institutions like SSL and NIS, Credit Unions etc. We say BRAVO to our illustrious sons and daughters who started these initiatives. In spite of any past set backs, we should not give up. These should instead give us the courage to move from where they ended. The important thing is to learn from their mistakes and do better.

There have been recent efforts to mobilizing group effort to reduce poverty and more are on the way. Some individuals, Dr Christy Mbi, Mrs. Ogork Susan, Mrs. Lydia Njike, Mrs. Bertha Eta, and all the share holders with the support of some prominent elites, have taken up the challenge to come up with structures that will empower more people, bring about poverty reduction and create more jobs in Manyu Division. Two of these structures are the Manyu Integrated Farmers’ Cooperative Society (MIFCO) and The Community Bank, Mamfe (MC²)

MIFCO was registered on the 13th August 2003, under Registration N° FWI CO/02/03/36/08 at Buea with the status of a Cooperative with over 50 members comprising of groups and individuals. The head office is at the old Total filling station Mamfe Town and Mr Philip ASSEM ASSEM is the Manager.

The mission of MIFCO is to bring out the development potentials of Manyu Division in Natural and human resources to improve on the life style of the population.

In 2004 MIFCO opened a demonstration farm of plantains and maize with the aims of educating young farmers on modern farming methods and supplying improve seed variety to interested farmers.

In 2006, the Cooperative started a piggery farm and this attracted HIPC funding from the Ministry of Livestock and Animal Industry in Manyu Division.

In December 2006, MINEPIA enable us to put up a Pig Multiplication farm at Ewelle with a technical staff appointed to supervise the project in the Division and a provincial Coordinator appointed for the South West Province. A subvention of 1.5 million francs has been distributed to 16 pig framers in April 2007 to enable the farmers improve on their farms.

Achievements:
1. We have successfully sponsored the feasibility studies of the 03 project: poultry production maize production, small animal and rodents mentioned above.
We sponsored over 10 maize farmers by supplying them with the maize seeds and fertilizer in 2007.

2. We have supplied over 40 piglets to pig farmers as subvention from MINEPIA in 2008.

3. We opened our office in Mamfe town have recruited 3 attendants since December 2006. More recruitment is on the way with opening of the feed mill.

4. We have organised five training workshop for Animal breeders between 2005 and in 2008 in
Mamfe Town.

Future plans

a) We plan to regroup according to their fields of interest e.g. poultry farmers, small
ruminants and snail producers, butchers, marketing agents etc.

b) We plan to install 110 pig fatteners in all the four Sub Divisions by December 2010.

c) We plan to install an Animal Feed Processing plant by December 2008 in Mamfe town.

d) We plan to install 03 pig multiplication Centres in addition to the one in Ewelle by December
2010.

e) We plan to build 02 warehouses in Mamfe town, and EKOK by 2015. SOWEDA has
promised to build us the first warehouse in Mamfe.

f) Feasibility studies shall be order for ‘The promotion Poultry Farming in the Division with
emphasis on multiplication activities.

g) Feasibity studies shall be ordered for the Building of the first warehouse in Mamfe own
immediately funds are available to harbour our Headquarter too.

h) Capacity building Workshops shall continue to be organised as funds are available.

i) We expect the membership to increase.

Membership
Open to groups and individuals.
Registration 10.000 francs and buy at least 03 shares of 10.000 FCFA each payable within 03 months.

All that has been realised could not have been possible without the collaboration of MC². MC² finances some of the activities of MIFCO farmers by way of loans.

It is common knowledge that the people of the rural areas hardly have access to credit from the traditional banks because of lack of security. The Afriland First Bank, recognising this particular difficulty, decided to create the MC², The Community Bank, putting in place conditions which can be flexible and adapted to the conditions based on existing social structure and personal relations of confidence and trust. There are 68 MC² panted all over the nation and MC² Mamfe is one of them.

MC² is a micro rural community development micro bank created and managed by members of the community where the MC² is based. This policy of MC² respects the social, cultural and religious values of the people. MC² is technically and institutionally supported by Afriland First Bank and ADAF, Appropriate Foundation for Africa Foundation. With the New COBAC Laws each MC² is autonomous.

MC² helps the community to mobilise savings and make money available too for its members to borrow and carryout micro projects on agriculture, commerce and industrial activities and also in the social domains. This enables them to improve on their life style and of course their health.

MC² Mamfe was created in September 2000 with 156 registered members. Today we count over 800 members. The management comprises of four organs: the General Assembly, the Council of Elders, the Board of Directors and the Executive Secretariat, which handles the day to day running of the institution.

Activities

* Makes funds available for people to carry out development projects as groups or individuals.
* Transfers funds through Flash Cash within the country.
* Acting as credit agents for some financiers.
* Training of small scale entrepreneurs.
* Using technical assistance for monitoring and evaluating project.

Achievements

* MC² Mamfe has acquired a piece of land to build its headquarters in the near future.
* It has mobilised funds and given over 500 loans to the tune of 160 million francs with recovery rate of 82.5%.
* MC² is working in collaboration with different financiers like Gatsby Loan Scheme which is to promote women’s financial activities.
* SOWEDA Loan Scheme to promote animal breeding and fisheries.
* HIPC funds to promote agricultural activities.
* This money has been given as loans to the target population.
* Studies for a Multimedia centre that will at the same time enable more efficient money transfer

nationwide and abroad.
* Studies for an Elite Fund to enable individuals or groups to sponsor development projects for specific purposes.
* Continue to seek for partners that are willing to provide fund for our target population.

The doors of MC² and MIFCO are open to Manyu people at home and abroad. Join us in this empowerment process. Manyu people have great talents and natural resources, if well developed through organised groups, they can attain rapid economic empowerment and thus become a force to be reckoned with in Cameroon and the world.

PRESENTED BY MRS. OGROK SUSAN AT MEDWC EYUMOJOCK CONFERENCE

A SPEECH PRESENTED BY CHIEF ENGINEER MBI ORUH MICHEAL ON THE OCCASION OF THE 3RD EDITION OF THE MANYU ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WORLD CONFERENCE (MEDWC)

2009-06-04T14:35:00.000-07:00

It is a unique privilege and singular honour for me as the President of the Manyu Economic Development World Conference (MEDWC) to welcome you to this two-yearly rendez-vous of Manyu sons and daughters living in the country and in the Diaspora. Permit me to seize this opportunity to welcome in a very special way, our brother, and World Patron of this association – His Excellency Victor Mengot Arrey Nkongho, Minister in Charge of Special Duties at the Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon, who despite his tight schedule and exacting state duties, has found time to descend to his native soil to commune and participate during this great Economic Revitalisation Forum.We also acknowledge with great joy our brothers and sisters who have flown thousands of kilometres over seas and vast land masses to come to their roots to give aid to their less privileged ones and to give this occasion the weight it deserves. To those of you, who have been here at home stirring and kindling the fire of our homeland, I thank you for the concern you have for your beloved and cherished Division, Manyu.

