I plan to introduce the production of motor tires in Cameroon.-Kumasi Simon:

 Director of the Gulf Field National Advanced School of Petroleum, Beside SONARA-Limbe

This press chat is taking place in the heart of a joint section conference for CPDM Mezam II so it will not be out of place for you to tell us who you are within the ranks of the CPDM in Mezam II.

Politics in Santa is all about the National Chairman who is a model to us. The Head of State has given us a lot here so we cannot really say who is a political Icon. At 34 you can see it yourself that the party has done much in Santa in terms of development. This is summarised in the theme of today’s event From Party Politics to Politics of Development. There is a time for information when people need to be educated and there is a time for people to move from education to reality. CPDM is now doing things for the world to see.

Can you introduce the Gulf Field National Advanced School of Petroleum in Limbe to Cameroonians?

You heard the head of State talking about the emerging Cameroon. That’s his vision and as a leader, when he gives the vision, we simply take it along. The vision is, emerging Cameroon in 2035. This simply means becoming a Cameroon that can do things and not a Cameroon on paper. Cameroonians should be people who can do and not only talk. This is what is called emergence. For Cameroon to be referred to as emerging means Cameroonians should be capable of doing these things. We should not wait for people to come from outside and do things for us. We should stop this idea of paper work, certificates and things of that nature. We should begin to do things. So I thought that the petroleum sector is a very complicated one and that being complicated as it is, Cameroonians should be capable of doing anything at anytime because they have somebody who is directing the youths telling them that tomorrow is for you and for tomorrow to really be for you, you should be able to do and not just talk.

So I thought that the Cameroonian Education system must look productive and therefore I came out with the Gulf Field National Advanced School of Petroleum which is today the Gulf Field University Institute of Petroleum, Mining and Management Sciences. We Cameroonians must be capable to do seismic studies, to be able to determine where there is petroleum and to be able to drill it. From here they should be capable of getting the Chemical which the refinery should be capable of refining. They should also have the capability to put the logistic aspect together and then you will see everything moving. After seventy years we cannot be still talking about the whites coming to do things for us. We Cameroonians can do it and this is possible my dear brothers.

What is the next thing in your plan of action?

I plan to introduce the production of motor tires in Cameroon. There is rubber in Tiko and therefore we don’t need to transport the raw material back to Europe for tires to be produced and transported back to Cameroon. We are the losers because we pay the cost of transportation and the cost of bringing it back here. That’s why tires and cars are so expensive here and not expensive over there. The raw materials are from here so why can we not do it? This is why I am coming out with this idea of productive education for the Cameroonian people.

Back on campus how is methodology reflecting this focus on savoir faire?

Since we are focused on savoir faire, the second year of our programmes is focused on practical. After practical, the students are selected to travel over there in Europe to do specialised programmes. This permits them to become masters meaning that these are people coming back ripe enough to go into the productive sectors such as the mining,petroleum,engineering, production exploration among others. They are there in Ukraine and in Russia and when they come back they will make Cameroon productive. To become productive will not just mean to sit in class and after that they give you a paper that it’s a certificate. No! Look at the whole country now. Everyone talks about Professors, doctors all over the place but what is happening? Where is the country? This is because we have been mentally enslaved by foreign educational systems that do not reflect Cameroon. It is time we go down and get to do it, to fabricate, to produce. This is the time. When we do this then we can realise the 2035 vision of emergence that the President is talking about.

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HRH Fon Angwafor III of Mankon: The Vice National Chairperson of the Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement.

“We should solve the Anglophone Crisis as a Nation”

The Party is celebrating its 34th Anniversary and it is but proper that we seek your opinion on the performance of the party so far.

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We celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the country and now we are celebrating the 34th anniversary of the leadership of Paul Biya. The grounds we have covered in more than half of the 50 years is highly commendable and we can only give account of the progress for these 34 years.

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As a political party how far has the CPDM gone in pushing Cameroon towards Democracy and Emergence?

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CPDM has contributed so much in 34 years in terms of progress. We have always operated within a democratic framework throughout the 34 years that we’ve been at the helm of power in Cameroon. What we really need is peace and we’ve done that so it’s a great achievement. President Paul Biya is poised to take Cameroon to the stage of emergence by 2035.

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After 34 years, are you in support of another term of office for President Paul Biya?

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  I am a militant of the party no matter the position and President Paul Biya is leader of that same party. It is his government and it is his party. You do not impose on any militant but if he is determined to continue, it is left for the party to support him and it is left for the population to endorse that taking into account his successful 34 years of peaceful administration.

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How successful do you think the party has been towards bringing people together?

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From the beginning CPDM has been going step by step towards our goal in peace. We’ve also talked to people to work for our country. If you see the improvement and the contribution individuals and organisations are making then you will agree with me that we are moving towards somewhere. We West Cameroonians voted for reunification and so far we’ve had it. We voted it in peace and we are living it in peace. Democracy is what we are practicing and there are hurdles on the way but we are moving forward step by step and it’s admirable.

