REPUBLIQUE DU CAMEROUN REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON

PAIX- TRAVAIL- PATRIE PEACE- WORK-FAHERLAND

-----------------------------
MINISTERE DE L’ADMINISTRATION
TERRITORIALE ET
DECENTRALISATION
-----------------------------
REGION DU NORD OUEST
-----------------------------
DEPARTEMENT DE BUI
--------------------------
COMMUNE DE MBIAME
-------------------------------
-----------------------------
MINISTRY OF TERRITORIAL ADMINSTRATION
AND DECENTRALISATION
-----------------------------
BASELINE REPORT NORTH WEST REGION
-----------------------------
MBIAME COUNCIL BUI DIVISION
-----------------------------
MBIAMECOUNCIL
-----------------------------

Email: wumrc@hotmail.com
Kumbo, the ……………………….

Elaborated with the Technical and Financial support of the National

Community Driven Development Program (PNDP)

BY: COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE IN DEVELOPMENT-COMAID

MAY 2018
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS..........................................................................................................II

LIST OF TABLES....................................................................................................................V

LIST OF FIGURES...................................................................................................................V

LIST OF ACRONYMS...........................................................................................................VI

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................1

1.1 CONTEXT AND JUSTIFICATION..........................................................................................1

1.2 OBJECTIVES OF BASELINE................................................................................................1

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY.............................................................................................2

2.1 PREPARATION...................................................................................................................2
2.2 DATA COLLECTION AND PRESENTATION..........................................................................2
2.3 DATA VALIDATION...........................................................................................................2

CHAPTER 3: RESULTS OF BASELINE.................................................................................3

3.1. GEOGRAPHICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PRESENTATION OF THE AREA...3

3.2. BIOPHYSICAL MILIEU...............................................................................................5
3.2.1 Topography...............................................................................................................5
3.2.2. Climate.....................................................................................................................5
3.2.3. Flora and fauna.........................................................................................................5
3.2.4. Soil...........................................................................................................................6
3.2.5. Hydrology................................................................................................................6
3.2.6. Protected areas.........................................................................................................6
3.2.7. Mineral resources.....................................................................................................7
3.2.8. Assets, Potentials and Constraints of the Biophysical milieu..................................7
3.3. SOCIO- ECONOMIC/CULTURAL MILIEU OF MBIAME COUNCIL AREA.........8
3.3.1 Overview...................................................................................................................8
3.3.2. Traditional set up......................................................................................................8
3.3.3. Cultural Heritages....................................................................................................9
3.3.4. Languages..............................................................................................................10

ii
 3.3.5. Housing..................................................................................................................10
3.3.5. Settlement pattern...................................................................................................11
3.3.6. Economic activities................................................................................................11
3.3.6.1. Farming...............................................................................................................11
3.3.6. 2.Grazing................................................................................................................11
3.3.6.3. Forestry...............................................................................................................11
3.3.5. Assets, Potentials and Constraints of the Socio-Economic/cultural milieu...........11
3.4: HISTORICAL PROFILE..............................................................................................12
3.4.1. Overview................................................................................................................12
3.4.2. Origin and Migration Patterns................................................................................12
3.4.3. Migration Pattern and Settlement of the Tikari people..........................................14
3.4.4. Migration Pattern and Settlement of the Bamoun people......................................15
3.4.5. Migration Pattern and Settlement of the Mbororos and Fulanis............................15
3.4.6. Colonial Era...........................................................................................................15
3.4.7. Inter Village Conflicts............................................................................................15
3.4.8. Religion..................................................................................................................15
3.4.8.1. Overview.............................................................................................................15
3.4.8.2. Christianity..........................................................................................................16
3.4.8.3. Islam....................................................................................................................16
3.4.8.4 Traditional Religion.............................................................................................16
3.4.8.3. The Role of Religion in the Development of the Area.......................................16

CHAPTER 4: SECTORIAL DEVELOPMENT......................................................................17

4.1. BASIC EDUCATION.........................................................................................................17

4.2. SECONDARY EDUCATION...............................................................................................18
4.3. AGRICULTURE................................................................................................................19
4.3.1. Management of pest and disease............................................................................20
4.3.2. Supply of agricultural inputs..................................................................................20
4.3.3. Sustainable land and fertility management measure..............................................21
4.3.4. Rural mini infrastructures......................................................................................21
4.3.5. Supervisory and agricultural extension services present in the council area.........21