Today’s conference shall be opened by the Personal Representative of the Prime Minister, Head of Government, who has always demonstrated his commitment to developmental issues. The Minister in Charge of Special Duties at the Presidency of the Republic who is the representative of the Prime Minister will open the conference. The Minister will be focusing on his vision for the Manyu people.

It is proper at this point to refresh our memories and inform those who are attending MEDWC meetings for the first time, the mission of our organisation:

1. Organise a two yearly Economic Conference rotating among the four sub - divisions to promote Economic Growth by encouraging and facilitating the creation of Small and
Medium-size Businesses to serve as the backbone of Manyu Economy.

2. Promote investments and business initiatives with potentials for profit to investors.

3. Serve as a think-tank to promote sustainable grass root self-reliant development concepts which can be implemented by groups, NGO’s or Entrepreneurs. Such concepts will be published in the conference proceedings and made available to the public.

4. Raise funds in collaboration with MAPADEF and stakeholders to undertake a project in the host sub- division. The project would have been identified before the conference and may be in the initiation or final completion phase.

5. Improve the health care delivery system within the division.

6. Provide technological assistance to the local communities, local secondary schools and the local hospitals to increase efficiency.

Dear conference participants

The theme of this conference, which is “Economic Empowerment for Growth and Poverty Alleviation”, will focus on ways and means of developing a viable oil palm sector in Manyu Division, where soil and agro-climatic conditions for oil palm growing, are among the best in Cameroon. Let me say it here loud and clear that MEDWC is here to work in partnership with the Council, the Government and Manyu Economic Stakeholders.

We will have Dr. ETTA Culbertson, a renowned International Research Officer in the oil palm sector to present a key paper on our strategy to create wealth and jobs through the development of the oil palm sector. Dr. ETTA works with one of the largest palm oil companies in Cameroon – PAMOL Plantations Public Limited Company based in Ndian Division.

The conference comprises of two sessions: the plenary and work in committees to be chaired by a conference Chairperson. We are expected to come out with concrete solutions to Manyu economic problems. I therefore appeal to participants to be precise in their deliberations for maximum utilisation of time. We have forty eight hours to x-ray our economic situation.

We will have altogether six distinguished speakers covering a wealth of interesting topics such as Growth and Poverty Alleviation, Impact of Socio – cultural Attitude on Development, Obstacles to the Promotion of the Cameroonian Women, Sourcing for Finances (MAPADEF plan of action), Developing a Communal Spirit as a Gateway to Economic Empowerment, and Effective Enforcement of the Wildlife Law.

On this occasion, MEDWC would like to thank all the eminent speakers who have graciously come on their own, and to some special doctors of the Manyu Solidarity Foundation, for their continuous sacrifice to the Manyu Community. It gives me the occasion to announce that some of them will be recognised tomorrow by MEDWC.

I would also like to thank all those who have contributed to the successful hosting of MEDWC 2008, irrespective of the odds, particularly the propaganda machinery which was put in place by some Eyumojock Elites to frustrate the event.

Appreciation and gratitude are also due to H.E. Chief Ephraim INONI, Prime Minister, Head of Government, for his generous decision to patronise the conference. I believe we could now look forward to an interesting and fruitful exchange of information in the next two days of the conference, which is to be closed at 5.00 pm by the Minister in Charge of Special Duties at the Presidency of the Republic, H.E. MENGOT Victor ARREY-NKONGHO.

Thank you for your kind attention.

MENGOT VICTOR's VISION OF HOPE PROJECT FOR MANYU ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

2009-06-01T06:05:00.000-07:00

The heroic efforts of Manyu Division to develop itself into a prosperous and fully integrated part of this Great Nation of ours have characterized our people over the years as being steadfast patriots, with unusual genius for excellence and fraternity.

Mamfe Division, as it was then called did not play second fiddle in Political, Economic and Social transactions with its contemporaries. Mamfe town with its Inland Port fascilities at the Cross-River Confluence was second only to Victoria Sea Port Town, and played host to multinational giants such as THE UNITED AFRICAN COMPANY (UAC); CADBURY AND FRY, JOHN HOLT,THE INTERNATIONAL INLAND HOTEL, with their Social and Industrial Infrastructures. One cannot forget local entrepreneurs such as Confidence Company, AKPE ANDEYOH with consumer depots and distribution complexes. Situated at the gateway to the largest Economic block in West Africa (ECOWAS), Mamfe town enjoyed the fall outs from her strategic emplacement at this triple junction between the greater western region and the southwest.

Manyu exploited her comparative geographic, human and economic advantages to the optimum and became a regional economic center. This peak in economic development brought along with it the BESONGABANG International Airport; whose futuristic navigational beacons (still functional today), continue to give direction and azimuth to global air traffic and activity.

Since then, Manyu has remained steadfast and tenacious in wait for better posture to materialize her quest for prosperity, wellbeing and economic integration.

II.) VISION OF HOPE PROJECT:

If Mamfe had slumbered into enclavement and consequent economic down turn for a good part of our lives, there is every indication today that our yearning for better times has at last been answered. Two of the arteries that link Manyu to the Greater west (Bamenda, Bafoussam, Dschang, Foumban,) and to ECOWAS have at long last received funding for construction.

This gesture is laden with political goodwill and promise from His Excellency the Head of State, President PAUL BIYA to the people of Eyumojock in particular, to the Manyu people and the whole country at large; and we cannot remain indifferent to a Magnanimous act of this nature. On behalf of the people of Mamfe and on the occasion of this August Forum for Economic Empowerment, I would like to express our gratitude, for our problems of roads have at long last been brought to the personal attention of our Head of State.

From this point onwards Manyu needs to seize every opportunity to materialize her aspirations for prosperity and national economic integration by tapping from its genius, propensity for excellence and collective enterprise. We have therefore come forth with two projects which will galvanize our spirit of collective enterprise and fortify the nucleus and symbol of our Oneness i.e. (Mamfie) Mamfe:

i- Development of modern neighborhoods in Mamfe town
ii- Development of a Tri-Star Hotel Complex (at old Inland Hotel site).

