Cameroon’s 92-year-old, President Paul BIYA, and First Lady, Chantal BIYA, are now in Cannes, France, after the Olympics, wasting the country’s taxpayer’s money.

Mr. Paul Biya, who barely walks, will attend ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the Allied landing in Provence, France, on 15 August 2024.

The ailing Cameroonian head of state has been out of the country for 3 weeks since July 24, 2024 and his return date has not yet been announced.

Mr. Biya who hardly attends any event on the African continent is always healthy and young enough to attend events out of the continent.

By Alain Agbor Ebot

The new Senior Divisional Officer for Manyu Division, Awounfack Alienou Yves Bertrand, will be visiting Mamfe which is the Manyu Divisional headquarters in what many have dubbed a meet the people’s tour.

The visit, which will be attended by many elites of the Division, has led to some Yaoundé-based Mamfe Central elites to call on many sons and daughters of the sub-division to spend their last savings just to be in the good books of the Yaoundé-based, CPDM Manyu elites.

In a message from Professor George Echu, Adviser at the Presidency of the Republic, the sons and daughters of Mamfe Central were urged to pay out of pocket just to make the event a success even when the government provides a budget for such visits.

“Good morning brothers and sisters from Mamfe Central Subdivision. The new SDO for Manyu will be visiting our Subdivision on the 16th of August 2024. In order to prepare for the said tour, the DO for Mamfe Central presided over a meeting on Tuesday this week in Mamfe. Committees were put in place, and I was designated to head the Steering Committee. To facilitate financial contributions towards the success of the event, levies have been agreed upon. They will be communicated in the hours ahead. The Treasurer designated for collection of funds is the Municipal Treasurer, Mrs Etape Otilia (Tel. 670 15 77 59)

Note that this Forum is apolitical. We therefore count on the participation of all sons and daughters of our Subdivision.

Prof. Echu George

Technical Adviser, PRC,” the message says.

The above message was accompanied by another document urging the people of Mamfe Central who are dealing with tough financial times complicated by inflation and unemployment to dig into their meager resources just to enable the SDO who reside in Mamfe town to visit Mamfe town.

Even retirees, who have fixed incomes and are dealing with serious financial headwinds, were called upon to chip in for an event which will last for three hours.

The message which was sent out at short notice has already brought in over CFAF 12 million, testimony to the fact that money is not a problem in Manyu Division, but the lack of a strong will to mobilize resources for development purposes.

If Mamfe Central can bring in over CFAF 12 million at short notice, then the entire Manyu Division can mobilize significant amounts of money for development purposes for the development-thirsty Division.

Strangely, this type of mobilization cannot be attained for the Division’s development because none of those on the list that has been sent out will be expecting an appointment. The disease of appointment has destroyed Cameroon but Mamfe appears to be the hardest hit.

Manyu needs a huge development injection. It needs job-creating opportunities but the Division’s political elites, who are supposed to provide much-needed leadership, are not interested in anything that will not give them the political visibility they desperately need.

If those in Cameroon could be convinced to pay for a visit which will not last more than three hours, the same leaders can also come up with transformative projects for Manyu and call out on the Diaspora to bring its financial weight so that the Division can be given the facelift it needs.

Below is the list of those who have struggled to pay:

