By NDIMUH B. SHANCHO & IKOME CHRISTIE-NOELLA
The newly installed Board Chairman of the South West Development Authority, SOWEDA’s Board of Directors, Ediage Apande Herbert and Director, Besong Ogork Ntui, have said they envision agricultural value chain development, reduced youths unemployment and poverty, availability of quality planting material, more farm-to-market roads and potable water, amongst others, for the population of the South West Region as they take office.
The duo were speaking at the Buea Mountain Hotel, July 4, 2019, shortly after being installed by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Gabriel Mbairobe, who was on his maiden visit to the South West Region since his appointment as minister.
Taking office at a time when President Paul Biya has underscored the need for agricultural mechanisation, the MIDADER boss charged the newly installed officials to modernise agriculture and rural development in the South West Region.
“The President of Cameroon pledged to accelerate our progress towards the emergence of Cameroon, through the structural transformation and diversification of the country’s economy, increase productivity and second generation agriculture. This requires more efforts to improve on the performance of this Development Authority. Your strategy and innovative plans will require skills and conception to consolidate our status as bread basket of Central Africa. This will go along way to ensure food security”, Minister Mbairobe told the officials.
He further implored them to improve the quality of services, consolidate existing achievements, protect public assets and maintain good relationship with institutional partners, economic operators and technical and financial supervisory authorities.
Minister Mbairobe congratulated the outgoing Director of the establishment, Dr. Andrew Eneme Ngome and the entire staff of SOWEDA on their collective efforts in making the establishment what it is today.
Appointed, June 18, 2019, by Presidential Decree No2019/307 and 2019/308 respectively, Ediage Apande Herbert, fills in the vacant position left by Noah Mbongo Molongo, who died, January 16, 2016, while Dr. Besong Ogork Ntui replaces Andrew Eneme Ngome, who went on retirement after serving as director for 24 years.
Born on March 19, 1965, in Kumba, Ediage Herbert hails from the Kupe Muanenguba Division of South West Cameroon. He is a seasoned administrator from the National School of Administration and Magistracy, ENAM with over 30 years of experience in the area of administration and finance. He has amongst others, served as Financial Service Inspector at the Ministry of Finance, Director of General Affairs at the Ministry of Arts and Culture and NorthWest Regional Delegate of Arts and Culture. His immediate focus as he assumes duty is to ameliorate the living conditions of the people of South West.
“We know what we are going through as Anglophones and South Westerners in particular. I think if we can succeed to get youths self-employed, then it will go a long way to solve the problem we are facing in the SouthWest. We are going to build the capacity of youths to come up with new ideas at the same time making sure they have access to funding. Through this, their living conditions will be ameliorated”, the new Board Chair said.
The 56 year-old Director, who hails from the Manyu Division of South West Cameroon, holds a Ph.D in Development Studies from Atlantic International University, Hawaii-USA with over 27 years of working experience, notably in the area of agriculture and rural development. He has, amongst others, served as Coordinator of the Rumpi Area Participatory Development Project at SOWEDA. Prior to his appointment, he was National Coordinator of the Islamic Bank-sponsored project on Agricultural Infrastructure and Value Chain Development.
Being an old broom in the house, Dr. Ogork Ntui is quite versed with the stakes and already has a mapped out strategy to realise the mission of SOWEDA. “Within the frame work of the new agricultural policy, we want to take agriculture to the next level. The president talked of the second generation agriculture and one of the main pillars is to look at value addition. SOWEDA will be supporting initiatives of value addition for our key crops, as well as developing socio-economic infrastructure in the rural areas.If you produce without being able to get the crops out, you can’t make money from it. We know that SW has problems with rural roads, SOWEDA will be focussing in that area”, he expounded.
The new SOWEDA boss also hinted that his establishment will also concentrate on resolving water crisis in rural areas of the Region. He also promised to help farmers acquire quality planting material: “If you have quality planting material you can already guarantee 30 to 40% of a good yield,” he added.
Created by presidential decree No 87/1874 of December 17, 1987, the South West Development Authority, SOWEDA, is the prominent seed sower of rural development of the six divisions of the South West Region. It has also contributed significantly to ensuring food security in the region, reducing poverty level and improving on the livelihoods of the population.The relay baton is now in the hands of Mr. Ediage Herbert and Dr. Besong Ogork Ntui to steer the Region to the next level.