1) MODERN NEIGHBOURHOODS:

This is a participatory project par excellence where modern new - layouts (neighborhood) sites are developed for procurement and ownership by Manyu Elements at affordable prices according to their financial reach. (See flyers).

Four cardinal and strategic sites have been identified for procurement and development at;
- Laterite pit (100 hectares)
- Okoyong Badi – bridge (200 hectares)
- Eshobi –G.B.H.S plateau (200 hectares)
- Baku – Antenna - Banya enclave (100 hectares)

a) OKOYONG BADI – BRIDGE (200 HECTARES)
Located at the entrance to Mamfe town from Kumba, Fontem, Bamenda, the area has a strategic emplacement which can be exploited to give a spectacular vista for the new city of Mamfe.

b) ESHOBI – GBHS PLATEAU (200 HECTARES)

Located at about 400 meters above sea level the Eshobi GBHS plateau stands on the skyline about 300 meters above the Mamfe old town, and is made up of a rolling platform of virgin land composed of savannah sandstone crust interspersed by oasis of luxuriant secondary forest, farms and grassland sprawling downwards to meet the northern banks of the Manyu river.

c) LATERITE PIT (100 HECTARES)
d) BANYA - BAKU - BADI ENCLAVE.

Design:

Prototypes shall range from well tailored bungalows, through moderate multi-floor construction to increasingly complex choices, articulated with the highest professional dexterity that will make the neighbourhoods the latest new layouts in our country. (See flyers). Cost range will be from 15 million to 25 million francs, 30 million to 50 million francs, and from 55 million francs upwards. The design will be picturesque, yet characterized by architectural simplicity, gentle green shaded surroundings, mosaic esplanades and visual amenity. The vision is to initiate a blueprint for modernizing the city of Mamfe through ownership and investment.

2) TRI – STAR HOTEL COMPLEX:

Is a joint venture, participatory investment project to put a befitting Hotel complex (3 stars) with amusement parks, shopping and commercial center, indoor and outdoor entertainment and multipurpose plazas. This hotel complex will be a meeting point for both recreation and business and conferences (see flyer) and will serve as a place of call to tourists and business entrepreneurs to and from the East and West.

III.) CONCLUSION:

The main thrust of our vision of hope having thus been achieved i.e. Consolidating the nucleus of Manyu (Mamfe town) so that the constituent elements (sub divisions) do not fall apart; our old spirit of rallying together (Nchemti – Ochem ) would spur us to greater heights and bring the fall outs of prosperity naturally back to our four sub – divisions.

We would by so doing all be rebuilding the walls of the biblical city in ruins and bequeathing monumental and indelible foundations for progress to our progeny.

MEDWC PATRON H.E. MENGOT VICTOR ADDRESSES EYUMOJOCK CONFERENCE

2009-05-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

Dear Conference Participants,

It gives me great pleasure to have been given this opportunity to address this historic gathering of the Sons and Daughters of Manyu, in my capacity as Patron to the Manyu Economic Development World Conference – MEDWC, which is taking place here in Eyumojock, Eyumojock Sub-division.

Two years since we successfully organised the Conference in Tinto, venue and focus have constitutionally shifted to Eyumojock today.

H.E. Mengot Victor Arrey Nkongho (in blue suit)

You will agree with me that MEDWC now provides us with an incontestable rallying ground for the architecture of a modern Manyu.

This has not been without great sacrifice from pioneers and the well known difficulties of birth which plagued the founding fathers through 1996 until 2003, when dynamic and foresighted patriots were voted in to lay the foundations of what has today become the single most credible unifying force for Economic Development of our division, Manyu.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the development of Eyumojock Sub-division which is the object of our presence here today has regrettably been long overdue, seeing the enormous natural, human and physical resources that nature has bequeathed the people of this Sub-division.

At the centre of this shortcoming is the deplorable state of road infrastructure which has emperiled Eyumojock’s geographic advantage as the gateway to the second largest economic block on the African continent.

Notwithstanding the staudy steadfastness and heroic resilience with which the Eyumojock people have borne these endless ordeals, I am pleased to inform you that the Government of the Republic of Cameroon has concluded the signature of financing packages for the construction of a first class transboundary highway from Ekok (Mfoum) to mile 42 (Number) in the Upper Banyang Sub-division.

Such coincidence of events, where efforts of my predecessors have culminated into irreversible successes during my own tenure of office as Patron of MEDWC, does not leave me indifferent. So I would like to use this august conference setting, to express my gratitude to His Excellency the Head of State, President Paul Biya, for this exceptional gesture of political goodwill towards the people of Manyu in General, to Eyumojock in particular and the whole nation at large, for enabling me, soon after my appointment into his government, to carry back to my division of origin, tidings of tangible economic accomplishments.

Fellow brothers and sisters, my heart throbs with hopefulness that after decades of oblivion, our division will once again emerge as the unavoidable triple-junction of national and international business and cultural transactions; a privileged role that she played in the days of our forbears because of her strategic geographic emplacement.

And now that we have come of age, let us emulate with fidelity, the solidarity and fraternity with which our parents conducted business in Manyu of S.A. George and Manyu of A.D. Mengot. We would not be doing these visionaries the justice they deserve if we, equipped as we are with great knowledge, in modern sciences and the arts, depart inadvertently into a Manyu of discord, antagonism and acrimony.

For my part, our vision of the new Manyu should be a modernised Division, where the development potentials of its four Sub-divisions are harnessed to their optimum by the complete disenclavement of Eyumojock, Akwaya, Upper Banyang and Mamfe Central; through viabilisation of its five-axis communication network i.e. Mamfe-Kumba-Buea; Mamfe-Fontem-Dschang; Mamfe-Ekok, Mamfe-Bamenda and Mamfe-Akwaya-Ogbudu.

It was the late President John Fritzgerald Kennedy of the United States of America who asserted that “it is from the construction of roads that America derived its wealth and greatness, not from the contrary.”

It was precisely because of this causal link that the disenclavement of the four Sub-divisions of Manyu remains a priority policy in MEDWC.

In April 2007, MAPADEF was successfully launched in Mamfe and we are confident to say that the creation of MAPADEF is a tangible manifestation of the vivacity and momentum with which MEDWC intends to accomplish its goals. Today Manyu has, if anything else, a pre-financial institution to its credit, which we hope to modulate into the proverbial backbone of economic development in Manyu.

Let me therefore use this august moment in calling on all our progressive forces – Businessmen, Entrepreneurs, Cooperatives and Investors to rally behind MEDWC, our MODUS VIVENDI and our paradigm for collective enterprise and development.