iii
 4.3.6. Creation and rehabilitation of farm to market roads in the council area................21
4.3.7. Management of agricultural-sylvicultural and pastoral conflicts...........................21
4.3.8. Types of farm tools and their effects on the work output......................................22
4.3.9. Conservation and transformation technology for agricultural products................22
4.4. LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION..............................................................................................22
4.5. FORESTRY AND WILDLIFE..............................................................................................23
4.6. ENVIRONMENT...............................................................................................................24
4.7. WATER...........................................................................................................................24
4.8. ENERGY SUPPLY............................................................................................................26
4.9. POST &TELECOMMUNICATION......................................................................................26
4.10. COMMUNICATION........................................................................................................26
4.11. TOURISM......................................................................................................................26
4.12. COMMERCE..................................................................................................................27
4.13. CULTURE......................................................................................................................27
4.14. YOUTH AFFAIRS..........................................................................................................27
4.15. WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND THE FAMILY.................................................................28
4.16. SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED ENTERPRISES, SOCIAL ECONOMY AND HANDICRAFT.......29
4.17. EMPLOYMENT AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING...............................................................30
4.18. SPORTS AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION............................................................................30
4.19. HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT........................................................................31
4.20. MINES, INDUSTRIES AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT........................................31
4.21. SOCIAL AFFAIRS..........................................................................................................33
4.22. TERRITORIAL ADMINISTRATION AND DECENTRALIZATION..........................................33
4.23. HEALTH.......................................................................................................................34
4.24. CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION....................................................................................35

iv
 LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Assets, Potentials and Constraints of the Biophysical milieu.....................................................................7

Table 2: Assets, Potentials and Constraints of the socio- cultural milieu..............................................................11
Table 4: Religious Institutions in Mbiame municipality.........................................................................................16
Table 5: Statistics of enrolment and needs in Nursery schools..............................................................................17
Table 6: Statistics of enrolment and needs in Primary Schools.............................................................................17
Table 8: Different pests and diseases that affect production of some major crops and the control /
phytosanitary measures used................................................................................................................................20
Table 9: Livestock Production in 2018...................................................................................................................22
Table 10: Diagnosis of livestock infrastructure......................................................................................................22
Table 11: Water supply situation of Mbiame Council Area for 2008....................................................................25
Table 12: Statistics of Craft work and handicraft enterprises in Mbven subdivision.............................................29
Table 13: Some mineral exploitation sites.............................................................................................................32

v
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Social stratification chart of Mbiame.......................................................................16

vi
 LIST OF ACRONYMS
ACEFA: Programme d’Amélioration de la Compétivités des Exploitations
Familiales Agropastoral (Programme for the Improvement of the
Competiveness of Family Agro-pastoral Farms)
APP: Agric Pilot Project
CAP: Chief of Agricultural Post
CDP: Council Development Plan
CIG: Common Initiative Group
CIPCRE: Circle International Pour la Promotion de la Creation
CMA: Centre Médicale d’Arrondissement
CNYC: Cameroon National Youth Council
COMAID: Community Assistance in Development
DO: Divisional Officer
GP-DERUDEP: Grassfield Participatory and Decentralised Rural Development Projects
HELVETAS: Swiss Association for Technical Assistance
HIV/AIDS: Human Immune Virus / Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
LIFIDEP: Livestock and Fishery Development Project
LSO: Local Support Organization
MIDENO: North West Development Authority
MINADER: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
MINEDUB: Ministry of Basic Education
MINEE: Ministry of Water and Energy

vii
MINEFOP: Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training
MINEPIA: Ministry of Livestock, Fishery and Animal Industries
MINMAP: Ministry of Public Contracts
MINPMESSA: Ministry of Small and Medium Size Enterprises, Social Economy and
Handicraft
MINSANTE: Ministry of Public Health
NGO: Non Governmental Organization
PAJER-U: Support Programme for Rural and Urban Youths
PNDP: National Community Driven Development Program
PNVRP: National Agricultural Extension and Research Programme
PTA: Parents Teachers’ Association
SAR/SM: Rural Artisan Training center
SDO: Senior Divisional Officer
SSI: Semi Structured Questionnaire
TDC: Trial and Demonstration Center
VDA: Village Development Association

viii
 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Context and Justification

The Mbiame council was created in 1995 emanating from the Kumbo and Elak council with
temporal site at the customary court premises. Mbiame council has a surface area of 575 km 2
and covers 32 villages. In 2012, with support from PNDP, the first Council Development
plan for Mbiame Council was elaborated and implemented and five years after, the Mbiame
council and PNDP decided for an update of the old CDP that has became obsolete.
The old CDP does not respond to the present need of the communities and the council five
years after. However, it is absolutely necessary to know the level of achievements by the old
CDP. The old CDP had projects and actions that were planned for realization, therefore
before the update of the CDP, it is important to establish the present situation of the
municipality at all levels.
Following the call launched by the Mbiame Council and the PNDP for the recruitment of a
local support organization (LSO) to assist the council in the update of the CDP, the
Community Assistance in Development (COMAID) was recruited for the process. After
undergoing a training for the process by the PNDP in Bambui, Bambili and Babanki , a
formal agreement was reached on 13th March 2018 between the Mbiame Council and
COMAID for the update of the Council Development Plan and the follow up of
Community/Local solutions for a period of 10 months. It is within this framework that the
council baseline data collection was carried out to establish and situate the council.