Update for contributions

1 Min Victor Arrey Nkongho Mengot 303000frs

2 Nfor Tabetando 500000frs

2 Min Mbiayor Clarkson 51000frs

3 Prof Echu George 205.000pfrs

4 Hon Agbor Ntui Johana 102.000fr

5 Chief Eshobi 250.000fr

6 Mamfe Council 1.000.000frs

7 Mayor Tabenchong 500.000fr

8 Colonel Enow Joseph 102.000fr

9 Mrs Ebai Pauline 25000frs

10 Mr Ebai John 25.000fr

11 Dr Etchu kingsley 50.500frs

12 Mr Tabi Betek 51.000frs

13 Nchang family meeting yaounde 50.000fr

14 Mr Mbiwan Nchaffu 30.500frs

15 Harrison Ako Eku 25.350frs

16 Dr Boniface Fortaboh 30.600frs

17 Mr Etchi Raph Enow 30.600frs

18 Mrs Arrey Pauline Echu 25.300fr

19 Pa Agbor B B 30.000fr

20 Mayor Egbe Ebai Frida 30.000fr

21 prof Eyong 100.000fr

22 N A Harman Taku 26.000fr

23 Epouse Obi Etchu Maureen 40.500fr

24 Mr Kingsley Ayuk MGbatu 25.500fr

25 Mr Fredy Eta Besong 56.000fr

26 Mrs Enow Orock Sarah Besem 53.000fr

27 Okoyong Chiefdom 250.000frs

28 Prof Agbor Tabe Nicoline 25.000fr

29 councillor Mbiatem Collins 10.000fr

30 Bachuo Ntai Chiefdom 400.000fr

31 Mr Mbiayor Mbiayoh Davidson 25.000fr

32 Mr Eric Agbor Eyong 20.500fr

33 Mrs Mary Anne Etchu 30.000frs

34 Mr Victor Eyong 25000frs

35 Hon Rose Abunaw 25.000fr

36 Mr Fru George Ntung 100.000frs

37 Nso Andreas 25.000frs

38 Mr Andrew Egbe Enow 61.000frs

39 Gilbert Foto Asongna 10.300frs

40 Mrs Rose Ojong 25.000frs

41 Mr Martin Tabe Eyong 20.500frs

42 Dr Nsoh Agbor Ferdinand 25.000frs

43 Mrs Teckla Ayuk Enow 10.000frs

44. Mr George Agbor Ntoh 50.000frs

45. Mme Agbor Brenda Bessem 30.000frs

46. Mrs Ashu Prisley Ojong 15.000frs

47. Mr Enow Taku Princewill 25.000frs

48. Mrs Takor Frida Enow 20400frs

49. Mr Besong James Ako 61.000frs

50. Barrister Fotso Martin Tabi 20.000frs

51. Mrs Ayuketah Pamela 100.000frs

52. Ashu Synthia Manyia 25.000 25.000frs

54. Mr Lukas Boukar 100.000frs

55. Mariette Nadine 30.500frs

56. Mrs Christne Nathalie Kenmoe 25000fr

57. Mr Egbe Herod 30.500frs

58. Mr Echu John Betek 25000fr

59. Mrs Ayuk Grace 25000fr

60. Mrs Bridgette Ndiep Asam 25000frs

61. Mr Tangi livinus Ngu 25000fr

62. Chief Bala Ibrahim Baba 15.000frs

63. Prof Julius Oben 250.000frs

63. Eyang Nchang Chiefdom 250.000frs l

64. Barister Ako Robert 50000fr

65. People co-operative 25000frs

66. Egbekaw Chiefdom 250,000

67. NOCUDA Manyu 25,000

68. Mr and Mrs Etchu Ayukegba 60,000

69. Mitanyen Coop credit Union 100,000

70. Mrs Ojongobi Joan 10150

71. Mr  Mutas Lawrence mbo 100,000

72. Eyang Ntui Chiefdom 253,500

73. Prophet Jack Tabetando 30.500frs

74. MrsCatherine Beyang 50.500frs

 75. Sessekou Nyenty 30.500frs

76. Mr Abang Charles 102.500frs

77. Dr Agbor Magdaline 51.000frs

78. Mamfe Chiefdom 600.000frs

79. Hon Nfor Dr Godson Orock 50000fr

80. Mrs Oben Agnes Betek 20000fr

81. MrTambe Tarkang 100.000frs

82. Mr  Bisong Egbe Tabi 302,000frs

83. Mr Mua kwo 25000frs

84. Mr Moleka Nakeri 25000frs

85. Mr Njita Christo 25000frs

86. Mrs Tarh Rose 25000frs

87. Mrs Noromo Victorine 25000frs

88. Mr Nchoteba Jerome 25000frs

89. Mr Nathaniel Okenyi Eyong 25500frs

90. Mr Afulgang Donald 25000frs

91. Hybrid Engineering 50000frs

92. Mr Enow Etta Emmanuel 100.000frs

93. Mrs Winifred Ayuk Arrey 15300fr

94. Mr Tarkang Jane 25500frs

95. Justice Charles Oben Mbiatem 102.000frs

96. MrEmmanuel Enow Oben 10300frs

97. Besongabang community 400.000fr

98. Nchang community 400.000frs

99. Councillor Nkongho Bessem 10000frs

100. Chief/Prof Ferdinand Orock 102,000

101. Prof Sarah Anyang Agbor 25,200

102. Mrs Agbor Tambe Martina 51,000

103. Mr Ayamba Perkins 10000frs

104. Councillor Pius Ngangmanyi Attoh 10000frs

105. Manager NFC Bank 30500frs

106. MrAgbor Sampson Eyong 51000frs

107. MrAyuk Manfred 30600frs

