Bakassi Peninsula - Development Projects Compete for Space

Several projects are going on but roads, water and electricity supply still beg for attention.

The people of Bakassi Peninsula in Ndian Division of the South West Region acknowledge that since the official hand over of the zone to Cameroon on August 14, 2006, so much has changed in terms of development in the once underdeveloped area.

The State in an attempt to stamp its full sovereignty on the area has been working round the clock to make life better for the citizens. On the ground, much is being done to bring government closer to the people although inadequate roads, water and electricity supply still stare the people in the face.

Development Projects

From Akwa, Kombo Abedimo to Isangele to mention just these, the population rejoices over the construction of schools, health centres, administrative buildings, provision of fishing infrastructure and other facilities by government to make life worth living. Any visitor to Isangele today is greeted on arrival by an imposing council hall still under construction but which promises to give the locality a facelift on completion. ELECAM and other administrative offices are aplenty in the locality. Much is expected to change with the imminent implementation of other projects.

The Coordination and Follow-up Committee for the Implementation of Priority Projects in the Bakassi zone has as priority this year to mobilise resources for the construction of the Loum-Kumba-Ekondo Titi-Mundemba-Isangele-Akwa road. This will be a major breakthrough for the people of the potentially high agricultural zone to sell their cassava, plantain, yam and other produce. Until now, the remote area has been serving as a ready market for people in Ekang in Nigeria.

Sustainable Agric, Fishing In Focus

During the launch of 20th May activities in the peninsula on Saturday May 12, government officials showcased their desire to develop Bakassi by either donating material or promising growth-promotion projects. The Minister Delegate in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in charge of Rural Development, Clementine Ananga Messina donated five metric tonnes of maize seed and other agricultural inputs to the people. She said with the second-generation agricultural policy government has embarked on, Bakassi needs to be transformed into an agricultural zone. Mrs Messina announced that her ministry has so far transferred over FCFA 60 million in agricultural funding to the area.

Fishing is one of the main activities in the area and is dominated by Nigerians. A Nigerian-born fisherman, Edet Assokwo, who has been in the peninsula since 1963, told Cameroon Tribune that he makes between FCFA 25,000 and FCFA 40,000 daily depending on his catch. The Mayor of Isangele, Caroline Offiom and the Paramount Ruler of Bakassi Peninsula, Chief Anki Ambo Daniel, admitted that Cameroonians make up an insignificant proportion of fishermen. In order to encourage them get more interested in the activity, the Minister of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, Dr. Taiga, donated fishing material comprising live jackets, fishing boots and nets worth over FCFA 16 million to be shared out to 15 self-help groups.

Gov't Could Do Better

Irrespective of what is going on in the peninsula, the shouting problems of inadequate roads, water and electricity supply continue to make life difficult. Although the Mundemba-Isangele-Akwa road is under rehabilitation by the Military Engineering Corps, the bad state of the Ekondo-Titi-Mundemba road, coupled with persistent rainfall in the area, is not helping matters. Like one man, the people have been crying for consistent and permanent maintenance, if not, the tarring of the Loum-Kumba-Mundemba-Akwa road to link the peninsula to the rest of the country.

During the launch of 20th May activities, the people expressed concern over the area's communication challenges. The Bakassi Community Radio that was inaugurated earlier this year is already experiencing technical difficulties. "We do not receive CRTV signals and with the state of the roads, it's like we are cut off from the rest of the country," Aboko Patrick Anki, Mayor of Kombo Abedimo Council said.

He pleaded with government to create professional schools and other facilities that could serve as pull factors to the locality. The people most often receive radio signals from Nigeria and are much more conversant with the Nigerian currency, the Naira. Even when this reporter got to Kombo Abedimo, the reading on his telephone changed from MTN to MTN-Nigeria.