1.2 Objectives of Baseline

To establish the current development situation of the Mbiame council area,
To establish the reference point for the updated CDP
To be able to appreciate the level of realization of the old CDP

1
 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

2.1 Preparation
The preparation for the establishment of the reference situation of the Mbiame council was
carried out at different levels. At the level of the Local Support Organization (LSO) of the
Mbiame Council update, two team members were trained by PNDP on the update process.
This was followed by a restitution workshop organized by the LSO for the entire Mbiame
update team members. This training provided an opportunity for the capacities of the team
members to be built in key aspects of the update process.
The LSO also contacted the administration during the launching ceremony of the CDP update
for the Mbiame council. This provided the chance for the LSO to formally meet the SDO, DO
and other sector heads in Mbven subdivision.
Prior to the data collection phase of the update process, an office space was secured, data
sheets, SSI guides were prepared by the LSO team for the effective data collection and
analysis. Spreadsheets were designed for entering data and their analysis

2.2 Data collection and Presentation

The data collection for the baseline lasted for a period of three weeks. This involved literature
review from the old CDP, visits to sectoral Ministries in Mbiame and Kumbo for those
services that are not represented at the council level. During these visits information was
collected using the data collection forms and SSI guides. This information was triangulated to
make sure that the information collected was correct. The data was presented to the
respondents for validation before the final validation by the steering committee.

2.3 Data validation

The baseline data was presented to the steering committee and the sector heads for final
validation. This exercise gave the opportunity for those that contributed in one way or the
other to make sure that the information contributed have been rightly capture in the Baseline.

2
 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS OF BASELINE

3.1. GEOGRAPHICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PRESENTATION OF THE AREA

Mbiame council area is found in Mbven Sub Division, in Bui Division of the North West
Region. It is located some 27 km North East of Kumbo, capital of Bui Division. It is located
at longitude 10°45’ and 11° E/W and latitude 6°15’ N/S. It is bounded to the West by Nkum
and Kumbo Sub Divisions South West by Jakiri Sub Division, South East and East by the
Noun Division of Western Region, North by Donga Mantung Division. It has a surface area
of 575 km2.
This council has been managed by five Mayors namely: Fon Tatah Shindzev, Mr. Gham
Francis, Mr. Gaius Yuwong and Mr Mbon Wilfred Danirla. The council is presently managed
by Lord Mayor Fonyuy Fidelis. The population of Mbiame has been projected to 20,289
inhabitants extrapolating from the 2005 head count and data from Health units. The main
ethnic groups of the council area include; Mbiame (Lamnso), Fulanis, Yambas and the
Bamouns. Historically, the people of this area migrated from North of Cameroon (Tikaris),
West of Cameroon (Bamoun) and Nomads (Mbororos / Fulanis). Calm reigns amongst the
communities in the subdivision. The council has 25 councilors.

3
4
3.2. BIOPHYSICAL MILIEU

3.2.1 Topography
Mbven sub-division is divided into two major ecological zones; the low-lying plains of
Mbonso, Nkonin, Tiywong, Mbonchari, Lip, Nkonin and Maasan and the highlands with
undulating hills and valleys of Rifem, Sancho, Kintsem, Njanawa, Reeh, Lam, Mboshong,
Mantum and Shokov. However, there is a transitional zone between upper and lower Mbven.

3.2.2. Climate
The council area is characterized by the two equator-tropical climates; the low lying warm
humid climate around Mbo plain, the mild transitional-type around Mbokov and Ngorin and
the mountainous climate around Rifem. Annual rainfall ranges from 1915 mm to 2410mm,
with temperatures ranging between 12°C to 28°C and 18°C to 38°C in the highlands and the
plains respectively. The variation in temperatures makes the Mbiame council area an
important ecological zone within Bui Division. The atmospheric humidity varies but remains
relatively high in the plain than in the hilly part. The coming of the rains is usually
accompanied by strong winds throughout the municipality leading to destruction of property
where there are less wind barriers.
Mbiame Council area experiences alternative wet and dry topical climatic conditions. It has a
wet season of about 8 months which begin from mid March and ends in mid October; and a
short dry season of 4 months from November to mid March. The rain pattern allows both
perennial and annual crops to grow, thus allowing for two cropping seasons especially in the
lower plains. The rainfall is one of the most important climatic factors influencing
agriculture, having the greatest effect in determining the potential of the area, the crops, the
farming system and the sequence of timing farming operations.