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What is your take on the fact that some Cameroonians of English expression call themselves Southern Cameroonians and are actually gunning for a separate state?

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Come on, that’s simply politics. I am the Fon of Mankon and I’ve been here for more than fifty years.We worked for independence and we’ve celebrated our fiftieth year of reunification. I have been a member of the party for 34 years. I provided land for the construction of the Congress hall in Bamenda. I was the Chairman of the Mankon Council. We now have the Bamenda City Council with a government Delegate and this is all progress administratively. You cannot have democracy without people talking otherwise it will be a democracy with people who are dead. If we don’t have problems then Cameroon is dead. Cameroon moved from a mandated territory to independence. The Germans and subsequently the British ruled Cameroon. Today we are ruling ourselves. Every time there is change, people must talk. What sense is there to break all that we’ve built as a nation and start all over again? You can’t move forward without talking and without mistakes. The worse of it is to start afresh because if we start a new Cameroon, in fifty years we would have discovered other problems and some may resolve to start again. We’ve gone far more than half a century. If you stop to think you will see that it has not been good for all of us. In that case it is right to say that the government should do something.

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Do Anglophones in Cameroon have a problem?

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They do have a problem. Government has always moved forward by solving problems and if they have a problem the government will solve it just like it’s been solving problems all along. The country should never think of moving backward and starting all over. If the Anglophones have a problem the whole country should solve it. We should solve the Anglophone problem as a nation. If they think that the problem can only be solved trough separation ten when they eventually have a problem after separation maybe another separation will be required. Together we must move forward. We must accept that we solved the problem by the plebiscite we had. We were divided by the colonial people. We became an independent nation by a plebiscite. If we have another plebiscite we should be aimed at solving the problems that we have. We can’t move forward without problems. I am Fon of Mankon. Don’t you think I have problems with the other Fons of the Northwest? We should discuss the problem, find a solution and move on. Life is full of problems and you don’t solve problems by running away from them.

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How has the party evolved in this strategic part of the country called the Northwest Region? 

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I equally have a problem. Why don’t I have a tarred road to the palace? I simply want the road to be tarred but I don’t want the country to be divided simply because I have a problem. Life is changing and we must change with the trends. I am dissatisfied with the level of development in the Northwest region like any Cameroonian is dissatisfied with the problems that they are facing. I normally want the problems to be looked into. Northwest needs a greater share in the national cake.

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Your highness, you certainly have a message for Cameroonians on this 34th anniversary of the party.

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I have been Fon since independence. I have tested the reunification we voted for. I have tested the CPDM. I went to Parliament as an independent candidate in 1960. I became a member of the CNU Party. With my new party I provided the land for the party Congress hall. We are presently working together to solve our individual problems. Cameroon needs everyone onboard so that all of us can be part of that emergence. I have to take myself into development efforts just like anyone of you. To do this we have to accept that all of us belong to one country. Those who are working will get there and those who are talking will continue to talk.

Interviewed by Francis Ekongang Nzante and Nchong Chrisantus in 2016

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Baba Ahmadou Danpullo :

TheDiscrete Emperor of the Cameroon Business landscape.

According to Forbes Africa, the richest man in francophone sub-Saharan Africa is Baba Ahmadou Danpullo whose fortune has been valued at 547 billion FCFA approximately 920 million dollars. He obtained these riches from his multiple investments in real-estate, telecom and agro-industry.

Just back from the Mosque during the feast of the Ram

The billionaire detains 30% of Nexttel’s (third mobile operator in the country) shares through his company Bestinvet Cameroon (BestCam). However, Danpullo, who according to his close acquaintances holds more assets in Nigeria than Cameroon, is popular in Cameroon for his massive Ndawara Tea Plantations in the North-West Region from where tea is exported by Ndawara Tea Estates.

Additionally, his ranch in Ndawara counts thousands of cattle heads from which, the biggest specimen was exposed at the Ebolowa Agro-pastoral Show. The animal amazed the head of State President Paul Biya.

Residence in  the heart of  the Ndawara Ranch a few KM from Bamenda

Apart from all these achievements, Cameroon’s richest man, has numerous real-estate assets in Nigeria, France, Switzerland and South Africa including two malls in Cape Town and the Johannesburg’s Marble towers, 32 floors and 152 m tall, third tallest in Nelson Mandela’s nation.

In 2009, Baba Ahmadou Danpullo donated 100 million FCFA to the ruling party, the CPDM. He then ventured into the Communication Sector creating the TV channel DBS (Dan Broadcasting System).The Billionaire is also a minority shareholder in state-owned companies such as Sodecoton, Airports of Cameroon (ADC) and took over the Tea Industry from Cameroon Tea Estates (CTE), privatizing it.