108. Chief JusticeAgbor James

Eyong 51000frs

109. Mrs Lilian Alweli Etoki 50000frs

 110. Mr Kenneth Ako Eyong 40500frs

111. ÉLÈVE Construction 52000frs

112. Mr Ayuk Iyok 50000frs

113. Transporters syndicat 100.000fr

114. Mr Victor Agbor Enow 10100frs

115. Mrs Anna Etaka Egbe 25600frs

116. Prof Mathias Esum 52000frs

117. Mr Ivo Enongene Etone DD Sport 25300frs

118. Mr Ernest Egbe Enow 51000frs

119 D.O Orock Benjamin

 Agbor 51000frs

120. Princess Tabetando Enow Etaka 51000frs

121. Tabe Felicia Hair dresser 20400frs

122. Mayor Emeritus Ayuk Takonchung John 51000frs

123. Mr Besong Andrew Mboe 30000frs

124.Justice Eware Ashu 50000frs

125. Mrs Sarah Effimbi Ayuk 31000frs

126. Mr Abunaw Martin Tiku 25000frs

127. Mrs Abunaw Esther Takem  Nforsong 25000frs

128. Barrister Ayuk lambert Mbeng 31000frs

129. Mr Orock Samuel Otang 60000frs

130. Mr Roland Agbor Ekem 20400frs

131. Jennet Ayuk Tanyi 10000frs

132. Dr Taku Armstrong 25300

133. Mrs Takangeyong Colette 41,000frs

134 Mrs Takang Ernestine B 20000frs

145 Mrs Ebai Anna Etchibarow 10200frs

146 Dr Desmond Tiku Ayuk 25300frs

147 Mr Terence Achuo Ashu 21000frs

148 Mr Kenneth Oben 51000frs

149 Mr Emmanuel Oben Takoeta 50000frs

150 Mr Emmanuel Asa Ashu 25500frs

151 DD MINEPAT 25500frs

152 Councillor Asabe Karl Toumi 10000frs

153 Mr Sone Gilbert DTMamfe 25000frs

154 Councillor Mbi Eyong  Christopher 10000frs

155 Nigerian Community 150000frs

156 Chief Taku Agbor Elias 150000frs

157 Nfaitock 11 Community 250000frs

158 Mamfe Central Head Teacher 150000frs

159 Mr Mbiatem Richard 10000frs

160 Mr Ebai Takang 25000frs

161 Mr Askam Jacob 25000frs

162 MASAWA 25000frs

163 Mrs Eyong Tambong Christy 25000frs

164 Mrs Eheh Debora 25000frs

165 Mrs Tata Mercy 25000frs

166 Mr Eta Ojong 25000frs

167 Mrs Ebongo Sarah 25000frs

168 Mr Ayuk Ayuk Thomas 20000frs

169 Mrs Melvis Njume 20000frs

170 Mrs Enow Nsong Alvin 20000frs

171 Mrs Miranda Edube 20000frs

171 Butchers Union 50000frs

172 Ndanjoe Comprehensive 10000frs

173 Petrol Union Mamfe 500000frs

174 Manyu Home Boys/Girls 20000frs

Total =12,096,600frs

By Staff man Alain Agbor Ebot

A bus crash on National Road No. 3 killed two people and injured nine on Monday, August 13.

The accident occurred around 9 a.m. near Sombo village, between Yaoundé and Douala, Cameroon’s two largest cities. It involved a Finexs Voyages bus traveling from Douala to Yaoundé that collided with a logging truck, according to a company statement.

The truck driver attempted to overtake another vehicle on a blind curve, triggering a chain reaction that also involved a flatbed truck. The bus overturned into the bush. Rescue teams quickly responded to assist the injured, and an investigation has been launched to determine the exact causes of the accident and establish accountability.

The accident comes as the Ministry of Transport is stepping up a road safety campaign launched on June 5. The effort, aimed at reducing accidents during the busy holiday and back-to-school season, runs until Sept. 30.

In the framework of that operation, Transport Minister Jean Ernest Masséna Ngalle Bibehe inspected roads in Ebebda, Yaoundé, and Douala this week to assess compliance. Of 290 vehicles checked on National Road No. 4, linking Yaounde to Bafoussam, 210 failed inspections. Similar results were found on National Road No. 3.

The campaign also highlighted efforts by certain companies to improve road safety. For instance, Touristique Express was commended for installing onboard cameras in its buses, an initiative aimed at monitoring driver behavior and preventing accidents. Recently involved in several incidents, the company has taken measures to enhance safety.