3.2.3. Flora and fauna

5
About 375 hectars of land in the Mbiame council area is basically forest. This is visible in
Rifem, Tiywong, Ngorin and Maasan which make up the natural gallery forest, though with
patches of grassland. The forests patches are mainly montane forest which normally harbors
many rare species of plants and birds. However, with uncontrolled exploitation of forest
resources to get fuel wood and farm lands, many plant and animal species have become
endangered. The shrines are the only protected areas within the forests. There is a palm belt
in the plains of Mbonso, Lip and Mbasan while the other valleys are covered with raffia
palms.
The forest and savannah serve as a habitat for fauna. Some of the birds that can be found are;
bannerman’s turaco, green turaco, Bamenda apalis, Banded wattle eye pigeon. For the
animals we have; monkeys, hare, panthers, wolf duckers, rock hyrackers, giant rats, cane rats.
For reptiles we have African rock pythons, two horn chameleons, green grass mambas, black
mambas, two horn stunted snails, spitting cobras, green grass snakes, green tree cobras, black
cobras and brown harmless snakes.
Some are endangered like the bannerman’s turaco and the African mountain grey monkey
To ensure forest protection, there exists a forestry post in the council area with a chief of post
charged with the responsibility to ensure sustainability and also check hunting, and forest
exploitation.

3.2.4. Soil
Soil types found Mbiame municipality are sandy, clay, loam, sandy loam, gravel light soils,
humus and alluvial soils found mostly in the plains with colours ranging from red, brown,
black and dark colours. The plains are covered with rich alluvial deposits washed from top
soil, thus, a favourable ground for the cultivation food and cash crops.

3.2.5. Hydrology
Mbven subdivision is not richly endowed in its hydrology. There are few rivers and streams
that flow in the municipality like the river Mairin, Bui and Mbven. Many flowing streams
take their rise in the hilly part and flow towards the lowlands of Ngorin, Mbonso, Lip and
Mansaan. As such some villages in the plains like, Mbonso have poor drainage as they
experience floods in the rainy season. The raffia bushes and aquifers on most hills remain
potential spring water sources. The lone lake of Kilumi in the lower section of the sub
division is at the verge of drying. Fishing is practiced at a small scale in the rivers around
Mbonso, Lip and Maasan. There are many seasonal streams in the entire sub division.

3.2.6. Protected areas

6
There are no protected areas in the municipality classified by the Government of Cameroon.
The only protected areas that exist are traditional sanctuaries, shrines and patches of forest
surrounding the village palaces specifically the Koukite and Kovkinkar Shrine found in the
Mbiame Community forest. The natural forest found in Shukov is the main source of
drinking water within the administrative head quarter. The water table here usually drops
during the dry season leading to water crisis in Rifem and the environs. Efforts are been
undertaken by the community and some NGOs for the protection and conservation of this
forest in order to provide quality and good quantity of water to the communities.

3.2.7. Mineral resources

The Mbiame council area has potential mineral resources such as rocks, sand, clay and
laterites. These resources are exploited on a daily basis by natives and other inhabitants of the
sub division from hills and other potential areas. The black stones and sand from these
quarries are generally used for house construction and road maintenance. Some of the sand
pits are: Mayo Nkondong , Mbunge, Mairin river, Shuubui I and II, Mbven I and II etc. The
largest exploited site is Shuubui I because it is exploited throughout the year. The major
constraint in this sector is the underdevelopment of the quarry sites that could contribute in
generating income for the stone crackers and the council.

3.2.8. Assets, Potentials and Constraints of the Biophysical milieu

Table 1 presents the assets, potentials and constraints of the biophysical milieu.
Table 1: Assets, Potentials and Constraints of the Biophysical milieu

7
Assets Potentials Constraints
Rainfall Long rainy season and a short dry season -Dry periods in-between raining season
allows two cropping season a year leads to the attack of crops by insects
-The heavy rains provoke erosion in some
areas
-The dry season comes along with dusty
winds and air borne diseases.
Temperatur Both cold and hot tropical temperature -The plains have hot temperatures
e allowing the cultivation of varied crops. conducive for the breeding of mosquitoes.
Relief -Two major relief zones; low lying plains -topography causes difficulty in farming,
and the uplands, thus undulating topography building of houses, road construction as
which are main touristic sites well as farming.
-Uplands serve as watershed.
Soils -Sandy and Volcanic soils available contain -The presence of basaltic soil hinders
Sand and black stones used for construction. agricultural activities.
-Alluvial soils is very rich for farming -heavy leaching around hill slopes
Vegetation - Medicinal plants -Unsustainable management of forest
- Forest which provides timber and habitats resources.
to other organisms -Biodiversity lost to agricultural extension
- Eucalyptus trees used for construction,
electricity poles and as local fuel.
Hydrology Blessed with rivers, Lake and springs which -Unsustainable management of water
are sources of water for domestic use and resources
agro-pastoral activities -Water pollution by animals
-Touristic sites

