It's a New Blog. It's The Next Step

Dear readers and PNB backers, 

Project New Bamenda has now moved to a new address. 

We now publish at www.projectnewbamenda.com/blog 

Project New Bamenda's new blog is everything you love plus even more:

+PNB Ambassadors

+Inspirational stories

+Exclusive features

+Behind-the-scenes

+New Bamenda

Visit our new blog today!

www.projectnewbamenda.com/blog 

 

The Moment of Actualization

While trying to catch our breath after the hectic schedule prior to May 19^th, which was the launch date of Project New Bamenda, one of the most spectacular events the city of Bamenda has witnessed in years, we should not lose focus on the main objective of PNB.

Walters N. Ntumngia, CEO Think Tank Plus & 'Project New Bamenda' Project Director

Even though our focus was not the event itself, it served as a good learning platform to the team in preparation for even greater challenges ahead.

Please permit us brood a little over the accusations we received, the countless criticisms, second guesses, deceptions and our own very personal shortcomings. Against all the odds, we believe the seed of change has been sown in many minds.

This change in ideology which has given birth to the movement is something no one individual can take credit for. Bamenda, obese as it is, is set to blow. Greater things will, sooner than later, find their rightful positions.

How dare you not be who you want to become when we are all born to shine?

It is not the smartest of us who succeed, but all those who overcome their fear of not being adequate to challenge themselves to reach for the stars, and in the process, be liberated from their fears and in turn liberate others around them.

This is the birth of a revolution. A change in ideology is its aim, and greatness is its goal so that the world can listen to our ideas and dance to our tunes.

But… it is counter-productive to boost the esteem of an individual, group, city or region when it does not deserve it. We have spent tremendous amount of energy highlighting the potentials of Bamenda, a Region of plenty awaiting the 'touch' to make it the next business and entertainment hub. However, without a guide to the actualization of these, the skills, talents and potential we boast are doomed to stagnation.

It is on this backdrop that from the 1^st of July 2013, we will embark on what we call ‘Network for Better Opportunities’ (NBO) which, as the name connotes, is the bringing together of talents, investors, sponsors, coaches, resource persons and experts in all walks of life to liaise for… well, better opportunities.

A theme has been selected for each month, ranging from Fashion, Construction, Real estate management, Media, Transportation, Information Technology, Advertisement, Supply, Tourism etc.

If, for example, Music Production is the theme of the month of July, our platform will link Producers, Executive Producers, Talents, Designers, Consultants, Marketers, Vocal Coaches, Choreographers, Engineers, Event Promoters, Event Producers, etc. from all around the world to help build a solid chain in the domain of music which, most often than not, is broken.

We aim also at building solid webs where, not only will contacts be established, but also monthly training programs will go along to make all the participants of business and entertainment from the Region to be prepared for the most anticipated boom.

NBO under the PNB label is designed to provide mutual benefits to all parties involved.

Aspiring lawyers will benefit from scholarships awarded by firms like Jing and Partners (see Jing Paul), beginners in business will be able to ‘pick the brain’ of business role models, e.g. Joseph (see Nsoh Joseph), obtain a business plan module from Rufor (see Rofur Mbunkur), or reap from the benefits of Suh Ndamukong Foundation which is currently being launched in Bamenda by the athlete himself.

  

My message will however not be complete without a special thank you to all those who stood by us in our darkest and brightest hour; before, during and after the launch. The list is long.  We pledge to give all that we freely received to the betterment of all.

Ladies and gentlemen, The New Bamenda is born. Together, let’s fight the good fight and, if we don’t relent, we will win.

The stage is set, the willingness of the inhabitants is immense, the talents are hugely untapped and most importantly, Bamenda is calling. Heed to the call now and let’s make a difference.

 Walters N. Ntumngia

Meet a PNB Ambassador: Kenneth SOH BEJENG, CEO of the SOH Group

Kenneth SOH BEJENG

I am Kenneth SOH BEJENG.

The North West Region interests me for its people and how the region’s social fabric is put together.

I am presently the CEO of the SOH Group, a business consultancy that started in 2004 with offices in Yaoundé, Accra, Ghana, Kisii, Kenya, and Durban, South Africa. We pride ourselves in the services we offer businesses across the continent. We have assisted over 500 companies in our close to 10 years of existence.

What I like about the North-West Region and its people is their energy, kindness and hardworking nature.

The SOH Group is creating Cameroon’s first indigenous Private Equity firm and our focus will be to assist SMEs in the North West Region in order to procure the necessary finances needed to sustain their activities.

