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The President of the Republic of Cameroon, H.E Paul Biya has remained poised in his strides to develop Cameroon and transform it to an emergent country by 2035. No wonder he has extended his presidential and developmental benevolences to the Akwaya man.

The President has declared the tarring of the Akwaya Road in Manyu Division, South West Region of Cameroon. This declaration was made public to the Manyu Population by one of the President's confidents. Prof. Peter Agbor Tabi, Deputy Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic was bearer of this special message from the Head of State. He made this declaration on Tuesday March 24, 2015 at the Mamfe Town Hall on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary Celebration of the CPDM Party.

The Deputy Secretary General told the Manyu Population, mainly CPDM Militants that he has been instructed by the President to announce to them the tarring project on the Akwaya road. Although he didn't give any specific date as to when the tarring is expected to kick off, he reaffirmed the commit of the Head of State to get it done. He also didn't give any details about the location of the new road. He however reminded the population of the Bamenda-Ekok, Kumba-Mamfe Road Projects one of which is near completion and the other ongoing. Peter Agbor Tabi went on that the President has decided that instead of opening, grading and maintaining the road, it should just be tarred at once.

Everything being equal, if this is done, the Akwaya population in particular and Cameroon in general would have been a step ahead in development. Akwaya, one of the biggest Sub-Divisions in Cameroon in terms of surface area with over 99 Villages is always landlocked, cut off from the rest of the country all year round but even worst in the rainy season. Despite its business potentials, sharing boundary with Nigeria, harbouring numerous natural resources, travelling to Akwaya is a mix of nightmare and torture, frustration and pains. Sometimes, one takes averagely three days under deplorable conditions to get to Akwaya passing through Bamenda, Bafut, Befang, Modele, Benakuma and Baworu with exorbitant costs of transportation. For those who go through Nigeria, it is an entirely different music; they have to bear the pinch of passing through another country to get into their own country, a journey they would have done on a 'Baby's Toy Jeep' if the roads were tarred.

It was little wonder therefore why the population almost clapped their palms to the bones when the declaration of the Akwaya Road Tarring Project was made. However, many still remain skeptical, saying that it may be another Political Maneuver.

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Ngwa Bertrand

07.Apr.2015

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Within the backdrop of setbacks, appeal for international support, the ongoing fight against Boko Haram is far from over. As days pass by; this deadly jihadists group swaps camps and tactics. Considering their latest appeal for Material, Financial and Personnel support to ISIS and Al Qaeda networks, the group is said to be fine-tuning tactics and strategies to stage a comeback and recapture most of their lost territories, from the Regional and Nigerian troops.


Africa Media in one of her morning programmes reported that huge consignments of weapons were intercepted by the Chadian forces on patrol at the borders between Chad and Sudan in the eastern part of the Saharan Desert and to the western borders of Niger and Chad. It is not clear whether these weapons were en route to the Mandarra Mountains of the Adamaoua State in Nigeria where Boko Haram is believed to be heavily regrouping. Alshaba another islamists armed group fighting the UN and AU Peace keeping forces in Somalia is reported to have pledged their material and personnel support for Boko Haram as reported by the Kenyan Broadcasting Service.


With peace talks on going in Morocco to bring the different rebel groups in Libya to form a transitional government, if peace is finally reached, the different militia in quest of shelter and money might shift their battle grounds to support Boko Haram. François Bikoro of Afrique Media predicts massive support for Boko Haram in the days ahead in a region that is bedeviled with militia groups like the Tuaregs rebels in Niger and Mali, the Saleka militia in Central Africa, the multiple armed groups in Libya, the Islamists Brotherhood fighters in Egypt and the recent squad emerging in Tunisia give reasons for anyone to believed that the Boko Haram war in Nigeria is far from over. Bikoro makes his point clearer looking at the high rate of unemployment in West and Central Africa as potential source for Boko Haram recruits. Among these fighters are miners who the jihadists group intends to be using in some of the areas with mining deposits for subsequent exchange for ammunitions.


Aljazeera in one its specialized programmes ‘Inside Story’ reported that the recent appeal from SHEKKAU for support is receiving attention within the Islamists terrorist groups. It is believed that their funding to Boko Haram is on a steady increase. This is evident from the increase number of young fighters in the ranks of the group. The media had expressed fears that should the APC candidate Mohammad Buhari fail in winning the March 28 Presidential Elections, the Boko Haram activities will escalate to scandalous heights, considering that quarters see that a change of regime from a Westerner to a Northerner might end the insurgence.
Sources close the Presidency of Cameroon have hinted National Telegraph that government is contemplating on a possible slash in civil servants’ salaries in the months ahead as their support in the fight against Boko Haram. This reduction in salaries will be proportionate to what each civil servant earns. National Telegraph further learned.