8
Source: Survey COMAID (2018)

3.3. SOCIO- ECONOMIC/CULTURAL MILIEU OF MBIAME COUNCIL AREA

3.3.1. Overview
All the villages of the municipality have a common traditional set up, ways of dressing,
eating habits and economic activities.
There is hardly a clear distinction in the way the people behave and interact despite coming
from different villages in the municipality. Many similarities can be observed, resulting from
the long co-habitation of these different groups in the Mbiame municipality.

3.3.2. Traditional set up

The village hierarchy and the traditional institutions are respected in the various villages in
the same way. Social stratification is very important as seen on Figure1.There exists norms
which are applicable everywhere in the municipality. Some of these norms are:

 No one speaks to the Fon pocketing the hands.

 No one wears face caps covering their face in Palaces.
 A notable can easily be identified from a specially designed type of cap with red
feather where applicable.
 A young man should not cross the legs when sitting amongst elders.
 A young man shall not sit on a chair while the Elders are standing.

The most organized and respected traditional institution found in all the villages of this area
is the village traditional council. Each village council sits once in the eight-day traditional
week to discuss issues concerning the village. The main functions of the traditional council
include:

 The maintenance of peace within the village

 The organization of community works.
 The resolution of conflicts between villagers
 The circulation of important information within the village through the town crier.

Although it can be said that the role of the traditional council and village development
association should be complementary, there seem to be some undisclosed rivalry caused by
various tendencies. However, as at now, community development work is not disturbed.

9
 In this municipality, most families are headed by men, about 30% of whom are polygamists.
Next of kings is commonly included in the wills of aged family heads. However, in cases
where no will was made, the village head in collaboration with the traditional council usually
intervene to avoid conflicts between the family members. In general, female children do not
inherit their father’s property, because they will eventually go for marriage and are expected
to live on the property of the husband, exceptions are accepted where the deceased had made
the choice or where there is no alternative.

The traditional hierarchy is well understood in the various villages. Other classes include: the
rich, local elites and business people, some title holders and those with high political
recognition. Most often some people assert themselves in the community by making
substantial contributions to development efforts of their villages.

Women have their own traditional titles which they acquire either in relation to royalty or
through gaining educational or political powers e.g. as councillor or teachers or as presidents
of district political parties or church group presidents. The typical set up of the social
stratification of Mbiame is presented in figure 1 below.
Fon

Shu Fai

Yaahs Ata Ntoh

Fai

Sheys

Council VDA

Elites Mformi Traditional groups

Religious institutions CIGs Men’s groups Women’s groups

Figure 1: Social stratification chart of Mbiame

Source: Mbiame Monographic study

10
3.3.3. Cultural Heritages
The culture of the people of the Mbiame Council Area is portrayed mainly through their
music, dressing, housing, craft and food. The cultural differences between the villages of the
municipality are very slim.

3.3.3.1. Languages
The people of this municipality speak varied languages with the main languages being:
Lamnso, Fulfulde, Yamba, Bamoun, Haussa, Pidgin, English and French.

3.3.3.2. Housing
In this area housing is made up of the typical mud blocks and grass rooftops or corrugated
iron sheets. The traditional housing patterns of the area have been greatly modified over the
years. Thatched houses that were formally popular are no longer common in the
communities, giving rise to modern and durable house construction pattern although most
visible in the urban space. At the level of the villages, most of the houses are neither plastered
nor have cemented floors. A similar housing pattern lies with the Fulani’s who have their
traditional round huts known as the ‘Bokarus’ some of which are gradually being replaced
with more permanent structures. Few traditional houses with thatched roof could still be
found around the palaces, quarter heads’ compounds.

3.3.3.3. Festivals

Mbiame is noted for its annual cultural festival between January and February which brings
sons and daughters from far and near. The festival is known “Lav-Ntangri” and “Kpu-yee
wiyi”. Other ceremonies are: the birth and naming of a child, traditional marriages, death
celebrations and initiation into cultural groups like Nwerong, Manjong, Chong, enthronement
and burial of the Fon etc.

3.3.3.4. Dressing
Dressing in this sub division varies between men and women with regard to traditional attire.
Women dress in lose loin cloths with blouse and a headscarf while young girls besides this
attire do wear skirts and trousers. Men wear shirts and trousers with varied cloths. During
traditional ceremonies, both men and women appear in traditional gowns while title holders
wear caps at all times.

