Mount Cameroon Eco-tourism organises maiden sensitisation day

The Mount Cameroon Inter¬Communal Ecotourism Board, formerly known as Mount Cameroon Ecotourism Organization (Mount CEO), has observed the first edition of its sensitisation days with a call on lovers of nature to visit and enjoy the rich tourist potentials of Mount Cameroon.

The sensitisation day, Saturday, November 22, began with a cross-country race that culminated in a series of talks on the need to conserve the flora and fauna around West Africa’s highest peak.

The Race in the male category was won by Khan Ephraim who was followed closely on the second and third positions by Hans Ngelle and Kome Patrick respectively.

Nojha Bridgitte emerged first in the female category with Chebe Akwanwi and Estel Leyong finished the race respectively in the second and third positions.

Tamen Raul Agbor was the youngest athlete who competed in the race.

While expressing satisfaction on the success of the maiden edition of the sensitisation days, Chief Samuel Lyonga, Manager of the Mount Cameroon Inter-Communal Ecotourism Board said he is delighted with the enthusiasm shown by the masses towards the event.

It is on this note of satisfaction that he announced that the sensitisation days to protect flora and fauna around the Mount Cameroon area will become an annual event.

Chief Samuel Lyonga said the event seeks to bring together and educate members of the various village ecotourism committees that make up the Mount Cameroon Inter-Communal Ecotourism Board, stakeholders and the population on why they have to preserve biodiversity.

The Board of Director of Mount CEO met on October 13, 2014 at the Buea Council in a session chaired by the Board’s chairman, Patrick Ekema, mayor of Buea. It was this meeting that appointed Chief Samuel Lyonga manager of Mount CEO.

Mount CEO is an NGO created and funded by Mount Cameroon Project (GTZ) in cooperation with the German Development Service (DED). Its aim is to develop and promote sustainable tourism in the Mount Cameroon Region.

It has as objectives to promote biodiversity conservation in the Region and to integrate tourism with nature conservation through Ecotourism, which should contribute to the improvement of living standard of local communities.

The Organization offers tourism services in the Mount Cameroon Region with the famous tours to the summit of the mountain. They have well-trained guides and experienced porters, who take care of the tourists hiking up.

The guides are villagers living in the area. Most of them are hunters, who have an extraordinary indigenous knowledge about the nature of Mount Cameroon.

Apart from the already existing capacity, many workshops for staff of Mount CEO are held in order to make sure, that the services offered by the organization meet international standards.

For the past few years the Ecotourism office staff have been supported in its work by an external technical adviser from the German Development Service (DED). The main objective for the office itself in the moment is reaching a financial sustainability and become independent from donors.

According to the new convention Mount CEO is the only provider of tourism tours on the Cameroon Mountain. All the tours undertaken to the summit or other areas of Mt. Cameroon have to be organized through Mount CEO.