The massive ongoing mobilization from the Islamists terrorists groups in support of Boko Haram, seems to be keeping the government under permanent fear of the unknown. The National Security Council under the chairmanship of the Head of State is expected to be convened in the days ahead following the return of the Head of state from Europe. Meanwhile, top military officials are said to have been dispatched to Israel, U.S and the France for more desert war skills and tactics. All of these can only be translated into CFA and more CFA.


With increasing financial demands faced by President Biya’s government to address the ever increasing health problems especially the fight against the dreaded Ebola Virus compounded by other terminal diseases like malaria, polio, HIV/AIDS demanding justice in the form of provision of health care facilities and personnel that are by far insufficient, classified mafia from mission orders where some civil servants have fattened even the worms in their gardens, electricity and water needs beckoning on a touch of survival, road infrastructures submerged in President Biya’s three years emergency plan, financial demands from tender boards and other civil servants badly awaiting their arrears, ghost workers and fake pensioners robbing the state of lumpsums in broad day light, amongst many other stamps on the national bank account of Cameroon are all scores for the Biya regime to settle. Much money a reliable source hinted National Telegraph is also needed to fight cyber crimes and tighten presidential security in order to avoid any future intrusion into the presidential website. During the annual general meeting of the Kumbo Mutual Health Cooperative Society it was revealed that during the year under review, GIZ, German Technical Cooperation withdrew its support from the health sector in Cameroon with effect from May 12, 2014. The year National Telegraph has also learned, witnessed the gradual drop in contribution or renewals and adhesions in alarming rates while bills from service providers were very high or even more than the revenue during some months. Support to National Parks nationwide is also expected to stop in about a year or two from now and the American Health Sponsored HIV/AIDS Programme under the Cameroon Baptist Convention will also soon end. All of these and many more are issues that the government must contain.


With the fragile peace agreement in Central Africa, should it not hold, Cameroon will be facing attacks of kidnappings from two fronts. A coalition of opposition parties in the Chadian parliament are calling for the withdrawal of Chadian troops from the war against Boko Haram for lack of finances. If this was to be done, the Cameroonian troops will need more resources than ever to be combat ready. Consequently, our source concluded that salary slash is the obvious.

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Ngwa Bertrand

07.Apr.2015

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Development of Rural Microfinance (PADMIR) Monday 30th March, 2015 announced the extension of its services to the Northwest Region. According to the facilitation Fund manager Piere Martin, the Region is entitled to two billion (FCFA 2bn) from PADMIR's partners that is, the government of Cameroon and the International Fund for Agriculture Development IFAD. The project has as Objectives improving the environment of microfinance to better take into account the issues of rural finance by stakeholders and increasing access of rural population to financial services to meet their needs in a sustainable manner and at an affordable cost.  

Thomas Nkouenkeu the Project coordinator like Mussa Shey Nfor president of CamCCUL one of the actual partners told hilltopvoices that Credit Unions within the Cameroon Cooperative Credit Union League will be used for the project implementation for reasons of transparency, credibility and competence. Mussa Shey Nfor also added that normally Credit Unions give short term loans but the PADMIR funds will allow Credit Unions to give medium term loans for up to five years.
This information was disclosed during a one day workshop held in Bamenda attended by authorities of Credit Unions in the Northwest Region.

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Ngwa Bertrand

03.Apr.2015

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Two aircrafts ordered by the Cameroonian government from China  were presented in the presence of John Paul Nana Sandjo , CEO of Camair-Co on  Wednesday April 1,2015 on the asphalt of the Douala military air base 201 . During the ceremony , Dr. Mefiro Oumarou , Minister Delegate to the Minister of Transport , who chaired the ceremony explained that the orders of the new aircrafts was to boost the fleet of Camair-co.

The Minister further stressed that the new aircrafts will increase mobility of Cameroonians within the national territory and the surrounding sub-sahara region. The two aircrafts are products of the Chinese company holding Avic International and are painted in the colors of the national airline Camair-Co.