Project New Bamenda is a fabulous project and one that needs to be encouraged. I hereby offer my total support.

Our private equity firm will be a game changer for companies in the North West Region. We will begin our focus on the SMEs who have traditionally not been well-served by the banking sector.

One Last One

My favorite dish from the North West Region is Fufu and Katikati, favorite place is Mbatu, 2 miles from Bamenda.

Meet a PNB Ambassador: Fulei N. Ngangmuta,Owner and Creative Director of Fulei Inc.

Fulei N. Ngangmuta

My name is FuleiNeindum Ngangmuta.

I am from the North West region and for that alone is why I am interested in that Region.  I was born in Bamenda, though raised in the United States, and that was home for me.  My entire family is there and Bamenda is what I know. 

I am the Owner and Creative Director of Fulei Inc. where we believe style and production come hand in hand.  We cater to the arts community, whether fashion, music, or entertainment, to bring a sense of style and make production easy for any project. This is done by getting to know our client one on one and creating a personalized plan to meet their end goal.

I created Fulei Inc. because after working many years in the fashion industry, through the retail, freelancing, projects, and being contracted, I saw a major need where people needed to be treated with respect, workers empowered to use their strengths in proper areas, and events that needed simple clear direction and organization.  These basic needs were not being provided for and I knew that I was able to do just that.

I have had much success in the industry by being given the opportunity to work alongside key players, gain experience, and network myself in many arenas.  Because of these opportunities, I was given a chance to run my first full fashion show in 2007 and since then have not stopped.  I have been the backstage manager for Fashion Week Tampa Bay since its inception in 2008, was contracted as a stylist for IMG in conjunction with Westfield where I toured 4 major cities in the USA and styled over 100 women in each market.  I have also worked in fashion retail since 2005 which developed my personal one on one abilities, leadership qualities, and sales skills.  Lastly I have helped organize, coordinate, and run numerous fashion shows, music events, and even weddings.

I feel like people from the Northwest are dedicated, resilient, and entrepreneurial at heart.  I love seeing that no matter the circumstance that we make the best of it and continue to strive forward.  Understanding how dedication to our word, family, and work are so integral to who we are as a people and that despite the many economic challenges and setbacks that Cameroon has, that we are able to push forward to create businesses and have an entrepreneurial mind in order to better our way of life.

My heart has always been for northwestern people to be recognized for the greatness that lies within us.  I want to be able to see the younger generation have a chance to really live out and fulfill their dreams and use the arts in order to ensure this path.  I believe as artistic as we are we have not given our younger generation the ability to really seek out and fulfill their dreams especially in the arts.  I want to be a catalyst for change and let the younger generation know that this is a viable and legitimate means of fulfilling your passion and being true to who God has created them to be.

I would love to partner up and collaborate with others who have a heart to see our next generation really be given the ability to work out their passions in a supportive environment and given the tools and opportunities to make this happen.

I think Project New Bamenda is a vehicle needed to bring change through economic growth and collaboration in order to see the prospering and betterment of Bamenda.  This is a much needed and well-timed opportunity for the northwestern region.

My dreams are that the arts and entertainment realms would be a viable industry to engage the global market.  That people worldwide would know where Bamenda is and that we are an equal contender in these fields, if not more.

One Last One

I enjoy “poisson braisé” with miondos and top pamplemousse on the side.  Since I’m a Kom woman, I do also enjoy kati-kati.

Meet a PNB Ambassador: Chi Chi Ladislav, Events Planner, Founder & CEO of the Community of Creators

Chi Chi Ladislav

My name is Chi Chi Ladislav.

The North West region is one of the most pregnant regions in Cameroon in terms of natural resources and talents. I find it very virgin in the aspects of business and entertainment in particular. I think we need a lot of platforms to express what is yet to be exploited in entertainment. The North West region is a great place to be for its very fresh climate, peaceful and its people are very welcoming

I live in Yaoundé. I am an Events consultant and Planner, Sound Engineer, Producer, Multimedia Executive. I am also C.E.O and founder of The Community of Creators, an organization for the enterprising of gifts and Talents and Manager of G3Studios, one of the faster growing and biggest Production house in the country. In addition to that, I work as Managing Director for Bliss Plaza.

In my career, I’ve been part of many exciting projects. For Example,  I’ve designed theme songs for YAFE (Yaounde Intenational Music Festival), REAKTOR energy drink and CPDM campaigns during the Presidential Elections, I’ve been Project Engineer for One Africa Music Festival and "Carnaval de YAFE". I’ve been blessed to receive accolades for my work from Asom Award of Excellence in the category of Multimedia Expert , AFECAM Multimedia Award and many others.