11
3.3.3.5. Nutritional habits
Even though varied food crops like beans, cassava, plantain, cocoyam, etc are available in
this municipality; most homes prepare corn fufu which is their stable food. It is served with
huckleberry especially during celebrations. “Saar” is a special dish prepared only on special
occasions while sorghum is used mostly for libations.

3.3.4. Settlement pattern

The built up area of Mbiame council area is not large and covers a small area of the land use
of the subdivision. These areas are found mostly around the business centers, and market
squares in the different communities within the council area.
The main settlement patterns are dispersed and linear. The Sub Divisional road from Rifem to
Mbonso has attracted the inhabitants in the subdivision to settle along this road. Clustered
settlements are also observed around the residential setups and road junctions.

3.3.6. Economic activities

3.3.6.1. Farming
Farming constitutes the main land use practice in the council area (more than 70%). The
plains are widely used for agricultural production of rice and palms especially in Mbonso.
Other crops cultivated are: maize, beans, cassava, cocoyam, plantains, groundnut etc.

3.3.6. 2.Grazing
The hilltops of Mbiame and Rifem provide enormous pastoral resources. These areas are
endowed with water resources and pasture that are primordial for livestock activities
especially grazing. Grazing is the main activity being carried out in those areas by the
Mbororos and a few non Mbororos.

3.3.6.3. Forestry
The inhabitants of this area open private eucalyptus plantations for fuel wood, construction
and for economic purposes. They create the plantations on land areas that are not very fertile
for agriculture. The patches of natural gallery forest areas serve as a source of medicinal
plants and also serve as catchment areas where they do not plant eucalyptus trees.

12
 3.3.5. Assets, Potentials and Constraints of the Socio-Economic/cultural milieu
Table 2: Assets, Potentials and Constraints of the socio- cultural milieu

Assets Potentials Constraints

Traditional set up The organised and respected
government of the villages helps in
maintaining peace in these villages.
Cultural Heritage Traditional dances exist and are
executed yearly and in some
villages Biannually
The municipality speaks 3 dialects
with Lamnso being the
predominant.
Cultural and The development organizations
Development help in assisting some basic sectors
Association of their villages, like beds to
hospital and school equipments.
Religion There are educational and hospital
facilities in the municipality owned
by religious bodies
Crafts The forests provide wood and
bamboo for the woodworks and
straws
Agriculture Provide food and meat for the
village at a cheaper rate
The traditional authorities lack the
financial means to effectively
implement some decisions.
No sufficient funds because
government does not support these
cultural dance, thus, less publicity.
Limited exchange of ideas with
other development stakeholders
Some have become less accountable
thereby not really uniting the people.
Insufficient infrastructure and
personnel in most of the institutions
Some special trees for some wood
work are not found in the area.
Attack of crops by pest and diseases
due to climatic changes

13
Source: Survey COMAID (2018)

3.4: HISTORICAL PROFILE

3.4.1. Overview
All the present day inhabitants of Mbiame municipality are migrants from elsewhere. This
area had thick forests at the time of settlement which has been razed down for cultivation and
settlement. With the urban space and some areas of Mbven sub division being cosmopolitan,
four ethnic groups can be distinguished in the whole sub division; Mbiame (lamnso), Fulanis,
Yambas and the Bamouns. The Mbiame, Yambas and Bamouns are the Tikaris.

3.4.2. Origin and Migration Patterns

Historically, the Mbiame, people originated around the River Noun in Foumban. Rifem is one
of the areas that constitute the Tikari ethnic group; hence they belong to the Tikar ancestral
line. These people left Rifem because of the dense population and the Fulani warriors who
invaded the areas. On their way to the unknown, they were in a group of four. Mbiame and
Nso people of Bui division, Mbam people of the center and the Bamouns of the west. The
four first halted at a place called Ngu-Nso near river Bui where the Bamouns and the Mbams
crossed the river and destroyed the bridge, leaving the Mbiame and Nso people with no
option than to follow the direction of the North West region. When they arrived Taam, the
two families separated and the Mbiame people came and settled at Melay under the
leadership of Fon Leh.

At Taam, they built a small resting place for their Fon. They were living in fear because of
the Fulani invasions and after a short while, they left the area for another area called Tiywong
where they built their first permanent settlements and Tiywong is today the center for
traditional sacrifices in Mbiame village. At Tiywong, they were always harassed by the
Bamouns, so they left for Mbolah and from where they migrated and settled in Roomelai-
kinka where they built their second permanent home. Here, their Fon died and was succeeded
by Wambeh.