During his visits, Minister Bibehe reiterated the importance of strict adherence to road safety rules and encouraged greater awareness among transport operators and travelers. According to the Ministry of Transport’s communications department, severe penalties have been imposed on violators to set an example and promote more responsible behavior on the roads.

Source: sbbc

Greed is a disease which can destroy a country or community if its leaders do not rid themselves of this illness. This is exactly what is happening to MOHWA which was once a hope-inspiring organization.

MOHWA leaders do not seem to understand that leadership is about selflessness, service and humility. Leadership is an opportunity for any leader to immortalize their names. It is an opportunity to serve humanity and to give back to a community which could have been instrumental in our own growth and development.

MOHWA leaders hold that leadership is an opportunity for them to intimidate their people into submission. They see leadership as an opportunity to rob their own people blind and to use their influence for political purposes.

And this mentality has destroyed MOHWA. The leaders have shot themselves in the foot. Their following has reduced considerably. The organization’s finances have been diminished as donors lose appetite for MOHWA operations.

In Mamfe, there is a mad rush to join EYUMEMA due to the scandal which has reduced MOHWA to an empty shell. MOHWA Mamfe is dead. Its members are converting even when EYUMEMA is not yet firmly established in Mamfe. Young women just like their mothers are begging to join EYUMEMA. They have been disappointed by the MOHWA leadership which has fallen short of their glorious expectations.

In Cameroon, if EYUMEMA decides to include a membership test in its registration process, most Manyu women will sit the exam without complaint.

Following calls from Cameroon from women who want to get registered as EYUMEMA members, the Cameroon Concord News decided to send its reporters to interview a few women in order to gauge the level of enthusiasm to join EYUMEMA and the extent of disappointment with MOHWA, and the women had this to say.

For purposes of anonymity, the Cameroon Concord News has decided to use only the first names of those who spoke to our correspondents.

Lydia, a mother of two who is a small business owner in Mamfe said that: “I was a strong supporter of MOHWA. It hurts me to see that this association is being destroyed by greed and arrogance. I have been reading the articles published by the Cameroon Concord News and they are really overwhelming and devastating. The president of MOHWA should think of resigning or commissioning an investigation into those allegations. Most of the allegations border on money, manipulation and arrogance. A leader is supposed to be humble and selfless but from what I have read so far, the MOHWA president is not a people person. If I were to advise her, I would tell her to resign and let time prove her right. I am really disappointed and I am already thinking of joining EYUMEMA which is already demonstrating that it can deliver some great projects to Manyu.”

In Kumba, the same disappointment was exhibited by a member of MOHWA who is completely overwhelmed by the negative press the organization is receiving due to Comfort Beyang’s greed and manipulation.

“The negative press is not a surprise to me. When members of our delegation returned from the Yaoundé AGM in June, the feedback was totally negative. We were told that Comfort Beyang and Agbor Tambe Martina were very domineering and that put off many delegation members. Even the Bamenda delegation members who attended the AGM were very disappointed with the manner in which things were conducted. The organization’s finances were not discussed and Martina and Comfort were just there to ensure that nothing financial was discussed.

In Kumba, we have already advised our executive not to send a dime to the national branch until the current president and her people resign. For now, nobody is even paying in the CFAF 10,000 that members are supposed to pay when a member dies. This is what greed and manipulation can do to a people.”

But it was really in Yaoundé that a lady who elected anonymity was totally unhinged. She lambasted Comfort Beyang, stressing that she uses her Machiavellian charm to destroy people and endeavors which are supposed to be in the common good.

“I think the Manyu woman has learned that she is not supposed to vote her leaders based on emotions. Comfort Beyang was already a disaster waiting to happen but many women fell for her Machiavellian charm and she is destroying an organization which is supposed to work for the Manyu girl child. Comfort Beyang is supported in this bad behavior by Martina Agbor Tambe, Joan Enow and Pamela Assam TanyiTiku who all behave as if they have massive skeletons in their cupboards. This bunch of women must be expelled from MOHWA if this organization has to rebuild its lost image. Many people are decamping and the hemorrhage is too much to bear.”

According to our sources, Manyu chiefs are coming up with a strategy to get the issue addressed. They want to talk to Comfort Beyang and our source said that they would be urging her to resign because her image and the organization have been tainted.

Our source added that Chief Moses Obenefunde is taking the lead on how to address the issue and many Manyu chiefs are solidly behind him. According to our source, a Senator has also called Comfort Beyang but details about their discussion have not yet filtered out.