  

I think my specialty which is in Multimedia is one of the most important assets the NW region needs for its growth and especially its exposure. I am willing and very open to work with individuals in the field of multimedia be it in terms of resources, my presence or professional advice to make the NW region reflect “Land of Promise, Land of Glory”

 “THIS IS IT”. We have been looking forward to this a long time ago and I believe the NW region has come to maturity in its pregnant state. It is time for the new birth with  “Project New Bamenda”

This is coming early but I would no longer hold it. I am planning on the biggest ever Music Festival in  Bamenda called “HOME COMING” Original Ngrafi.  From North West to North West.

It is a festival that brings together the biggest and greatest in music from the NW origin all over the world on the same stage for the NW people. Contact has already been made with some 30 International artists of NW origin. Coming your way Soon....

One last One

My favorite meal from NW region is ACHU.

My favorite proverb is: “it is better to be Late than to be of late”

Milestones Awards: The Winners!!

Meet A PNB Ambassador: Gerald Sunjo Layu. Co-Owner & CEO Autograph Hotel

Gerald Sunjo Layu

My name is Gerald Sunjo Layu.

I’m a Banso man and a “Bamenda boy”. I attended nursery school up the Hill at Veterinary Junction, in what is now the actual veterinary building if memory serves. Then I did a round of primary schools over six years: first CS Bayele, then St John’s Foncha Street, then PS Atuakom; a change of scenery that would overwhelm any pilgrim. I attended college at Sacred Heart Mankon, then high School at GBHS Bamenda - two head-spinning years in which I spent just as much time attending booms in Bambili, Mbengwi and an assortment of other venues (along with ill-advised forays into Bali) as I did within the four walls of a class. I read law afterwards at Birmingham University in the UK and spent a further six years in Europe after my degree putting off an inevitable return until I caught the business bug and rode a wave of optimism home.

My most enduring and nostalgic memories have Bamenda as a backdrop though: crossing “two bridge” from Bayele and having close shaves and near misses all the way home; collecting even-tempered dogs in the “quartier” with my mates while at St John’s and going hunting for squirrel and cutting grass around the hills of what is now GTHS Bamenda and beyond; Coupe Top at Ntamulung; Chinese and Indian films at Rota. That was my Bamenda.

Over the years of the life of the nation, the people of the North West have demonstrated a resilience and a single minded determination to succeed in less than perfect circumstances. There is a disciplined approach to life and living which is in our DNA. Our parents insisted we become professionals: doctors, lawyers, engineers etc and invested forcefully in that ideal. No football, music or other frivolity. At least not back then. Whatever the demerits of this approach it is mighty hard to make an argument against it as I think it has served our generation well. The PNB ambassadors I see on this blog are testament to that.

Our parents educated us and built homes on modest incomes. Njangis and the Credit union scene are lasting tributes to a rare fiscal discipline. In addition to tireless toil, North-westerners take every aspect of tradition seriously: our elders, our dialects, and all those routine cultural rituals and observances that punctuate daily life. These things define us. They are who we are.

I live in Douala and co-own and run a boutique hotel in Limbe with my brother called Autograph. A good many PNB readers are our loyal guests. At least I hope so. As tough an economy as ours is I remain convinced of the possibilities and opportunities in an emerging Bamenda and in Cameroon. Our generation has the opportunity to shape and contribute to the entrepreneurial landscape of the future. In concrete terms it means being bold, taking risks and above all fostering a collaboratory spirit among us.

Bamenda has been good to me. A “New Bamenda” I suspect will be even better for us and future generations. I commend the ethos and timing behind the Project New Bamenda initiative. Bamenda, I feel, is taking confident, visible strides into the future at the moment. One can feel the momentum building; one can see the progress being made. I believe in partnerships. Partnerships of ideas; partnerships in effort; a collective approach in service of a grander vision for our town and region; a pooling of financial and human resources with generous doses of creativity and innovation. Previous generations provided the platform and we have the opportunity to make use of the skills and tools at our disposal to creating a vibrant business environment.

One Last One

My favourite place in Bamenda is the Station hills. Not so much from the top down - as much as the town coming into view upon arrival gives me pleasure - but looking at them from the bottom up. It’s always given me a feeling of security; like we are walled in. A sort of “Fortress Bamenda”.

The New Bamenda is Here!!

Meet a PNB Ambassador: Francis Kilaghan Bonghan, Founder and CEO of Novelty Tax & Accounting and Franco Records

Francis Kilaghan Bonghan

My name is Francis Kilaghan Bonghan (aka Franco Bonghan).

