West governor hails Koung-Khi for economic development

The Governor of the West Region has hailed the business elite of the Koung-Khi Division for their enormous contribution to the growth of Cameroon’s economy through the creation of thousands of jobs.

Governor Augustine Fonka Awa made the remark at the start of his socio-economic tour of that division last week. The two-day tour, took him to all the three Subdivisions of the Koung-Khi.

The Governor saluted the dynamism of economic operators of Koung-khi who excel, especially, in domains of microfinance institutions, money transfer services, food industry, hotelier, communication and building materials.

“People know very little about Koung-khi division in terms of its economic potentials and cultural values, because, what we find by the road side is just a tip of the iceberg. Koung-Khi has a lot of values. I think the elite and the populations are working hard to valourise these values of the division,” Fonka Awa said.

Saluting the warmth reception led by the lone female SDO of the Koung-Khi Division, Antoinette Zongo and the population through their massive presence, the Governor enjoined them to collaborate with security officials, especially at this sensitive moment when the country is at war with Boko Haram.

He denounced trouble makers who manifest themselves through theft, highway robbery, proliferation of locally made arms, distribution and consumption of cannabis, curb road accidents and called on the population to participate in all vaccination campaigns.

Describing the people of the Koung-Khi as a model of citizenship loyal to the institutions of the Republic, the 1st Deputy Mayor of Pete Bandjoun, Niki Love Maptue Fotso, reassured the Head of State of the Division’s total loyalty and support to him as he leads the war against Boko Haram. Calling on the population to be more vigilant and to collaborate with security officials.

Maptue highlighted the problems of lack of teachers and health personnel, poor road infrastructure; problems that were recapped during a working by the spokesperson of the elite, Hon. Albert Kouinche, who is also the Koung-Khi CPDM Member of Parliament and proprietor of Express Union. Other problems that were raised during the session included the need to compensate victims of destroyed properties due to the construction of the road linking Bafoussam and Yaounde and urban roads department.

The Governor, accompanied by the military, Regional and Divisional Delegates and heads of parastatals, visited some social and economic structures in the division, some of which include: the Fotso Institute of Technology in Bandjoun, a private poultry farm in Bayangam, where owners complained of storage facilities for the 12,000 fowls and the over 350 hectares palm plantation in Djebem Village owned by Victor Fotso. The Governor also visited the Royal Museum Cultural Centre with its rich cultural and architectural design, Government services amongst others.

Pete Bandjoun is the headquarters of Koung-khi division. It has about 100,000 inhabitants and is cosmopolitan. The population is mostly made up of farmers and breeders. The Subdivision has a rich soil that grows maize, groundnuts, banana, cocoyams, plantains, cassava, yams, green beans and others. So far, the Governor has been to four divisions; Nde, Menoua, Noun and Upper-Nkam, out of the eight divisions that make up the West region.