The heat is on and Comfort Beyang is slowly breaking down. The scandal has hit her like a ton of bricks and all her rantings are just like the last kicks of a dying horse.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Group Chairman and Editor-in-chief

Cameroon Concord News Group

A Cameroonian social media activist and government critic has not been seen since his arrest three weeks ago and his lawyers believe he has been extrajudicially returned to Cameroon from Gabon, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.

The activist, Steve Akam, was last seen in a video circulated online that showed him handcuffed and surrounded by Cameroonian police near the border with Gabon.

Akam had been living in Gabon for the past decade. Human Rights Watch said the video was filmed about three weeks ago in the Cameroonian town of Kye-Ossi, near the border with Gabon.

Akam is better known by his social media profile Ramon Cotta on TikTok, which has over 30,000 followers. In his last video, Akam accuses President Paul Biya of pursuing a war in Cameroon’s anglophone regions in order to remain in power.

“The Cameroonian government has for years cracked down on opposition and free speech, jailing political activists, journalists, and dissidents,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement. “Ahead of elections in 2025, it has increasingly restricted freedoms of expression and association.”

A spokesperson for Cameroon’s police declined to comment by text message.

Lawyers for Akam could not immediately be reached. Human Rights Watch said that his lawyers believe Akam was extrajudicially returned from Gabon to Cameroon.

Cameroonian opposition leader Maurice Kamto has previously called on the government to provide proof that the activist is still alive.

In a case that roiled the Central African nation last year, prominent journalist Martinez Zogo’s mutilated remains were found near the capital Yaounde after he was abducted. Zogo had reported on air about a case of alleged embezzlement involving a media outlet with government connections owned by business mogul Jean Pierre Amougou Belinga.

The two leaders also called for all other ongoing efforts to create an environment conducive to a lasting resolution to the conflict.

Seventeen people, including Belinga and the head of the counterintelligence service Maxime Leopold Eko Eko, are standing trial in connection with Zogo’s torture and murder.

The media watchdog Committee to Protect Journalists has urged Cameroon authorities to be transparent over Zogo, and also account for the death of another journalist in government custody in 2019.

Source: Reuters

The MOHWA roof is on fire and even their best fire fighters are incapable of putting out the blaze. Nothing hurts like the truth and until MOHWA leaders clean up their mess, nobody will trust them. This scandal has hurt MOHWA and many donors have walked away.

While good leaders lead their communities and organizations into the land of promise, using credibility and accountability, MOHWA leaders have led this erstwhile iconic Manyu organization into a massive category nine storm which has torn the organization into pieces, using intimidation and manipulation.

Now that the cat is out of the bag, MOHWA leaders should know that the onus is on them to prove their innocence.  Ranting will never replace evidence and threats of legal action will not deter whistleblowers from telling the truth.

The Cameroon Concord News Group is a devil in alliance with the truth. It will never be an angel in alliance with falsehood. The journalism profession is not where love should be sought. It is a profession driven by the desire to report the truth and fight malfeasance in all of its forms. And that is what the Cameroon Concord News is doing.

Those who are insisting that the Cameroon Concord News journalists are amateurs are simply blissfully oblivious of their own ignorance.  Which evidence of infighting and mismanagement are more obvious and more eloquent than the formation of EYUMEMA, NYENE MAWN and BECHOKO NGOREH MANYU?

Which evidence is more devastating for an organization than the lack of transparency in the management of the organization’s finances? When was the last time MOHWA financial reports were audited? When was the last time they were presented to the general assembly? These are some of the questions MOHWA leadership should be answering for the public to continue trusting the organization, after all, the organization’s money also comes from goodwill donations.

If those who are stuck with a corrupt leadership do not see a need for an internal investigation and an audit of MOHWA finances, the public needs those investigations for it to continue trusting the organization and giving its money.

A humble leader should urge his or her collaborators to come up with incontrovertible and exculpatory evidence which should restore confidence but over the last few days, though she has lost sleep, she has continued to be defiant claiming that the allegations are rubber bullets which are not hurting.

No responsible leader speaks that way. Sources close to Comfort Beyang have reported that the allegations have hit her like a ton of bricks and, over the last week, she has become overly talkative, spending more time on the phone to gauge her supporter’s reactions and loyalty.

She does not know that her supporters will not want to rub her the wrong way, but behind the scenes, they know that she is not worthy of their trust. She has destroyed a once buoyant organization because of her greed and arrogance and the spirit of the late General Nana Abunaw is chasing her all over the place.