I attended primary school at Government Primary School Up-Station and St John at Foncha Street Nkwen the latter on to St Augustine College Nso and CHS Bambui and then CCAST Bambili.

What  particularly interests me in Bamenda is the untapped human and material resources of the region. The grasslands and rich folklore provide a huge opportunity for tourism and cultural dynamism.

I am currently based in Houston Texas and I am the founder and CEO of Novelty Tax& Accounting, a tax Consulting and Litigation firm in Houston Texas for 8 years. I am also the CEO and founder of Franco Records, a Record label based in Houston Texas with a singular mission of representing the unnoticed voices in Africa. 

Academically, I have earned two Masters: in Accounting and Financial and Strategic Management from Keller Graduate School of Management in Houston Texas.

I like the hospitality of the people and the hardworking parents who never cease to give the best for their children. Education here is of prime importance.

Franco Records seeks to provide a platform where talents can be showcased at a world class level.

                            

According to statistics on the ground, more than 90% of the talents in the North West Region will die due to a lack of access and connections to the business and entertainment world.

We are strategically positioned to do that. In the next five years, I will like to propel the new generation of artists by giving the necessary tools to compete in the international market place.

I will network with projects like PNB and any other stake holders as long as it is for the development of the North West Region.

Presently, I am working on setting up a state-of-the-art recording studio and provide the right personnel in Bamenda to help give access to world class recording to any talented individual, market musical products, develop and produce, all the while making it possible for them to compete in the international market place.

In business, I wish to establish a venture capitalist firm in Bamenda.

This, I believe, will help in my little way in promoting our talented young boys and girls from Bamenda.

Project New Bamenda is a divine idea that needs the benediction of all sons and daughters of the region, to rise up and answer this call to a more prosperous North West region.

I salute the PNB team for their effort so far. May God bless Project New Bamenda.

One Last One

My favorite dish from Bamenda is fufu-corn and khati khati.  I just love Ndamukong Street.

I believe in ‘’stand up and stand tall’.

Meet a PNB Ambassador: Linda Arrey, President and CEO of Women In Leadership Development and Empowerment, INC.

Linda Arrey

My names are Linda Arrey.

The North West Region particularly interests me for the rich culture and hospitality.

I currently reside in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A

I am President and CEO of Women In Leadership Development and Empowerment, INC. (WILDE), a membership based leadership non-for-profit organization made up of a unique network of professional women from diversified backgrounds and experiences who aim at enhancing women’s skills and involvement at all levels of society.

WILDE was birth from my vision and dedication to the education and empowerment of women globally, and my inclination to improving individual and community standards. As a philanthropist, I am constantly seeking innovative ways to give back to the community through mobilization, direct service, donations, and more.

I am also the owner of Lindaarrey, INC., a consultation firm specializing in Public Speaking, Non-Profit Startups, Non-Profit Infrastructure and Implementation, and Small Businesses. I am an Officer with the United States Air Force and currently serve as a Health Care Administrator. Some prior positions and organizations I have held include Administrator for legislators, Secretary General of the African Women Development Foundation Inc., and Manager of the Miss Africa USA Pageant.

I hold a Masters in Health Care Administration / Public Health Administration. I currently seat on several organization’s boards.

Through WILDE’s Project2020, we are working on opening vocational training universities in some African countries including Cameroon. Currently Bamenda is a “city of interest” under this project. The goal of Project2020 is to :

1) Increase access to vocational and technical training,

2) Improve quality of higher education by developing research strategies based on the country’s developmental priorities, and

3) Improving the quality of workforce development by equipping the students with workforce skills ready to add to the country’s developmental goals. 

WILDE universities will also promote home economics education—which is fast eradicating in today’s schools, and leadership skills which are rarely offered in most African school systems. These Universities will be attended for free for all qualifying students who meet the financial assistance requirements and for a minimal fee for students who do not.

I also look forward to hosting a WILDE Leadership and Development Conference in Bamenda in the near future.

I think Project New Bamenda is a great initiative to improve the standard of living in the city of Bamenda, while creating better communities and jobs at the same time. I think PNB will also open a new door for businesses to better reach out to their targeted audience and more room for networking between businesses with vested interests.

I will like to see a Bamenda where more people are not only educated, but also prepared for a job market that actually offers jobs and career opportunities. My hopes are also to see more women owning their own business and playing major roles in the corporate sector.

One Last One

The place I’ll like to visit in the Bamenda metro area is the Saddle Hill Ranch and Resort.