BY SIMON NDIVE KALLA
The General Manager of the Cameroon Development Corporation, Franklin Ngoni Njie has prescribed synergy between civil society and the army for the Corporation to rejuvenate.
He made the statement on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 at SS Club Bota, Limbe, during the visit of the 33rd batch of Nigeria Defence College officials to the CDC.
“What I think is very important in this mission is that the army and civil society should work in synergy in order to achieve rejuvenation of this Corporation”, Franklin Njie said.
He also said that for development to take place, the army and the nation are supposed to be one. “So, I see this visit of Nigerian Defence Academy as one that will foster the security of our entity.”
CDC GM, Franklin Ngoni Njie maintained that the Cameroon Development Corporation is a state-owned agro-industrial establishment that was incorporated on 1st January 1947 to acquire, develop and operate extensive plantations of tropical crops, producing 18,000 tons of Natural Rubber annually on 22,000 hectares in 11 Estates and 3 Rubber Factories in the South West and Littoral Regions, employing a total of 20,000.
“We produce above 20,000 tons of Palm Oil annually on 15,000 hectares in 7 Estates and 3 Palm Oil Mills in the South West Region, employing a total of 4,300 workers. We also produce about 110,000 tons of Banana annually on 3,715 hectares”, Franklin Njie said.
The GM added that CDC has learnt firsthand, the important role that security plays in Agriculture. “The insecurity emanating from the socio-political crisis rocking the South West and North West regions since 2016 is the biggest threat that the Corporation has had to experience in her 78-year lifespan. Never before has the very existence of the CDC been so seriously threatened”, he lamented.
He added that there have been numerous attacks on workers, assets and installations as well as on forces of law & order and defense forces, with more than twenty five (25) workers killed.
Njie pointed out that in its 78-year history, the CDC has survived fatal economic winds, like the periodic fall of commodity prices below cost of production, which closed down many other companies. “Our office and residential buildings and processing units have been vandalised. A serious rural exodus has been experienced with thousands of workers escaping from the very dangerous remote Units to the less insecure central Units in the Bota and Tiko areas. About 12000 workers were not able to work as a result of insecurity”, Franklin Njie said.
He said it is only thanks to the godfather role the government has played at such times that has kept the Corporation going.
On the way forward, Franklin Njie said, “There will be a further improvement this year but it will not yet satisfactorily address the serious impasse posed by the total disequilibrium between incompressible commitments and total revenue, since the only way to return to sustainability is to increase production and revenue”.
On his part, the leader of the delegation from Nigeria, Ayodele Fominyinke said their mission is to equip future leaders with adequate skills and knowledge to enable them harness instruments of national power. He however appreciated the Consulate General of Nigeria in Cameroon for his warm reception and CDC GM for his hospitality gesture during their visit.
It should be noted that before meeting at CDC SS Club for exchange between CDC and the Defence College officials, there was a brief stop by the delegation at Likomba Sone Rubber Estate (Rubber and factory) Bota palms and Banana production unit at Mpongo.
With the visit of the National Defence College of Nigeria, pundits believe that the Corporation will take another swift of acceleration in it activities as security will be beefed-up.