A taste of the New Bamenda

New CamCCull Building at Commercial Avenue - Bamenda

The North West Region of Cameroon is one of the most amazing cities in Africa yet to be discovered.  It is strategically positioned to be the next business frontier, linking the CEMAC and ECOWAS regions of West and Central Africa respectively, thus accommodating French and English speaking visitors alike.

It is not hard to notice its friendliness as you walk the streets of any of the seven divisions.  The diversity of the peoples and tribes has turned out to unite rather than divide. As a city still to encounter an economic boom, you will find a town waiting to be developed with opportunities all around.

In 1985, the Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement, the ruling party that has been in power for the last three decades now was officially launched in Bamenda, the capital of the North West. The Social Democratic Front, which is currently the leading opposition party in Cameroon and the stronghold of Ni John Fru Ndi its leader, was also launched in Bamenda in the early 90s. These events made the Region a centre for political activities in Cameroon and as such it attracted violence and destruction of private and public property. However, over the years, with a recent change in political ideologies, the peoples of the Region are slowly turning their attention from politics to economic development. We are witnessing the town’s gradual transformation into the next business frontier in Africa.  According to statistics on the ground, between 2009 to 2013, Bamenda has emerged as one of the fastest growing cities in Cameroon with an estimated 20% growth rate, overtaking the South West and Western Regions respectively to comfortably position itself as the third largest economy in the nation. Bamenda holds the record as leaders in educational facilities, transportation, mechanized agriculture, animal husbandry and microfinance institutions.

According to economists, with the road linking Bamenda to Enugu nearing completion, the investment potential of the Region is greater than any period in the history of the city.

In this New Bamenda, more wealth is being created more than ever, new and innovative ideas circulate freely,  entertainment and fashion trends are emerging; all in a bit to give a good live to the 1.800,000 inhabitants.

Despite the challenges that the average businessman in Bamenda faces like limited access to finance (even though Bamenda has the largest money reserves in the country) and the region of origin effect, the city is less aggressive to new concepts and is more and more open to the application of modern ideologies and novel systems of providing services.

Investment Avenues

1)      Food processing.

Contrary to the notion that Bamenda has no industries, the Region has produced one of the worlds’s largest food processing industries in the likes of Ndawara tea estate, cultivating and exporting tons of tea to the world. Institutions like the North West Cooperative Association (NWCA), the pioneers in the food processing industry who once exported coffee and cocoa as raw materials now exports finished products like COLA COCOA (processed coffee) to the world. Investors should be looking for opportunities in this sector with the consideration that food processing now stands as Bamenda’s biggest export industry, (Education would be first if properly developed). The creation of other industries like DANSAF and CAMFOODS are pointers that this industry has potential.  The availability of raw materials, the fertility of the soil and the willingness and desire of locals to work hard are factors favoring the industry and potential investors.

2)      Entertainment

In recent times, Bamenda has exported more movies to the outside world than any other town in Cameroon. With up to ten films and at least two serials produced and released every year, this young industry despite its shortcomings has found its home in the region of North West.

Just as in film, music too has a bright future, making Bamenda a new showbiz hub. Researchers in music are currently undergoing a survey of sampling the music of the Region to create a unique musical genre that reflects the cultural identity and an international appeal at the same time.  However, the industry is experiencing a new phase as far as creativity and style is concerned. The immense musical talent in the region cannot be overlooked. Entertainment in general is projected at becoming the biggest expert from the Region the 2015.

Investors should take keen interest in this industry since its benefits are huge and has related businesses like fashion trends, cabarets, recording studios, theaters, cinemas, concert halls, pubs, music stores and marketing and distribution outlets.

3)      Housing.

Owning a house in the North West is second on the average North Westerner’s list of priorities, education being the first. It is part of the culture and tradition to personally own a house or at least a landed property, reason ¾ of all the cement produced in Cameroon comes to the Region. This has continuously created a demand for better and quality homes which calls for investment in the real estate sector.

Potential investors in this sector should take advantage of the inhabitants’ love for acquiring homes to create a new industry.