She is now a glaring example of why poor people should not be leaders. She wants to live the big life but her meager university salary cannot provide her the luxury and recognition she wants.

If she was really wise, she would have known that desire creates slaves out of kings. Her insatiable quest for power and recognition, and her love of a big life have diminished her in the eyes of the public.

This scandal has reduced her to normal human proportions and her scheme to use MOHWA to hoist herself to the top of the political world in Cameroon has been foiled. This is really what is hurting her at this time.

She still has a choice – present clear evidence of innocence and the public will trust her. Without such evidence, then she will been seen as being untrustworthy to handle any public office.

I dedicate this flat write up to late General Nana Abunaw-the Peace Maker

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Group Chairman and editor-in-chief

Cameroon Concord News Group

In Cameroon, violent clashes between government forces and separatists from the English-speaking parts of the country started in 2017. Since then, at least 598,000 people have had to leave their homes and about 2 million have been left in need of humanitarian aid.

The anglophone crisis resulted from the government’s repressive response to largely peaceful protests in 2016-2017. Protesters were demanding an end to the marginalisation of the anglophone minority.

Since then, Cameroon’s military has been fighting separatist forces from the two anglophone regions of the country: North-West and South-West.

The marginalisation continues, most recently in how the government chooses the location of Chinese-funded projects. Their allocation has been heavily skewed in favour of the French speaking side of the country, leaving the anglophone region marginally represented in the geography of Chinese assistance to Cameroon.

I’m an international relations scholar with a focus on China-Africa relations and the security implications of Chinese engagements in Africa. In recent co-authored research, we looked at geographical patterns of Chinese-funded projects in Cameroon.

Cameroon depends on foreign finance for mega development projects. China is its leading source for this. Foreign aid, in the form of financial grants and loans, can help recipient countries to provide public infrastructure such as dams, ports, railways and electricity. This can support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by United Nations member states in 2015.

The research found that nearly all 51 project sites were situated in the francophone region. This is also the region where Cameroon’s long-sitting president, Paul Biya, was born. Only four (8%) of the projects were located in the anglophone region.

This is despite the fact that the anglophone region is home to at least 20% of the country’s population. And it has development needs and potential similar to the francophone region, as the country’s National Development Strategy shows.

The Chinese have pledged to support infrastructure development projects to realise Cameroon’s vision of being a newly industrialised country by 2035.

The finding of skewed development is important because the government in Yaounde has tended to repress accusations of institutionalised discrimination in the country. It recently labelled anglophone activists as “terrorists who exaggerated anglophones’ feelings of frustration.”

The unequal use of Chinese development finance has implications for Sustainable Development Goals: 7, 10 and 16 which respectively deal with energy access, economic inequalities and peace.

These goals have a direct connection to Cameroon’s challenges, including the anglophone crisis.

Unbalanced energy access

Sustainable development goal 7 is universal access to affordable and sustainable energy. This is important for lighting up homes, offices, schools, hospitals and streets, and powering factories and entertainment. It will ultimately improve people’s living conditions.

Cameroon’s national development strategy commits the government to build and repair hydroelectric dams across the country.

Our study, however, found that all hydro-power dams constructed so far with support from China are in the francophone region.

We found none located in the English-speaking regions of the country, even though those areas have a power crisis, made worse by the armed conflict.

The Cameroon government often blames limited finance for its failure to electrify many communities across the country and construct a dam in the anglophone region.

Cameroon has a power transmission network that distributes electricity across regions. But we found that communities close to power generating plants receive priority access to the transmission grid. This leaves communities further away vulnerable to poor supply. This has inspired a reliance on solar power systems in many parts of the anglophone region.

There are reports that the government has begun negotiations with Exim Bank China for funds to construct Menchum hydroelectric dam in the anglophone region.

Meanwhile, access to affordable hydroelectric energy remains uneven in Cameroon.

Economic inequalities

Sustainable development goal 10 seeks in part to reduce economic inequality. The way Chinese-sponsored projects are distributed in Cameroon potentially translates to more economic opportunities for the francophone region, relative to the anglophone region.

In search of economic opportunities, Cameroon’s English speakers often have to get past geographical and linguistic obstacles and a pro-francophone bureaucracy.

In my fieldwork observations and interviews at Chinese-funded project sites in the francophone region, I found that most of the Cameroonian workers and traders were French speakers. This was the case at the port project in Kribi and at the Kribi-Lolabe Highway project.