By so doing, we will be creating a vision of hope for economic emancipation of our people from poverty and hopelessness. Let us therefore grasp this golden opportunity afforded to us by MEDWC to make dividend by unlocking the colossal intellectual, cultural and physical resource potentials of our four Sub-divisions, which if unleashed would give significant moment to regional and international development and equilibrium.

Dear brothers and sisters, MEDWC is not and will never be a surrogate of political hegemony, nor will it be allowed to be transformed into a soap box for demagogy. It is, and will remain a forum for translating our patriotic agenda into fruitful economic achievement.

It is in this light that I would like to announce once more that MEDWC has not come empty handed to Eyumojock; MEDWC has come to immortalise its economic vision in Eyumojock with a giant oil palm plantation project, the economic impact of which cannot be overemphasised. President of MEDWC, Chief MBI ORUH Michael, will present this project to the Eyumojock community later on.

Around this vast oil palm estate project, we would like our brethren to intensify their agricultural activities – cocoa and coffee estates should be revived along with food crop cultivation. Do not forget that Eyumojock Sub-division alone in Manyu is endowed with rich volcanic soils such as we find elsewhere in the South West Province. Do take advantage of this endowment and make agriculture a profitable livelihood.

From my understanding of things, Manyu is a riverine Division and does benefit from an extraordinary bestowal of rivers, streams and brooks, which should become farms for pisciculture and semi-artisanal fishing. Ajah, Ndepajah and Monajah should be leaders in this trade.

We have come to awaken you to the several alternative livelihood possibilities that present themselves in Eyumojock. Transborder trade with our neighbours in Nigeria and the advent of TINAPA are opportunities that would make Dubai look a far fetched destination. Women and youths should be assisted to get a foothold in these opportunities, while the council needs to work out an action plan for boosting the tourism sector in the Sub-division.

As we leave Eyumojock at the end of is conference transactions, I wish all Manyu Sons and Daughters to beam their new focus on to Akwaya Sub-division for MEDWC 2010 and to come out with a befitting Economic Development Agenda, I dare say a martial plan for Akwaya’s total disenclavement and rehabilitation

Again I will like to thank you all for your patriotism and sacrifices for the course of economic development and peaceful co-existence. I promise on my part to uphold these ideals and employ all the means at our disposal to make our dreams come true.

I wish you all success during the conference deliberations and travelling mercies as you go back to your various destinations.

HEARD AT EYUMOJOCK - Keynote Speakers

2009-05-12T09:53:00.000-07:00

DR. ETTA CULBERTSON ENOW

Culbertson Enow Etta was born on the 15 April, 1964 in Victoria Limbe South West Province, Cameroon to the Enowmbeleke’s family of Kembong Village in the Ejagham Clan of Manyu Division.

After his secondary education, he enrolled at the then University of lfe the same year and graduated in 1988 with a B.Agric. (Hons) degree majoring in the plant sciences. Mr Etta Culbertson then proceeded to the famous University of Ibadan for his Masters degree still under the Cameroon government sponsorship. He enrolled in the Dept. of Agricultural Biology in 1988 and in 1990 graduated with an M.sc. in Genetics and Plant Breeding.

As a result of his brilliant display of erudition, he was given an offer to proceed directly into the Ph.D programme of the University of Ibadan and awarded another Cameroon Government scholarship to pursue the programme. In 1995, he graduated as a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Genetics, specialising in Transmission and Quantitative genetics.

Dr. SAMMY ENYONG, Board Chairman, MAPADEF

Sammy Enyong, BA, MA, PhD, FCP (London 1986). Dr. Enyong’s major field of specialisation is in Educational Administration & Management, Educational Technology, Research Methods and Statistics. Prior to joining Peace Corps, was a Primary School teacher in Cameroon; Secondary High Schools’ Principal/Teacher Trainer and University Lecturer Port Harcourt, Rivers State of Nigeria.

He became a Researcher in the Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research upon his return to Cameroon in 1986. He has served Peace Corps Cameroon for 20 years since 1987 and took early retirement a year ago to do Consultancy.

He has attended over 30 workshops on Rural Community Development Projects, Volunteer Support, Administration, Programming and Training. Dr. Enyong was born in Mamfe Town in 1951 and is married with three daughters.

Dr. ENO ANNA ARET

Is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, where she lectures on pathogenic microbes and parasitology, at both the undergraduate and post graduate levels. Her research interest is in the molecular speciation of the malaria parasites (Plasmodium species), and pathogenic bacteria in concomitant infections. She is fascinated with the naturalness of the country side, and is thus intensely interested in the community outreach component of development,
towards the overall well being of the minority, underprivileged and underserved communities. The provision of a biologically safe environment remains a major challenge, both at the local and national levels.

Anna holds a PhD in Medical Microbiology from Ibadan, Nigeria, with a sub-specialty in bacteriology. She did her high school and secondary school education in Saint Augustine’s college, Nso and Queen of the Rosary, Okoyong, Mamfe, respectively.

Mrs. OGORK SUSAN

She is a holder of DES English, from Yaounde University and a Masters in Social and Counselling Psychology from Ball State University, Muncie Indiana, USA. Mrs. Ogork is presently a National Pedagogic Inspector for English in the Ministry of Secondary Education. She is co-author of Passport to English, which is being used by the Anglophone schools and First in English for the Francophone schools.

Mrs. Ogork believes in promoting self-help projects which improve on the lot of the masses and the underprivileged and has initiated many of such projects. She is co-founder of the CAMEROON Deaf Empowerment Organisation, founding member of MC2 (The Community Bank in Mamfe) and founder of the Manyu Integrated Farmers Cooperative.

LARGE SCALE PLANTATION AGRICULTURE : PANACEA FOR IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY AND INCOME POTENTIAL OF THE OIL PALM FOR POVERTY REDUCTION IN MANYU DIVISION.

2009-05-04T23:23:00.000-07:00

INTRODUCTION

Generally in Cameroon, the agricultural sector remains a very important component in the fight against poverty as poverty has been found to be essentially a rural phenomenon. Plantation agriculture in particular represents one of the main source of employment, and foreign exchange for the nation. Estimates indicate that a one percent growth in plantation agriculture translates to about 1.5 percent economic growth. Therefore growth in plantation agriculture plays a fundamental role in reducing poverty and can be used to spearhead national development plans. Manyu Division lies in the dense equatorial forest that is suitable for plantation agriculture and that makes up most of the South West province. It has an active and farming population of 250,000 and 220,000 inhabitants respectively and covering approximately a surface area of 18,244 Km2 and over one million hectares of arable land.