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Ngwa Bertrand

03.Apr.2015

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Chinese citizens in Ghana are engaging in illegal mining activities, destroying fertile farmlands and water bodies in many parts of the country. Since 2012, the numbers of Chinese in Ghana have increased significantly and most of them enter the country without permit with the help of corrupt security officials at the entry points of the country. The Ghana Immigration Service has said that there are more than 3,000 Chinese in Ghana with resident permits. However, the number of Chinese engaged in illegal gold mining activities is unclear, since none of them have been registered. Ghana’s law stipulates that no foreigner should engage in Small Scale Mining but the Chinese have continued to violate the law with impunity with the help of local residents in areas where the precious metal is located. According to reports in the mining areas, the locals have offered the Chinese shelters within the community as part of a strategy to outwit law enforcement agencies by pretending that they are in charge of the mining activities.

The Chinese who are very well equipped with tools and equipments for the mining then take advantage and use their heavy machines and deadly chemicals to mine for the gold, destroying the environment in the process. A lawmaker representing one of the constituencies where this conspiracy takes place- Joe Osei Owusu told the Ghanaian Parliament that the situation is alarming and that government needs to intensify public education in the area to let local residents know the repercussions. ``Government needs to take action now to avoid the situation where our water bodies and farmlands would be completely destroyed by the activities of the Chinese. An effective public education to residents to let them know the danger involved and gathering of intelligence by the security services to arrest any local resident who conspire with the Chinese would help solve the problem’’, he said. But a member of the Small Scale Miners Association of Ghana- Eric Kofi Rivers argued the laws on small scale mining should be review by lawmakers to criminalize foreigners who provided assistance to indigenous people to carry out mining activities. “If a foreigner has mining equipment and a small scale miner helps him, there is no law in this country which is against that the mining law doesn’t tell anybody that if you have a mining equipment don’t help anybody,” he told Star Fm in Accra.

Last year, security officials arrested many Chinese who were engaging in illegal mining. Many were deported. Independent observers have said that the Chinese’s invasion of the country is due to some agreement the Ghanaian government has signed with the Chinese government. But the Chinese government in Beijing has said through its representative in Ghana that the fact that Ghana and China have sign many agreement in partnership is not a licensing for any Chinese citizen to break the laws of Ghana. Ghana was known as the Gold Coast before gaining independence in 1957. Since then the Gold has been one of the backbones of the country’s economy.

 

 

 

 

 

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Ngwa Bertrand

25.Mar.2015

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China will build a 400-megawatt solar energy in the shortest possible time in Ghana to help solve the country’s current energy crisis that has almost brought economic activities to a stand-still. Ghana has been in energy crisis for the past two years but the current situation beginning this year is serious. Households and industries are deprived of electricity for more than 24 hours. The solar plant is estimated to cost some $1 billion and it is expected that work will start as soon as possible since it is one of the Chinese government’s African investment priorities.

The Chinese Embassy spokesman in Ghana, Zhou Youbin has confirmed the news saying that China's Hanergy Group has been given the responsibility to lead the project. He said Ghana has become one of the trading partners of China and the government in Beijing is taken all the necessary steps to strengthen this relationship. “China, as a traditional friend and an important development partner over the years, has spared no efforts in supporting the development and construction of Ghana. In 2014, statistics about China-Ghana cooperation was inspiring. Ghana's export to China and Chinese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows to Ghana has both surpassed one billion dollars, making China the biggest investor of Ghana in the past year’’, he said. Mr. Youbin also added that the two countries need to continue their support to each other, stressing ``the most important thing is to balance the interests of the stakeholders, mainly the government, mining communities and the investor. Policies to ensure the healthy and sustainable development of the mining sector should be designed as soon as possible.’’

Over the last four years, the Chinese government has invested hugely in areas in Ghana such as roads, energy, water and communications. Majority of Ghana’s energy comes from hydro. But the Akosombo hydro dam which was built by Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah in 1964 has not been managed properly by successive Ghanaian governments, culminating in the current energy crisis in the country. In January this year, the Ghanaian government reached an agreement with the United States energy giants, General Electricals worth $1 billion for the supply of energy to the country. But that agreement is not meant to solve the short term energy crisis in the short term. Energy experts have criticized the government for failing to deal with the energy situation and many political commentators say the energy crisis would be a crucial determinant if Ghanaians will or not retain the government in next year’s general elections.

 

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Ngwa Bertrand

23.Mar.2015

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