To be continued…

Meet a PNB Ambassador: Magasco Efsi, Music Artist

Magasco Efsi a.k.a Bamenda Boy

My name is Tohnain Anthony Nguo a.k.a Magasco Efsi, a Hip Hop/Afropop artiste from Boyo Division specifically the Kom tribe.

For now, I am a little bit everywhere nationally in Douala, Buea, Yaounde but mostly based in Bamenda where my career started.

Talking about my career, I  am a composer, writer and singer who started at the age of 5 but professionally, at the age 18. My music is a melting pot of hip hop and African rhythms heavily beefed up with African stories with major themes revolving around love and morality.

In 2012, I caught the attention of MuMaK executives who signed me and gave me more nationwide and worldwide visibility. I also won the “Bafani Awards” in the category of Revolutionary Artist in Bamenda. I am now currently working on my maiden album where some international collaboration will be felt.

     

I love the North West Region first as a mother because I was born and raised there, so technically she gave birth to me. Also life is affordable and above all, the people are welcoming and hospitable. 

My goal is to sing more about the region's lifestyle and realities so as to give it a global appeal and attention that will attract tourists to come witness the rich diverse culture found here. Reason why my second brand name, “Bamenda Boy”, represents the main city of this region.

   

Project New Bamenda is a dream comes true because I think its goals are purely developmental since it is re-branding the city to attain the status it deserves.

My wish is to blow internationally and put my region on the global map with regards to entertainment and tourism. I also wish and pray that many others break through from other sectors of the industry  like fashion designing, fine arts and even music because it is the cumulative effect of our individual efforts that will definitely make the North West Region the land of tourism and entertainment we all are craving for.

Meet a PNB Ambassador: Alenne Menget, Film Producer, Founder & CEO, ATS Productions

Alenne Menget

I am called Alenne Menget. I am from Njen-Batibo in the Momo Division, North West Region of Cameroon.

I am founder and CEO of the ATS Productions based in Akwa Douala. I am an investigative journalist with a television /movie production and action background. ATS Production was a dream of more than fifteen years when I was still doing my secondary education in Bamenda. We are the frontline producers of some of the most important documentary films about Cameroon with more than 65.000 YouTube viewers within eight months through our three Youtube channels. 

We have produced a total of 72 investigated documentaries and we are in the process of producing another 52 this year. Our domain also includes the production of talk shows, reality shows, movies, soap operas, music, radio and television spots and jingles, music clips. We also install radio and television stations, etc.

Bamenda happens to be the best place in the world to me. This can always be noticed from the smile I put on when I descend the station hill each time I visit my hometown. ”The land of plenty” as I usually refer to the North West Region has the most beautiful landscape in the world with very hospitable people living on it.

One thing has inevitably emerged as pillar of the 21^st century life is the central command, which the media have emerged to hold. The media have been at the centre of all human activities, but at no time has it arrogated such power influencing growth and development of our society.

All over, the North West Region, people are investing enormous quantities of efforts in setting up private media establishments, which have become the real determinant of progress in nowadays life. Whether it is print, audio, or audio visual, the media remain the one most powerful and influential instrument that any community can be endowed with, today. I was part of the start of this new generation of media in the North West Region. 

It is true that a lot of local powerful media men and I have gone out in search of greener pasture to the world and have built beautiful careers and great media brands. We have abandoned our mother land. It is time we give back to our people what we have been given out all these years, priding more than ten years of media liberalization in Cameroon. Bamenda has its media history split into epochs. The various eras of pre-liberalization, immediate liberalization, modern post epoch with digital equipment, represent different growth points. However, not much of that growth has been felt with our media back at home.

I would like to take commitment to myself, to pay attention on how we could modernize our local media, emit and produce programs from our very rich and diverse culture and sell to other media around the world.

The North West Region has many talents of all walks of life who are scattered in every part of the world in search of greener pasture and it has been too green for them to come back and invest home. Project New Bamenda is a way to bring back these talents.