Multiple sources hold that he backed the Philippine firm ICTSI to acquire the Container Terminal at the Kribi’s Deep Sea Port which was finally awarded to a Franco-Chinese consortium led by the Bolloré group.

Baba Ahmadou Danpullo is of the Peul ethnic group and is a Muslim. He grew up in a modest family and started his activities as a Truck Driver and owner of a couple of shops.  Having obtained an importation license for rice and flour he obtained a   huge bank loan and immersed himself in the world of importation.

He has been described differently by different journalists across the national territory. On jeuneafrique.com on the 7^th of August 2013 he was described as the discrete emperor of Cameroonian Business. On June 28, 2016 he was again described by the same medium as the friend of the government.

His discreteness was manifested in the surprise of many Cameroonians when monthly Forbes Magazine in the November 2015 edition announced that he was the richest man in francophone Africa. This revelation was completely contrary to the popular Cameroonian imagination.

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Whatever you do as a Cameroonian should be done professionally 

-Dr. Eric Takang Ebai, Ministry of Livestock and Fishery

Dr. Eric Takang Ebai is Holder of a PHD Degree in Quality Control. Prior to this he did Veterinary studies at the University of Nigeria NSUKA from where he graduated in 1992. He later benefited from a Common Wealth Scholarship which opened the way for his Master Degree studies in International Animal Health at the University of Edinburgh. Presently he works at the Ministry of Livestock and Fishery and is one of the finest professionals in this Ministry. He was interviewed by Francis Ekongang Nzante of Cameroon People.

What is your general appraisal of the road Cameroon has so far covered in the domain of Livestock and Fishery?

The Authorities in Cameroon have done quite a lot to improve upon the Livestock and Fishery Sector. Basically we started off with production units in Cattle and Fish, rudimentary if I may put it as such. We were faced with a lot of challenges especially with the outbreak of diseases that affected the cattle. The Cameroonian government fought it tooth and nail. This has improved our production and today we have over six million herds which is good though we can improve on it.

 In the Fishery sector there is rudimentary fishing dominantly by foreigners and the proliferation of fish ponds though not in all parts of the country. There is the need to train nationals in the fishing sector so as to permit them benefit from certain national schemes. The Cameroonian government is putting in place a plan to improve upon Aquaculture or fish farming. Before now we produced over two hundred tons of fish but with this move things will change reasonably.

What measures are being put in place to enhance sustainability in the sector and how is the common man involved in activities of the sector?

Dr Takang Eric Ebai and Family

 The President of the Republic recently talked of Second generation Agriculture and I think this will involve the Ministry of Livestock and Fishery. This will mean putting in place structures in the sector and making means available to put these structures to use. In this manner the government will be making sure that there is sustainability in the sector. There are a lot of projects that the government has put in place concerning the training of youths. This will empower them and get them involved in activities in the sector with the little capital that they are provided to start up with. That’s why now we see a lot of fish farms as youth continuously benefit from these government programmes. So youths are becoming more interested and are more involved in training programmes. That’s why many of them are now involved in fish farming and animal rearing.

 

If a simple Cameroonian wants to know where to go to for a formal training in the sector, what would you tell him in such a situation?

It depends on what you want to do.  If you are a student with the GCE ordinary or advanced levels and you want to do the Veterinary nursing or assistant veterinary nursing programme, you can be directed to Jakiri or Maroua. If you want to become a livestock technician you can go to Maroua or Jakiri and even in Fumban. There is also the training in Fishery and Aquaculture in Kumba at the diploma level. But if you want to go for higher studies at the degree level say in Veterinary Medicines, Engineering or fish farming, we have the School of Fishery in Douala were you can do a tree year or a five year programme to come out with a Master Degree. You can go to the University of Ngoundere to come out as a Veterinary Doctor. There are some private institutions as well.

This domain constitutes a very important aspect of the economy and if well harnessed can contribute greatly towards the growth and emergence of the nation. Are you of this opinion?

Definitely. The main source of protein in this country is from animals though we may talk of some other sources. From the FAO report which says we need a minimum intake of protein to live a healthy active live, we are not yet there. With the advent of training more people and the government putting in place structures and programs for livestock farmers, we see more and more people creating employment. This generates income and takes care of families in many ways. This is an enormous contribution to the growth of the nation through the provision of employment and poverty reduction. Clearly a growth of the sector will directly contribute to the emergence of the country by 2035.

What last message do you have for Cameroonians?

Whatever you do as a Cameroonian should be done professionally so that you contribute at your own level towards the emergence of Cameroon. Individualistic tendencies in which people only think in terms of grabbing everything cannot help us. We must work in groups and share ideas so as to move forward. This should be done with an open mind and in your own small way you will push the country forward. You will see what you have given your country rather than what the country has given you. Cameroonians should show what they have done for their country and not the other way round.

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