The few anglophone workers I spoke with reported challenges like funding recruitment trips, finding satisfactory accommodation, and integrating in host communities.

Risk of enduring insecurity

Cameroon was historically a peace sanctuary in central Africa. Since 2016, the country has descended into unrest, with protests, riots, crime, violence and repression. All this is a challenge to SDG 16.

At the heart of the unrest is the anglophone crisis. It is rooted in the colonisation of the country, first by Germany, before its partitioning by the French and British governments.

The English speakers of Cameroon are in the minority and believe they have been marginalised by the French speaking parts.

Source: The Conversation

The National Communication Council (NCC) held its 43rd Ordinary session on August 8, 2024, examining five regulatory cases that resulted in disciplinary actions against media outlets and practitioners.

RIS Radio Suspended for Six Months

The NCC suspended RIS Radio and its Station Manager for six months following the airing of allegedly unfounded and offensive statements against Mr. Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, Minister of State, Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic. The statements were made during the program “L’Editorial du Matin” presented by Sismondi Barlev Bidjocka on July 22, 2024.

Other Sanctions

– “Première Heure” print media organ, its Publisher, and journalist Alain Balomlog were suspended for one month for publishing unfounded and non-contradictory statements against Mr. Konde Jean Claude, Regional Delegate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Littoral Region.

– TV station Canal 2 International and journalist NGO Bitjaga Albertine received a warning for statements discrediting Mr. Paul Atanga Nji, Minister of Territorial Administration.

– Journalist Gnakwa Fangwa Duval of private TV station Equinoxe TV was suspended for one month for offensive accusations against Madeleine Tchuinte, Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation.

– “CAM 10 TV”, its General Manager, and journalist Nkono Mobe Claudia Chimène received a warning for undisclosed reasons.

Appeal to Respect Ethics and Deontology

The President of the National Communication Council appealed to media professionals to respect the ethics and deontology of the profession, emphasizing the importance of responsible journalism.

Source: CRTV

MOHWA members still loyal to Comfort Beyang have not yet learned that they must be selective in their choice of fights and their ignorance- driven courage will cost them a fortune. It should be pointed out that Cameroon Concord News fight against deep-seated corruption in MOHWA is to make MOHWA great again as a massive scam has become part of the organization.

There is no sleep for the guilty and MOHWA’s management will not be enjoying a good night’s sleep for a long time as the Cameroon Concord News has decided to ramp up the pressure. The heat is on and the MOHWA president is already losing sleep even though she says Cameroon Concord News is “shooting but rubber bullets.”

By letting her ill-behaved, low class commoners and opportunists to come after Dr. Joachim Arrey, a man who has been in the business of writing for more than 40 years, Comfort Beyang has stirred a hornet’s nest and she should be ready to take all the killer punches which will be coming her way. She is used to not facing any opposition but the Cameroon Concord News is prepared to shatter that myth.

An attack on a Cameroon Concord Board Chair is a clear declaration of war and the Cameroon Concord News has a massive stomach for a fight and its journalists still have a lot of gasoline in their tanks. The Cameroon Concord News is a devil in alliance with the truth. It rejects any proposal for it to be angel in alliance with falsehood. Silence in the face of corruption and injustice is acquiescence which should be condemned by reasonable people.

Before the MOHWA leadership shows up with its law suit against the Cameroon Concord News, it will have to endure some massive blinding blows. And Cameroon Concord News will be throwing those blows until Comfort Beyang submits her resignation.

She has successfully orchestrated a massive scam within MOHWA and the Manyu Diaspora is supposed to finance her scam. MOHWA is an organization designed to lend a hand to the struggling Manyu girl child, but she and her collaborators have come up with many schemes or scams which are supposed to transform the organization into their piggy bank or ATM.

What is the rationale behind asking MOHWA groups all over the world to send 17% of whatever amount of money they raise abroad to the MOHWA home branch? Only MOHWA visionaries will provide answers to this question. This is unfortunately one of the sticking points which have caused MOHWA to splinter.

Besides EYUMEMA and NYENE MAWN, a bunch of women have already formed their own brand new organization in Yaoundé – BECHOKO NGOREH MANYU – which is also eroding MOHWA’s following, robbing the beleaguered organization of much-needed resources.

Cameroon Concord News’ objective is not to free MOHWA’s followers from their self-imposed blindness, after all it is difficult to free some people from the chains they revere but this campaign for healthy financial management within MOHWA will help many to understand the illegal dealings taking place within an organization which many people of Manyu descent once held so close to their hearts. 