One Last One

My favourite dish from the North West Region is “Nang tari”, 

My favourite place is my area of origin most, the hold of Moghamo and my best proverb is “a kuru mbunga kuru tug”.

The meaning of Alenne is Mark, therefore Alenne Menget means Menget’s Mark.

Meet a PNB Ambassador: Joannes Paulus Yimbesalu, Research Scientist & Founder HOPEFCC

Joannes P. Yimbesalu

I am called Joannes Paulus Yimbesalu and originally from the beautiful tribe of Kom in the North West Region of Cameroon.

I am currently based in the USA where I work at the Medical College of Wisconsin as a Research Scientist doing research on Lung Cancer.

I spent most of my childhood days in Bamenda and what admires me most about this part of the country is the originality and the diverse culture and language of the people. I try to preserve my identity as a typical ‘Bikom’ boy from Bamenda anywhere I find myself especially during conferences I attend.

To me, I think we are who we are today because of our identity and as Cameroonians in general and North Westerners in particular, hence we should all strive to preserve our culture and I strongly urge that we all should find plight in showcasing our culture in any little way where ever we find ourselves in any part of the globe. 

Anytime I put on my Bamenda regalia commonly called “Toghu”, people admire me and I am proud of it. What I love about the people of Bamenda is their simplicity and their love for family and community. They are very welcoming people and the first thing you hear from anyone you meet along the way is “ma pikin welcome and hope say you dey fine”. Even in their pain and suffering, they are still able to give you that sweet smile which is very unique.

I am the founder of a Non-for-Profit Governmental Organization called Hope for Children Cameroon (HOPEFCC), a common initiative group with head office in Njinikom in Boyo Division. HOPEFCC has been existing since 2009 when it started as a charity organization aimed at helping underprivileged children especially orphans and the disabled in this part of the country.

Currently, we work in all three subdivisions of Boyo Division namely Belo, Njinikom and Fundong and in each subdivision we work with one primary school. These schools are located in enclave areas making it very difficult to access especially during the rainy season. These disadvantaged children lack access to basic education and as such are left behind since they either have no close relative to look after them or send them to school.

HOPEFCC is therefore bridging the gap between these children and access to education by providing them with basic education, improving health and well-being through the practice of adequate hygiene and sanitation as well as the promoting the quality of life of these children so that at the end of the day, they would attained their full potential and become responsible citizens of tomorrow. Education open doors for development and it’s the only took no one can take from you.

Project New Bamenda is a wonderful initiative and I want to use this opportunity to give a shout out to the founders and partners of this great initiative as it is a way of bringing sons and daughters of this great region together so that with one voice we can all contribute ideas that foster the growth and development of the region.

Bamenda is very different now as it was ten years ago with the construction of new roads, new infrastructures and this has greatly promoted development in the area through the creation of small businesses, and timely transportation of farm produce to the market and this has greatly boast in the economy especially. Through the sale of these agricultural produce, lives have changed, women can now capable of taking care of their families and sending their children to good schools.

Communities that empower women by taking part in decision making procedures, promoting their fundamental rights, preventing violence against women and girls  and child trafficking open doors for development and this has proven to be the best approach in ending the cycle of poverty. 

We all need to help one another as we climb through the ladder of success.

One Last One

My most favorite dish is no other dish than the famous and royal ‘kati kati’ but I must say fufu and eru comes next

Meet a PNB Ambassador: Jules Nya, Founder & CEO, MuMak Records

Jules Nya

My name is Jules Tetabua Nya and my mother hails from Babungo in the Ngoketunja Division. I am CEO and Founder of MuMaK (Music Makers), one of Cameroon's foremost urban music labels.

I am based in Douala and currently signed under my label are artists Mr Elad and Magasco aka Bamenda Boi, one of Cameroon's finest Hip Hop/Afropop sensations of the moment. In my many years of experience as a talent scout, manager and artist developer, I have worked with some of the country's most gifted artists such as the late Tom Yom's, Sine, Ashley Stephanie, Museba and Jovi just to name these few. So far, my most outstanding project is Jovi's H.I.V album released last year in which I served as A&R* and Co-Executive producer.