14
On leaving Taam, one of the Princesses called Kinsenin got married to a Bamoun man and
gave birth to a set of twins. When they grew up, she decided according to the tradition of the
Mbiame people to present them to her father, the Fon of Mbiame. She came along with her
husband. For fear that they might take their twins back to Taam, Kinsenin’s husband was
killed. The Princess was annoyed and returned to Taam and reported to the Bamoun Fon. In
anger, he waged a war against the Mbiame people. They penetrated the Mbiame palace at
Melay and the Fon of Mbiame escaped but was killed at Mbolah. As such, they migrated to
Kay, by then, Taavisaa had started mourning. The Nso people were at Kovifem, closer to
Taavisaa and the Nso Fon refused to grant them permission to mourn under the pretext that
no two lions can live in the same Den.

This caused the Mbiame people to leave Kay and moved to Lu-mbinon, with the intention of
going to Kom. They arrived Oku and the Fon of Oku refused his ‘brother’, the Fon of
Mbiame and his people to continue to Kom. At this time, the Germans were already in
Cameroon. Since the Fon of Nso did not listen to the Germans, they waged a war against the
Nso people. It was Fon Nwe of Mbiame who pleaded with the Germans to end the war. He
informed the Germans that he was the Fon of Mbiame and when they inquired where he came
from, he showed them his land and was escorted to KovKikar (Kikar forest). In Kovkikar,
there is a shrine where the Mbiame people hide their Fons. This place is called Melay. That is
where they settled when they arrived Taam.

In 1962, the Mbiame people left Kovkikar and resettled in Rifem. From the incarnation of the
Mbiame clan, eighteen Fons have ruled the Mbiame clan, excluding 1 self-enthroned Fon
called Ndzeshasha who was rejected by the people. He migrated to Takum in Nigeria. Some
of the Fons who have ruled the clan include; Fon Le, Wambe, Maan, Nkivkong, kpuntum,
Ngu, Gamsi, Ngam-ngu, Mja, Ngo-Kpuntum, Tonwa, Ya’kaylang, Njoka, Taata, Shindzeu,
Shindzeu 1 and Shindzeu III.

When Taata Nwe and his people reached with his people to plead with the Germans to stop
the war, some Mbiame families settled in Nso. There are more than 63 Mbiame families
resident in Nso with their various family heads. They all pay allegiance to the Fon of Mbiame
because they all belong to the clan. When the family head dies, it is the fon of Mbiame who
enthrones another one.

15
Presently, more than 70% of the population is made up of the Mbiame people, 7% of the
Yambas, and 2% of the Bamouns. Much is not known about the Fulanis who were nomads
from Adamawa region with a significant population of 21%.

In recent times, there has been less massive migration and nomadic life as compared to the
past. Mbven sub division today realizes seasonal migration triggered by the transhumance
and farmers’ quest for more fertile pasture and farms in the low land plains of Mbonso, Lip
and Koko.

3.4.3. Migration Pattern and Settlement of the Tikari people

The Tikaris are believed to be the first settlers in the Mbiame council area. They are said to
have come from Northern Nigeria and settled in this area in the early 19 th century. The early
Tikari settlers include Mbiame and Nso.

3.4.4. Migration Pattern and Settlement of the Bamoun people

They originated from the west region of Cameroon and migrated through out to their present
site. They are few in number in this municipality.

3.4.5. Migration Pattern and Settlement of the Mbororos and Fulanis

They have been a marginalized community until recently the government and other foreign
bodies are working on reinstating the status of these people. Living mainly on hilly and
mountainous part of the municipality, their choice of settlement site is also link to rearing of
cattle which they graze extensively. Today, they have integrated themselves into the
community and just a few are left up the hills.

3.4.6. Colonial Era

The first colonial masters to reach the area were the Germans. They arrived in the area before
the First World War in 1914 and are remembered for their authoritative / dictatorial styles
and for the establishment of the road network of the area. They forced the natives to provide
unskilled labour for road construction, and maltreated recalcitrant villages. They also
forcefully recruited natives into their military in times of war to fight on their side.

16
The British on their part arrived in the area after the Second World War. Their style was
rather friendly, reason for which they seemingly drew much admiration from the inhabitants
than the Germans. They brought the idea of democracy, and are remembered for the
introduction of Christianity in the area. They also introduced the idea of community work and
organized natives to carry out community projects in the areas of portable water supply and
road maintenance. They are also remembered for the opening of schools and the introduction
of the coffee and eucalyptus trees.

3.4.7. Inter Village Conflicts

Since the settlement of the population in this area, inter-village conflicts have been recurrent.
The conflicts generally develop from one of the following reasons; search of land for grazing
or farming (farmers/grazer conflicts) and to a lesser extent boundary disputes.