But that love for MOHWA is gone. It seems like a cluster bomb has landed on MOHWA and the pieces are all over the place. However, all is not lost. MOHWA can be reinvented if its current leadership exits. But until they leave, donors should not give their money to an irresponsible leadership which has no regard for the people it claims to represent.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Group Chairman and Editor-in-chief

Cameroon Concord News Group

As the disgraced MOHWA leader digs in her heels in defiance of the numerous calls for her to resign in order to give upcoming clean-up operations a chance, more women are coming with incontrovertible and damning evidence to buttress allegations of malfeasance, rudeness and infighting in one of Manyu’s erstwhile iconic organizations.

While some naive and deluded supporters of the beleaguered MOHWA president who are blindly following her over the clift like lemmings have been soothing themselves by turning a blind eye to the facts, many Manyu women who were once members of the struggling organization are handing more incriminating evidence to the Cameroon Concord News for it to deliver more devastating blows to the MOHWA president who is currently suffering from insomnia as the heat turned on her becomes unbearable.

The calls for Professor Comfort Beyang to resign did not start with the publications in the Cameroon Concord News. Last year in Yaoundé during the organization’s Annual General Assembly, Mrs. Lucy Bawak, a lady who has the courage of her conviction, urged Professor Comfort Beyang to resign because of her manipulative and radioactive behavior. There is a video to that effect and Cameroon Concord News has it in its archives.

When a self-respecting lady decides to go down a war path, it is not because she loves fighting, but because she has been pushed to the wall by people who have no regard for age and dignity. If that is not infighting, what then is it?

But it is not Mrs. Bawak’s tirade against the MOHWA president which really points to the disagreement within MOHWA. It is the inhumane treatment Prof. Comfort Beyang meted to Mrs. Patience Abangma in South Africa. There is also a video wherein she was extolling her own academic achievements as if she was the first and last person to become a professor in Cameroon. She reminded Mrs. Abangma that she was rubbing shoulders with His Royal Highness Professor Abangma Nebo who was on her jury on the day she defended her thesis and despite Prof. Abangma’s questions, she still passed and that they were colleagues and Mrs. Abangma had no right to talk when she was talking.

It should be recalled that Mrs. Abangma was instrumental in the creation of MOHWA South Africa where her daughter is residing and regardless of her crimes and sins, Comfort Beyang had a duty of respecting a lady who is older than her. Manyu is an age-based society and MOHWA’s cardinal principle is respect. If MOHWA’s president is rude and arrogant, which moral values can she impart to young Manyu girls? a MOHWA South Africa lady asked.

Of more importance is the fact that money which was given to MOHWA by the Cameroon Ambassador in South Africa ended up in the MOHWA president’s purse and this money is not reflected in the organization’s financial statements, the lady in South Africa said.

All those MOHWA USA members, who erroneously think that what obtains in the USA obtains in other parts of the world, are simply manifesting their parochial knowledge of the world and using law suits to deter people from expressing their minds is a strategy whose time has passed. The strategy will not work and these blind followers should seek first to know the people they are seeking to threaten as some people are simply above their mess and ignorance.

Have these people suddenly forgotten that one reason why EYUMEMA walked away was because MOHWA leaders in America could not provide evidence of their reckless spending? These are people who lay claim to transparency and ownership of courts around the world. Is such behavior not financial malfeasance? And do they know that such behavior is punishable by law?

What about imposing a life insurance policy on people living in Europe and who already have policies in their countries of residence? Strangely, people living in Europe have to be covered by a life insurance policy in Cameroon, a country notorious for not having any reputable insurance companies. The MOHWA president has clearly demonstrated that her interest in MOHWA is clearly pecuniary.

What about compelling people in Europe to always send EUR 500 back home for MOHWA members to cook food for themselves and even travel home when a member dies? If money has to come from Europe for entertainment during funerals, what then is the purpose of a home branch? This is not the most interesting part of the issue. No accounts get rendered of the entertainment money sent from Europe and MOHWA leadership still has the effrontery to threaten people with law suits.

MOHWA needs rebranding. A lot has gone wrong with this organization and if its members, many of whom do not have the courage of their conviction, do not develop independent minds, the same issues which resulted in the formation of EYUMEMA and NYENE MAWN will continue and more MOHWA members will end up in the warm and broad embrace of EYUMEMA which is already inspiring a lot of hope.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Group Chairman and Editor-in-chief

Cameroon Concord News Group