The North West region is a land blessed with both natural and human resources from time immemorial. Over the years, the North West region has undoubtedly churned out some of the most gifted outstanding personalities this country has ever produced. Though a typically agrarian society, its people are well renowned for their humility, discipline, hard work and excellence in all walks of life.

It is a well establish fact that culture is the bedrock of every civilization but unfortunately due to stiff competition coming from other nations and general economic hard ship, Cameroonian music is currently witnessing its worst recession ever. My company is committed to salvaging and restoring our lost pride via massive consumption of "Camer" urban music. Identifying the problems plaguing our music industry has helped us proffer tentative solutions to this ailing yet pivotal sector of our nation's economy.

Through good quality music/videos aimed at meeting our people's needs and aspirations, branding, innovative online distribution techniques and adequate media exposure ranging from traditional to new forms of social media such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, we intend bridging the wide existing gap between the new generation of Cameroonian artistes and their fellow artistes from the rest of the world.

So far, our efforts have proven effective with the buzz surrounding artistes such as Jovi, Renise (now New Bell Music) and Magasco. Through the works of most of these artistes, the North West region is directly or indirectly being put on the map since a vast majority of them come from there. We are convinced that music that reflects majorly our people's lifestyle and plight will constitute a catalyst for a buoyant and sustainable music industry.

Project New Bamenda is an avant-gardist project that is most welcome at this precise moment in time when many of us North West natives are reinventing ourselves with the quest for a more dynamic socio-economic environment. Our people are rediscovering their essence and true human resource potentials, reason why PNB is a sine qua non for the eminent development of the region at large. Indeed, PNB is an idea that has come of age and has indeed come to stay.

I am convinced that the most gifted new generation of Cameroonian artistes are Anglophones notably from the North West region. The North West region is a potential breeding ground for world-class talents but I wish and hope all these talents could be harnessed into the money making machine that is needed to make the entertainment business a mainstay in Bamenda.

One Last One

My favorite dish is Fufu Corn and Katikati. Don't know much (no laugh abeg) about the meaning of my name "Tetabua" but the little I know is, it is a special Babungo name given to a male twin child.

*A&R : Artists and repertoire

Meet a PNB Ambassador: Barrister Nico Halle, Lawyer and International Legal Consultant

My name is Nico Halle and I am a native of the North West Region, particularly of Awing heritage. I am resident in both Awing village and the Santa sub-division.

I am permanently resident in Douala, Littoral Region and have been so since 1985. I am lawyer and international legal consultant by profession, and a peace, anti-corruption and human rights crusader by vocation. I have been in practice for over 25 years and counting. I am the senior managing partner of the Nico Halle & Co. Law Firm based in Douala, which is bilingual and deals in most aspects of legal practice. My practice is both national and international in scope as portrayed by the various accolades I have been blessed to receive. Venturing from the legal scene, I was appointed into the National Elections Observatory (NEO) from 2001 to 2007 to oversee municipal, legislative and presidential elections. Between the years from 2005 to 2007, I headed this structure and in like spirit continued to work towards ensuring peace, security, and the fight against corruption which has for a long time crippled the socio-economic and political structures of this beloved nation.

The North West Region can be considered the bread-basket of the entire nation given the potential it exudes in terms of socio-economic activities. The strength and resilience the people of the region show in the face of adversity is second to none. I would say that North-Westerners are “never-say-die people”. Over the years, business and economic activity has seen a steady rise/growth. Micro-finance institutions and entrepreneurs abound.  The people of the North West Region are go-getters and should not only be applauded but also encouraged.

As such, it is important to recognize projects like Project New Bamenda which seeks to engineer a new and innovative business and economic environment in the region. A wise man once said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”. I believe the people of the North West Region have unconsciously begun to incorporate this old adage and moving forward in that regard.