Development Challenges

The region, although well suitable for plantation agricultural production presents very unique development challenges. Agricultural production and productivity are low, economic and social infrastructure, particularly roads are lacking or are in a poor state. Both income and non-income indicators of poverty are estimated to be below the national average with about 65% of the population living below the poverty line. In this Division agriculture is characterised by subsistence farming with little or no utilisation of agricultural technology.

Socio-economic Benefits

The palm oil industry is people-oriented and brings important socio-economic benefits to the population. The spectrum of stakeholders is wide: workers, smallholders, contractors, suppliers, consultants, millers, refiners, manufacturers, traders, transporters, insurers and consumers. Each contributes their quarter to strengthen the industry in particular and the nation’s economy in general.

Production and Demand of crude Palm Oil

In 2007, it was estimated that about 161,000 hectares of land were under oil palm cultivation in Cameroon with an estimated annual production of 162,000 metric tons of crude palm oil. Industrial plantations produced 122,000 metric tons and smallholders 40,000 metric tons.

Consumption of crude palm oil, both for food and transformation exceeded production by 50,000 metric tons and as the population grows, the demand for edible palm oil is expected to increase. In addition, the demand for crude palm oil for transformation into soap, detergents, and refined oil is expanding rapidly and will require that the production capacity be increased. The impact of the blue ocean marketing strategy through the utilisation of crude palm oil for the production of bio-diesel in the world is so strong that current high prices of this commodity chain will be maintain for a sustained profitability. Therefore, the palm oil industry in Cameroon has a wide scope for expansion and will remain profitable and viable in the foreseeable future.

CONTEXT AND JUSTIFICATION

The main oil palm zones in Manyu are Mamfe, Upper Banyang, Eyumojock and the forest region of southern Akwaya. Oil palm cultivation can be classified according to farmland size into two main categories namely: (A) Smallholdings and (B) Agro-industry. The smallholdings can be further classified as follows:

(A1) Very Small Size Plantations:
These are sole proprietor plantations with farmland sizes ranging between 1 and 10 hectares characterized mainly by family labour, low inputs and low yields.

(A2) Small Size Plantations:
These are sole proprietor plantations with farmland sizes ranging between 11 and 50 hectares and characterized mainly by family and hired labour, low inputs and low yields.

(A3) Medium Size Plantations:
These are sole proprietor plantations with farmland sizes ranging between 51 and 500 hectares characterized mainly by hired labour, average inputs and medium yields.

(B1) Agro-industry:
Agro-industries have very large farmland sizes above 500 hectares. In Cameroon, areas occupied by oil palms among the major Agro-industries are SOCAPALM (25,000 hectares), C.D.C (15,000 hectares), PAMOL (10,000 hectares), SPFS (7,000 hectares), and SAFACAM (4,000 hectares). Agro-industries are characterized by the use of organized labour force, best agricultural practices for best yields and corporate financing, organization and management.

Constraints Limiting Productivity of Smallholdings in Manyu

Smallholders are not adequately exploiting their plantations and the result is low fresh fruit bunch (FFB) yields ranging averagely between 4-7 tons/ha/yr and low oil yields ranging between 0.5-1.0 ton/ha/yr because of the extreme dispersion of their plantations whereby industrial units of extraction can not be exploited. Furthermore, the potential yield of 15 tons FFB/ha/yr for smallholder plantations is not achieved because of various reasons amongst which are plantings with unadapted or voluntary oil palm planting materials, wrong cultural and agronomic practices and no fertilization of their palm trees. Most of the smallholders are resource poor lacking access to credit facilities, farm inputs like fertilizers, pesticides, farm tools, processing machines and agricultural information to improve on their productivity and competitivity.

Availability of Labour

Plantation Agriculture, especially cultivation of the oil palm is labour intensive. Labour and corporate organization has been the main constraints in the development of oil palm plantation agriculture in Manyu Division. Elsewhere in Cameroon where there is sufficient land and the agronomic and climatic conditions are favourable for plantation agriculture, the natives of the localities do not have the right attitudes of farm labourers or operatives. So investors must look elsewhere within the country or beyond to recruit farm operatives.

In the South West Province, CDC and PAMOL are household known giant plantation companies that grow the oil palm. Native South Westerners shun plantations labourer’s work. So the companies tend to elsewhere especially to the North West Province and neigbouring Nigeria to get workers. For this reason they compete to obtain the ever decreasing number of young people who are willing to offer their services to them.

Manyu Division is the only division of the former West Cameroon that does not have any of the giant Agro-industrial plantations (CDC and PAMOL). Paradoxically history holds that the first palm oil extraction machinery in the world was erected in West Cameroon by Haake (a German firm) in Mamfe and Victoria around 1909. As previously mentioned, plantations are great catalysts for the creation of wealth in the local communities where they are implanted. No doubt the buoyancy of ever-growing semi urban communities in the vicinities of these giant Plantations. Manyu Division is the only old division that has not seen a similar growth rate in population and in the creation of wealth.

Attempts have been made by few Manyu elites to develop small and medium size oil palm plantations in Manyu Division. The performance of their exploitations has been far short of their expectations. Compared to their counterparts who established small and medium size plantations of the same scale around or near CDC or PAMOL, Manyu investors are near desperation and are abandoning while their counterparts are expanding because they are doing well. The greatest constraint of the Manyu medium size farmers is the scarcity of operatives. The few available operatives like all others elsewhere in the plantations are very mobile and unreliable. Therefore to succeed in any labour intensive agricultural venture the equation of the availability of labour must be resolved. Poor management and organization of small and medium size plantations have also hindered the development of this sector in Manyu Division because the investors do not manage their estates as a business.

Corporate Organisation

A corporate plan of action for initiating development has always failed because of the lack of mutual trust. This unfortunate situation may not be unconnected to the excess republican and self-centered nature of the Manyu man with no one willing to sincerely cooperate with the other. This attitude for most of the time has resulted into individualistic large solo ventures that are short lived and collapse as the individual passes away.

Notwithstanding this constraint, many elites still strongly desire to create and develop medium size farms. Therefore a framework must be sort out for a corporate plan of action for the development of Manyu division. Why not through the incorporation of a fund by the elite for the development of a large-scale oil palm plantation.

OBJECTIVES

This paper has been elaborated into three parts designed to show the impact of the presence of a large plantation company to the local communities surrounding this agro-industrial unit; the options open for the creation of one or more in Manyu Division; and finally the project cost for the development of one thousand hectares pilot oil palm plantation that will engender a more profitable smallholder sector in Manyu Division.