Being involved in the development of the North West Region is nothing short of a privilege and honor, given the love and respect I have for the region. Through my deeds, I have been inspired by many, and I think it is necessary for already successful and influential North West elites to serve as inspiration to the younger generation, for the future is in their hands. I serve as a mentor and adviser in many spheres of life, and I am willing to assist or support any project geared towards the advancement of the economic and business activities in the North West Region.

Project New Bamenda is an idea I fell in love with the very first time I was introduced to it. This is the kind of innovativeness and progressiveness we ought to be talking about. Hard work and persistency is the hallmark of success and prosperity, and as such, PNB should be prepared to brave the storms, adversities and challenges it shall face on this route to success. PNB deserves every recognition, and as such I fully endorse this project and lend my support to its realization.

It is my fervent hope that North West becomes the beacon of peace, prosperity and hope, which all other regions in Cameroon seek to emulate. The potential for the Region to attract a plethora of national and international investors is evident. First of all, the necessary structures for such progress need to be in place and the economic environment must be conducive. This is the kind of environment PNB seeks to create through its various business and entertainment projects. On our end as professionals in the legal field, we need to ensure that the laws in place are favorable to business and economic development, and encouraging to potential national and international investors who have always had an eye on the region.

One Last One:

•  My favourite dish is soaked garri in cold water with pear.
•  My favourite place is my village Awing.
•  My favourite proverb is the universal Proverbs 22:6*

*Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Meet a PNB Ambassador: Dr Nicoline Ambe, Motivational Speaker and Parent Mentor

Dr Nicoline Ambe

I am Dr. Nicoline Ambe. I was born and raised in Bamenda.

I reside in Los Angeles, California. I’m a mother of 3 daughters, a Motivational Speaker and Parent Mentor. I’m also a Special Education Teacher. 

I love the culture, the landscape and the people of the North West Region. The people are very hard-working even when there is little hope. They put in the effort, keep their lives busy and never give up.

Although I am not directly involved in any projects in the North-West Region at this point,  I have indirectly contributed through family projects that my parents have completed in my village of Bafut.

Project New Bamenda is a fantastic idea. It’s always a good thing to contribute to the development of our communities and creating a better society where people can live conveniently and enjoy their freedom of existence. I want to congratulate you on this initiative and wish you the very best on it. I know that we will all benefit as a result of the work you’re doing. Thank you.

I honestly have not given any thought to what the “New Bamenda” could look like. Perhaps your project will get me thinking about ways that I can contribute to the development of my hometown.

One Last One

• My favorite dish is Achu and yellow soup with particulars, and Njama-Njama on the side!!
• My favorite place is Bafut
• My favorite proverb: “Man strong pass you, you carry E bag.” J

Meet a PNB Ambassador: Tabi Tabe Tabi, Technology Entrepreneur

Tabi Tabe Tabi

My name is Tabi Tabe Tabi, born in Mamfe, South West Region of Cameroon.

I am a technology entrepreneur based in Johannesburg, South Africa. I am founder and co-founder of various companies ranging from Media to Telecoms. I am also involved in the aviation industry with affiliation to K5aviation.com.

Besides experience from friends born to parents from the North West Region, I knew little about Bamenda. My knowledge was mostly influenced by politics since Bamenda is the seat of the SDF party. My first real exposure to Bamenda occurred around the year 2005 and the experience was one of mixed feelings; excitement and sadness. I had more questions than answers.

The first thing that caught my attention is the beauty of the city and its landscape. As I interacted with  people, I found them hard working with a strong sense of community. I also found the people to be creative in the field of art and creating solutions to engineering problems. Most of these people had little or no formal training in engineering or creative art, yet they could do so much.

Sadly, I observed – like in most parts of Cameroon – that people spend more on alcohol consumption than it is necessary. Also, I noticed that most businesses were not sustainable and could not improve the lives of the masses. This, because they are mostly traders, who add very little value to the goods they sell. Businesses creating values were the minority.