PART I

SOCIO- ECONOMIC IMPACT OF A LARGE PLANTATION COMPANY TO NEAERBY COMMUNITIES: THE CASE OF PAMOL PLANTATIONS PLC

There is a popular saying that “Without PAMOL, there would be no Ndian Division” And everybody in Ndian Division, natives as well as settlers agree. There are many reasons why this saying holds true but we shall limit our discussion on a few that could be useful for Manyu investors.

DEVELOPMENT OF SMALLHOLDINGS

PAMOL for its own interest encouraged the creation of smallholdings by low income workers of its plantations and farmers of the nearby communities. Interested farmers received free improved oil palm seedlings and agreed to supply to PAMOL fresh fruit bunches. This policy started in 1976 and lasted up to 1990. With a guaranteed market the first farmers found out that compared to their small monthly salaries, income from their farms was by far higher. This encouraged many others and eventually middle level and senior staff except managers became interested and established their own smallholdings. From about 1990 everybody including PAMOL Senior Managers, Cabinet Ministers, Senior Army Officers on assignment at Ndian, Civil Servants, Business people etc became involved. From a few hectares of smallholdings of the oil palm in 1970s there are over 6000 hectares of oil palm owned by smallholders in Ndian Division. This figure (6000 ha) represents about half of the total area developed by PAMOL and C.D.C on the oil palm in Ndian Division. And as the trend continues, in about 2020 if PAMOL does not increase its hectarage on the oil palm, smallholdings shall become the number one producers of palm oil. Today there are more than 200 small and medium size oil palm smallholders who earn annual income of above three million CFA francs (3,000,000frsCFA) each. They are under no obligation to supply their crop to PAMOL.

AVAILABILITY OF LABOUR

The first smallholdings were established by skilled low income company harvesters and pruners who worked their farms themselves after official company work. Eventually middle level employees became involved and worked bigger hectarages. These smallholders engaged company trained skilled labourers after official company work hours and days. So long as this arrangement boosted the volume of fruits PAMOL received for its mills at Lobe and Ndian Estates, the company encouraged this arrangement. However abuses became widespread in 1990s when Supervisors and Managers used their influence and authority to cause company employees to work their farms at the expense of the company. To curb these abuses PAMOL undertook reforms in 1998 and caused labourers to group themselves into Common initiative Groups (CIGS) and became independent operators out of company check roll. The negotiated rates became more attractive than rates offered for the same plantation skilled operations in C.D.C, SOCAPALM and SPFS. This reform brings in a large number of skilled and unskilled persons looking for jobs in PAMOL every now and then. Although they are housed by PAMOL, their semi independence allows them to work for about 80% of the month for PAMOL who pays at the end of 30 days and 20% for the month for smallholders who pay cash daily for any job done. Apart from those who join the PAMOL CIGs, many people come to work for short periods (less than one month) knowing that they can always find daily cash jobs from smallholders.

SMALLHOLDINGS AND THE CREATION OF JOBS AND WEALTH

NDIAN DIVISION has C.D.C and PAMOL in three subdivisions – BAMUSSO, EKONDO TITI and MUNDEMBA. The rural people who live around the three estates- Illoani for C.D.C, Lobe and Ndian Estates for PAMOL are among the richest rural people in the Province. More than one thousand smallholders and oil palm mill operators earn annual income of about one million five hundred thousand francs (1,500,000 FRS) each. More than three thousand skilled harvesters and pruners earn annual income well above one million two hundred thousand francs (1,200,000 FRS CFA) each and many of these skilled harvesters and pruners have started investing in oil palm farms as their retirement security. Many other rural businesses are developing and the level of their performance can be measured by the volume of business carried out by the several micro- financial institutions operating in these communities.

POPULATION GROWTH

From less than 5000 people in Ekondo Titi town in 1970s, the population of this “rural” town today is about 30,000 inhabitants while the whole council area is 80,000 inhabitants. Villages within a periphery of 25km from the Estates of PAMOL or C.D.C are growing in population and housing in accordance with the development of smallholdings. About 90% of the ex-employees of PAMOL as well as retired civil servants who had worked in Ndian Division have settled in the Division near their farms. Almost all Ndian elites have medium size farms near the plantations and those who have retired have settled. It should be noted than many Manyu natives, ex-employees of C.D.C and PAMOL as well as retired civil servants have medium size farms in Ndian and have settled principally at Mundemba and Ekondo Titi towns, and Illoani and Bekora villages. Many would prefer to invest in Manyu Division if the enabling conditions exist.

DEVELOPMENT OF OTHER CROPS

Because of the presence of abundant labour, diversification is possible. Other crops maybe developed at medium scale: - rubber, cocoa, citrus, plantains, cassava, you have the rest.

The socio- Economic impact of PAMOL to the communities of Ndian Division demonstrates that people are willing to move to pools of work opportunities and this can best be guaranteed by a big agro-industrial company. The availability of workers facilitates the development of small and medium size exploitations of all types of crops. These exploitations create enormous wealth and villages and semi-urban communities grow rapidly. Rural exodus is curbed. Elites are more pruned to settle in the land of their ancestors after retirement. The Manyu person has a strong attachment to the land of his ancestors and given the enabling conditions he shall prefer to invest in Manyu agriculture and or agro-industry in Manyu Division than elsewhere in this country. He shall prefer to retire and settle in Manyu Division than to be brought in a coffin for burial.

PART II
OPTIONS OPEN FOR THE CREATION OF LARGE PLANTATION(S) IN MANYU DIVISION

The LEVER BROTHERS (UNILEVER PLC LONDON) had problem to obtain palm oil and palm kernel oil to make soap, the most popular brand known to Cameroonian being “LUX”. To be sure of constant supply, they floated shares in order to acquire oil palm plantations in Africa and Asia. In about 1936 they bought what became known as PAMOL in Cameroon.

Many Manyu people have a strong desire to create medium size farms in their native Manyu Division. Their problem is the uncertain availability of workers to develop their exploitations. But this problem could be solved if there existed a labour intensive agro-Industrial company in Manyu. How can the Manyu Elites cause the creation or the existence of one?

FIRST OPTION:

Lobby for an Agro-Industrial company already existing to expend its operation in Manyu Division. Or search for one foreign company to invest in Manyu Division. There is great possibility now for foreign investors to consider Manyu Division for those of them who want palm oil for the emerging Bio-fuel industries. Manyu Division is nearer the North West Province the source of many plantation labourers.

SECOND OPTION:

Manyu elites should float shares for the creation of an agro-industrial company of its own. Estate are opened along the lines of sub Divisions –not necessarily following administrative Headquarters but more centrally located so that surrounding communities may develop small and medium size farms taking advantage of the availability of workers in the Estates.

THIRD OPTION:

Elites of interested sub Division create an Agro-Industrial company and set up estates in locations considered central. In this case consideration should be given to locations with existing initiatives: - medium size holdings and or Major/renown palm oil mills or processing machinery.

PART III
COST OF DEVELOPING A 1000 HACTARES OIL PALM PLANTATION

FACT FILE;

CROP: OIL PALM (Elaeis guineensis)
CROP YIELD: 15 – 20 TONS PER HECTARE
OIL YIELD: 3 – 4 TONS CRUDE PALM OIL PER HECTARE
PRODUCTION: Begins 3-4 years after planting
TOTAL HECTARES ENVISAGED FOR THE PROJECT:
One thousand (1,000 ha) hectares for development within 2-3 years at the rate of 350-500 hectares per year with provision for extension to 5,000 hectares subsequently.

STRUCTURE OF THE COMPANY

The company will initially comprise of 1,000 hectares of land concession for oil palm development with provisions to extend to 5,000 hectares subsequently. One Division will be initially developed and two more Divisions developed subsequently to cover the 5,000 hectares.

The company will comprise a Board of Directors, a Managing Director, Management staff, field staff and field operatives. Total personnel numbers is estimated at about one hundred and fifty (150) persons for 1,000 hectares.

ESTIMATED DEVELOPMENT COST

No.
RUBRIC
COST (FCFA)
1.
LAND ACQUISITION
70 million FCFA
2.
LAND SURVEY, SOIL SUITABILITY STUDIES AND LAND CERTIFICATION
10 million FCFA
3.
PERSONNEL HOUSING
222 million FCFA
4.
HOUSING FOR OFFICES AND SOCIAL WELFARE
45 million FCFA
5.
FIELD ESTABLISHMENT COST PER HECTARE (i.e from planting to maturity at 4 years after planting)
1 billion FCFA
6.
COMPLETE 5 TONS/HOUR OIL PALM MILL AND INSTALLATION ex Malaysia
600 million FCFA
7.
ROLLING STOCK
100 million FCFA
8.
STORAGE FACILITIES
50 million FCFA

TOTAL
2.097 billion FCFA

ESTIMATED OPERATIONAL COST

No.
RUBRIC
REVENUE
1.
AVERAGE TOTAL OPERATIONAL COST PER ANNUM DURING MATURITY ( i.e. Upkeep, fertilization, harvesting and processing cost per year)
400 million FCFA

TOTAL OPERATIONAL COST/ANNUM
400 million FCFA

ESTIMATED GROSS REVENUE

No.
RUBRIC
REVENUE
1.
AVERAGE EXPECTED GROSS REVENUE PER YEAR AT MATUITY( i.e. from 4 years after planting)
840 million FCFA

TOTAL GROSS REVENUE/ANNUM
840 million FCFA

6.6 CONSULTANCY CHARGES ON DETAIL PROJECT FORMULATION, DESIGN AND WRITE-UP

The project formulation, design and write-up will involve specialists in the following domains:
An Agronomist
An Agricultural Economist/Rural Socio economist
A Mechanical/Electrical Engineer
An experienced Planter

Estimated cost for formulation, design and write-up of the project including printing of the final copies is fifteen million francs (15,000,000 FCFA). Project formulation and write-up will take at least four months.

Author: Dr. Etta Culbertson - Presented at MEDWC Eyumojock.

MANYU ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE HEALTHCARE INITIATIVE

2009-04-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

DISTRICT HOSPITAL MAMFE

By employing preventive health care practices, MEDWC hopes to improve the health care delivery system in Manyu Division. We strongly belief that preventive health care practices can both be taught and implemented as an integral part of prolonging human life. Care in maintaining and preserving the quality of our water supply, preparation of food, use of family planning techniques, education on HIV/AIDS and preventive medicine would all substantially reduce the high morbidity and mortality rates among our people.

Health care therefore, is of critical need in Manyu as primary health facilities are lacking and unequipped with modern equipments and medicine. In order to implement a comprehensive health education/care program aimed at the various villages in the region, MEDWC organizes an ambitious health fair during its bi-annual conferences by working closely with Manyu medical experts in diagnosis, treatment and distribution of free medication to the community.

Over the many years, Dr. Robinson Mbu and Dr. Enow Orock have led this effort in bringing a team of season medical professionals to conduct health campaigns during the various conferences. The success of the health fair can only be measured by the number of villagers who trek many miles to reach the conference grounds. Patients are screened for diabetes, hypertension, malaria, HIV and receive free medication donated by non profit organizations such as E-Meditech in the USA.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

2009-04-06T20:34:00.001-07:00

Modern computers with Software donated to Schools in Manyu:

Information and computer technology (ICT) greatly facilitates the acquisition and absorption of knowledge. It offers unprecedented opportunities to enhance education, improve policy formulation for local government, and widens the range of opportunities for business. Furthermore, new communication such as wireless telephones and internet promises to reduce isolation and open access to knowledge in ways unimaginable.

Despite these promises, the reality in most of Africa is that of a digital divide – the gap between those who have access to and control of technology and those who do not. It therefore means that the introduction and growth of ICT in Manyu will be a most challenging undertaking. Our failure to address this challenge would mean a further widening and deepening of the existing economic and social inequalities. It also means a Manyu child may not be able to compete in the 21st century as all new jobs require some computer knowledge.

Read more: http://www.medwc.org/InformationTechnology.html

DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE PROJECTS

2009-04-06T07:59:00.000-07:00

Conference Participants listen to presentations.

MEDWC Short Term Conference Projects

MEDWC short term projects are projects that are usually initiated and completely executed during a world conference. These projects typically include organizing health fairs, supplying medications and medical supplies, supplying computers and generators to various institutions within the subdivision that is hosting the conference. Some of MEDWC's accomplished short term projects include the following:

Organized a health fair and distributed medications/medical supplies worth over 5 million Frs CFA to the residents/local clinics in the Upper Bayang and Eyumojock sub division during the Tinto conference in December 2005 and Eyumojock conference in April 2008.

Provided financial assistance worth 4 million Frs CFA to students of Mamfe Central (2003), Upper Bayang subdivision during the Tinto conference in December 2005 and Eyumojock subdivision (2008 conference). The following schools were beneficiaries: GHS Tinto, SAR Tinto, GBHS Eyumojock, GTC Eyumojock, GHS Kembong, GSS Bakogo, GHS Ossing, GSS Afap, SAR Ndekwai,GTC Kembong.