During my second visit to Bamenda, I had one nagging question: how could I collaborate with the people of the city and the region to make a difference. The answer? Build a model city that would represent what the “New Bamenda” could look like and place it in a city center for all to see. I wish that it inspires people to join in the creation of a model city for the rest of the country. Such a project requires dreamers and doers. Bamenda is full of such people and they all know from first hand experience, the value power of the collective action.

If we can build community churches and schools, then it is possible to build a new Bamenda based on a model that will create new revenue streams for the local council, create jobs, stimulate entrepreneurship and a new economy based on value creation rather than value consumption.

This dream has always been in the back on my mind waiting for the right circumstances. It seems that time is now, with “Project New Bamenda”. I will be glad to bring my experience and expertise in turning dreams and ideas into reality. My hope is that the people of Bamenda and the region will mobilize from all corners of the grass roots, to support an initiative such as Project New Bamenda and adopt the slogan “We Own This Town”. Such attitude will transform Bamenda to a major economic hub in Cameroon and the place to be for people who “make things happen.”

One Last One

My favorite food from Bamenda is Achu with no doubt. My favorite place is Up Station Hill. It provides the most breathtaking view of the city and a place where creative minds go to catch inspiration and work.

Meet a PNB Ambassador: Okawa Shaznay, Actress

Okawa Shaznay

I am Okawa Shaznay. I was born and raised in Bamenda and I am a native of Oshie in Momo division.

I currently reside in Houston, Texas. I am an actress affiliated with Nollywood USA and recently I have branched out into doing movies in different parts of Africa. So far I have done a little over 10 movies or so. Just to name a few: “The Bet”, “Husband’s desire”, “This is Houston” , ” High Endz”, ”Blind Pursuit” (which was  premiered in Houston, Texas, this past February 2013). Just recently, I was blessed to have the opportunity to work with one of Africa’s best directors, Frank Rajah, in Ghana for a movie titled “Refugees” which is in production. That is my biggest film project to date and I am quite excited and very much grateful to God Almighty for it.

What I like most about the North West region is the fact that not only are the people hospitable but they equally are always striving to excel with little or no governmental help, I take for example the rise of many private elementary, secondary and vocational schools over the years has made our region one of the most sought after places for education in the country. Many Cameroonians from different regions of the country usually send their children to school in the North West and with education being a powerful tool for any society, I see this as a major plus for the North West Region.

As Someone who is involved in the entertainment industry in the area of film, I am determined and working hard to excel to higher heights in my acting career which will eventually bring the lime light to the North West Region and eventually to my country Cameroon. But most especially by the grace of God, I hope to be able to produce my own movies in our region which will in turn help bring out promising talents in the North West.

More so, I have been researching and looking at getting into real estate and property management at some point, which is another area through which I can help contribute to the economic development of the North West in the future; even though this vision is still in its baby phase, I know it will materialize successfully with determination and lots of hard work. I believe our region has unexploited areas that have a promising future business-wise.

I think Project New Bamenda is a great idea to help in the enhancement of our region especially in the economical and arts/cultural sense. It’s always great to see great minds at work gearing not only to better themselves but their society as a whole.

As earlier stated, one of my biggest dream is to contribute in bringing out our film industry to make its own mark in Africa as our other sister nations are doing.

One Last One:

My favorite dish from Bamenda is Katikati (don’t laugh) and favorite place to visit or hang out is Savannah Botanical gardens and  the Saddle Hill Ranch Resort.

Meet a PNB Ambassador: Venan A. Sondo, Sustainability Executive, Co-Founder & CEO, CEFEMAC

Venan A. Sondo

My name is Venan Akumbom Sondo, I'm from Kedjom Keku (Big Babanki), in Tubah Sub-Division in the North West Region

I currently live in London and I am Co-founder & CEO of CEFEMAC, an interdisciplinary environmental management and change organization currently operating in Bamenda. Professionally, I am a Sustainability Executive in the corporate sustainability transformation space.

My greatest achievement so far has been the project initiator and chief architect for the second only ‘Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)’ project in Cameroon for clean cook stoves under the UN Kyoto Protocol in collaboration with ‘Envirofit International’, a global clean cook stove manufacturer.