Donated computers and software worth over 10 million Frs CFA to Tinto Rural council, GHS Tinto, SAR Tinto, Mamfe District Hospital, GBHS Eyumojock, Eyumojock council, Eyumojock district hospital, D.O.'s office, GHS Kembong and GSS Ossing.

Supported the Tinto Rural Council, Tali Hospital, Eyumojock Council, CETIC Eyumojock and Eyumojock District Hospital with (5000w) electrical generators. Due to constant power outages, generators are indispensable in the hospitals and clinics.

MEDWC DONATES MEDICAL AND EDUCATIONAL SUPPLIES

2009-04-06T07:47:00.000-07:00

Principal Receives computer equipment during Conference Rather than treating the symptoms of poverty, as development assistance too often does, investing in energy future for our communities is at the root of MEDWC’s development challenges. Sustainable energy solutions can promote long-term economic growth and a built-in capacity for self-reliance. Whereas, the electric power grid has touched some of our towns, most of our villages lack any form of energy. This shortage of energy hinders economic activity, health care and delivery of modern technology. We therefore support our communities in the short term by donating generators to schools, health centers and local government offices.

Students assist in arranging computer equipment & Generators during conference:

The opportunities for Africa to emerge as a champion in the growing renewable energy markets are enormous. Africa has vast, latent potential for wind and solar power generation. Recent studies show strong potential for wind power generation in some parts of south Africa. MEDWC thereby aims to embark on a long term plan to deliver and implement renewable SOLAR energy to our towns and villages.
Please visit our website for more info
http://www.medwc.org/

A VISIT TO LAKE EJAGHAM IN MANYU, CAMEROON

2009-04-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

sitting in the comfortable and beautiful resort around Lake Ejagham

In the heartland of Manyu’s famous forestland, Lake Ejagham truly offers something for everyone in a natural setting. Once developed, this natural lake offers outstanding tourism and recreation opportunities as you visit Manyu or travel to neighboring Nigeria.
Lake Ejagham is a small volcanic crater lake located in Eyumojock.

Conference attendees take a stroll along Lake Ejagham

It has a surface area of about 3 miles and measures 18 m deep, harboring over 5 species of Tilapia milling its waters. DNA of fish from the lake - compared with rivers in the vicinity, suggests the lake was colonized about 10,000 years ago.
Can Manyu convert this eye catching oasis into a boating, dinning, entertainment cruise or just a relaxing stroll on nature’s trail?

Written by Mr. Simon Etta

A TYPICAL DAY IN A MANYU VILLAGE

2009-04-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Girls return from farm in fetch of firewood:

The Manyu woman’s fundamental contribution to its household, food production, education and social needs has always been the economic engine of the family. Within the villages mothers perform most domestic task. They farm, trade, take care of the children, sick and perform other social functions. Food production is a major activity village women undertake, sometimes putting in many hours a day to cultivate the soil and plant.
In the past, the lack of access to formal education was key barrier to a girl’s advancemement and eventual development to womanhood. The reason was, parents preferred sending boys to school, seeing little need for education for girls. However, this trend has changed even at the village level with parents acknowledging that education of the girl child was equally more important. Today, there is an equal number of young girls attending primary, secondary and high school as boys?
As in many African countries, women are now becoming entrepreneurs. Although the Manyu woman has the potential for greatness, those who dare venture in business are hampered by access to financial resources and weak infrastructure. Is the Manyu woman then ready to take the risk and invest its limited funds into a business for fear of failure?

Written by
Simon Etta

THE CHALLENGING ROADS IN THE RAINY SEASONS

2009-04-06T06:58:00.000-07:00

A stretch of the Mamfe-Ekok Road. Digging out to arrive the conference:

One of the most important and crucial facility in a country’s infrastructure is roads. Good roads can play a vital role in determining whether a community becomes equalitarian homogenous or further slips in poverty due to lack of social and economic development. Challenging road conditions further hamper productivity, especially lower trade and economic activity with neighboring communities.

Following the basic concepts of road building, a well constructed and maintained asphalt road should last 20 years without major repairs and reconstructions. The road has to be designed for the highest anticipated load; this implies that a road designed only for cars will not stand trucks. One truck with about 9 tons on a single rear axle does as much damage to a road as nearly as 10,000 cars.

The challenging road conditions in Manyu are therefore attributed to poor design and lack of maintenance. Without overemphasizing the importance of good drainage due to the heavy rains in Manyu, engineers estimate that at least 90% of a road’s problem can be related to excess water or to poor water drainage. Too much water in any layer of a road’s structure can weaken the layer, leading to failure. In the surface layer, water causes cracks and potholes. In the lower layers, it undermines support. The common argument has always been that our roads are bad because they are not paved. Indeed, it is not necessary to a pave all roads immediately. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a well built and well maintained road if traffic loads and volume do not require a paved surface. Three hundred vehicles per day is the recommended minimum to justify paving most roads.

In light of the challenging road conditions in Manyu, especially Kumba – Mamfe and Mamfe-Ekok, the emphasis should be on maintenance. This means cleaning of ditches regularly, taking care of culverts and bridges, retaining walls and potholes. Finally, keeping good records by knowing the roads construction, life and repair history. Records will help evaluate the effectiveness of the repair methods and materials used in maintaining a road over time. Without maintenance a road rapidly deteriorates and fail. Every year the government allocates funds for the the maintenance of roads but no one seems to know where the funds end up. As soon as the dry season passes by and the heavy rains approach during the raining season, the Manyu man is awaken by another nightmare where a journey of 10 KM can take 10 hours. The reason for this nightmare is because we have failed in one way or the other to monitor and take to tasks those awarded huge contracts for our road maintenance. The 2008 Eyumojock conference finally came up with a solution proposed by Dr. David Tambe. With the right strategy, maybe 2010 may be the dawn of new era with our challenging roads.

Read MEDWC final proceedings – Eyumojock 2008 at http://www.medwc.org/.

MEDWC SUPPORTS EDUCATION IN MANYU

2009-04-06T06:55:00.000-07:00

Students receive financial aid during conference:

Although much progress has been made in Manyu with the establishment of secondary and technical schools all over the division, enormous challenges remain. Over 90% of the schools are created by the state and thereby need community participation. After all, development is a partnership between government and the various communities. Today, our children are falling behind in basic test scores as evident in the results of the general certificate of education over the last few years.

Secondary and High school students line up for financial aid packages:

It is widely known that investment in universal primary and secondary education have been widely recognized as a critical link to economic growth, reduction of poverty, improved health and the enhanced status of women. Girls' education, in particular, is considered the most important investment a nation can make to improve economic and social development.

School in Manyu