I like the beautiful landscape, rich and diverse cultural heritage of the North West Region. Its people are unique and dynamic with a natural tendency to excel in their endeavours. I like the openness and progressive attitude of its people, always open to innovation but very critical at times and rightly so!

My commitment towards the North West Region is to ensure that one day every woman in the North West Region owns a clean cooking technology. I look back and remember most of my aunties, sisters, and brothers and even me cooking in heavily smoked kitchens. In-door air pollution is actually a killer syndrome. In fact, mortality from illnesses relating to indoor air pollution is higher than mortality from tuberculosis, HIV and malaria combined in the world every year. In Cameroon alone, over 11,000 people mostly women and children die from indoor air pollution related illnesses and probably second to HIV and even higher than malaria deaths.

It was a no brainer to pull all the shots I could to ensure that women in this area benefit from a technology that produces 80% less smoke during cooking, can provide up to 70% in firewood savings and also cooks quicker with the opportunity I had. This clean cooking technology called the M-5000 firewood cook stove is currently being distributed in Bamenda with the intention of expanding to other Regions of Cameroon, thanks to a team of like-minded individuals especially ‘Bofas Sarl’ our distribution partner. I hope that one day all women in the North West Region and Cameroon entirely will be able to benefit from this technology.

I owe a lot to the North West Region and its people with respect to my heritage, foundation, education and their kindness evident on the streets of Bamenda. It was a natural decision to start in Bamenda within an environment we perfectly understood bearing in mind that its people are progressive and receptive to innovation. My favourite quote from which I draw my inspiration is the fact that we are not tasked to turn the world upside down, but to do what is necessary at a given place with due consideration of reality. I strongly believe that as individuals we can collectively shape the future of the North West Region if we co-ordinate our endeavours strategically in a manner that will yield tangible synergies, catalyzing measurable actions and not the usual almost disruptive rhetoric. I really admire the few groups that have been able to distinguish themselves from the pack to make a clear difference in their contributions.

I think Project New Bamenda is a perfect channel where we of the North West Region can spotlight the unsung heroes within our community and encourage them accordingly. Unfortunately as a folk, we do not really get to encourage and acknowledge our own folk enough and I think I have seen an end to this in Project New Bamenda. Project New Bamenda is a dynamic platform that will create pathways to harness environmental, social and business initiatives in the North West Region and inspire our youth.

As a Sustainability Executive I strongly believe that it makes perfect sense to align environmental, social and economic dimensions with business objectives. I hope that with CEFEMAC, we will be able to one day operate a world famous change institute in Bamenda where we will leverage our global connections and thought leadership to inspire and pioneer change within communities and business enterprises. We hope to make a tangible contribution towards a development in Bamenda and Cameroon as a whole that is founded on sound sustainable practices considering the scale of challenges confronting our society today.

One Last One

• My favourite dish is definitely “kote-kote” (grilled chicken fried in palm oil and the usual fufu) although I am a fan of ekwang I must admit. So passionate about ekwang I had to call my mum from Brazil for her ekwang recipe as I tried to impress my Brazilian friends with Cameroonian cuisine; I will not say how it went throughJ! You could hardly find anything on ekwang on the internet in the early 21^st Century or yes, time flies indeed.

• My favourite proverb from Bamenda is “One hand no fit tie bundle”. This reminds me every day of the plethora of organisations in Cameroon and in the diaspora struggling in their various corners and making an impact of course, albeit reinventing the wheel and repeating the same mistakes in most instances. We would rarely succeed as individuals if we want to incite meaningful change and I have always been a fan of collective endeavours (that matter) and collaborative platforms. I hope Project New Bamenda will do something unique towards this issue.

  
  

• VENAN means “let’s be happy” and AKUMBOM means “its God given” something like ‘Theodore’ in English. So my name literally means “let’s be happy for it is God given”. In English it would have been something like “Joy Theodore Sondo” but thank God I hail from the North West Region where it makes perfect sense in my dialectJ!