3.4.8. Religion

3.4.8.1. Overview
There are three main types of religious practices in the council area: Islam, Christianity and
traditional religion. Christianity and Islam were introduced to the people after their settlement
in the area. The importance of each religion in the area is a matter of choice and or parental
orientation. Table 4 presents the different denominations in the sub division.
Table 3: Religious Institutions in Mbiame municipality
Catholic Baptist Presbyterian Islamic Pentecostal Traditional
mosque
Mbven Sub 14 6 7 18 3
Division

17
Source: Field survey COMAID 2018

3.4.8.2. Christianity
Christianity is one of the largest religious bodies introduced from foreign culture (colonial
masters). About 79% of the population in the municipality are Christians with main
denominations being; Catholic, Presbyterian and the Baptist. It is practised in almost all
communities in this municipality. Christianity has however contributed to development in
various communities like opening of schools and hospitals.

3.4.8.3. Islam
About 21% of the population in this subdivision are muslims. At first, they were mainly the
Mbororos, but today, some natives of Banso and Bamouns have joint the faith.

3.4.8.4 Traditional Religion

Traditional religion with ancestral worship is very common in all the villages of the
municipality. This is the oldest religion of the time. The “country Sunday” is one of the eight
days of the traditional week set aside by each village for the performance of the traditional
rites and ancestral worship with no farm work. The “country Sunday” also serves as days of
rest for villagers who are always tempted to work throughout. However, in some villages they
tend to observe two days, which is taking up more productive time. This day varies from one
village to another. They have shrines in both public places and private homes where they
pour libations.

3.4.8.3. The Role of Religion in the Development of the Area.

Religion plays a big role in development of Mbiame Council area. Most prominent buildings
are churches and schools in some villages. Apart from evangelism, the various religions
especially Christianity, carry out developments through employment in schools and health
centres. An example is the Catholic Vocational School. The Churches strive to build the
moral upbringing of the population. This is greatly hampered by the policies of the State,
which does not attach much importance to the certificates obtained in religious studies.

CHAPTER 4: SECTORIAL DEVELOPMENT

4.1. Basic Education

18
There are 25 nursery schools and 34 primary schools which are public, private and lay private
schools. But this academic year was interrupted by the strike action of 22 nd November 2016
called by Teachers’ and Lawyers’ trade union leaders. This strike has not only prevented
some pupils from going to school, but also from writing sequence and end of course exams.
But however, the 2017/2018 academic year, there is improvement in the enrolment and
presence of both pupils and teachers.

Despite the effort of government and the private sector, the schools in Mbven sub division are
facing some challenges such as acute shortage of teachers especially in government schools,
absenteeism of some teachers, lack of infrastructures, dilapidated buildings, poor
environmental conditions like the absence or shortage of water due to climate change, lack of
modern latrines, trash cans, inadequate didactic materials etc. The Tables 5 and 6 show the
statistics of enrolment of pupils, teachers and infrastructures available and those needed.

Table 4: Statistics of enrolment and needs in Nursery schools

No Institution Enrolment Number Available Number Needed

Classrooms Chair/Table Teachers Classrooms Chair/Table Teachers
1 Government 354 24 106 9 30 30 23
2 Catholic 99 10 27 4 2 1 0
3 Presbyterian 50 2 14 4 4 4 2
4 Baptist 27 11 06 2 1 2 1
(CBC)
5 Islamic 57 9 12 3 4 4 2
6 Lay Private 36 14 20 2 0 0 0
Source: MINEDUB, 2017

Table 5: Statistics of enrolment and needs in Primary Schools

N Institution Enrolment Number Available Number Needed

o
Classrooms Desk Teachers Toilet Classrooms Desk Teachers Toilet
1 Government 8802 62 1253 65 47 79 2375 76 118
2 Catholic 698 23 286 20 11 0 0 0 0
3 Presbyterian 266 3 85 6 3 0 0 0 0
4 Baptist 179 3 70 6 3 0 0 0 0
(CBC)
5 Islamic 294 9 140 12 12 0 0 0 0
6 Lay Private 86 4 50 5 2 0 0 0 0

19
Source; MINEDUB, 2017

4.2. Secondary Education

Mbven sub division is made up of 06 secondary schools; Government Technical College
Mbiame (GTC), Government High School (GHS) Mbiame, Government Bilingual Secondary
School (GBSS) Old Camp/Mbonso, SAR/SM Rifem, Government Secondary school (GSS)
kovki and Government Bilingual secondary school Lip. Table 7 presents a summary situation
of secondary education in the municipality.

Table 7: Summary of the situation of Secondary Education in Mbiame municipality

Need for desks

desksAvailable
Name of school Total Number of Total number of Classrooms Need for
students staff in good state classrooms
Girls

 Construction
Total

Contract teachers
Boys

Civil servants
Parent teachers

Rehabilitation
GTC Mbiame 96 177 273 0 3 15 7 0 2 135 0

GHS NMbiame 180 69 249 2 0 27 14 0 0 256 0

SAR-SM Rifem 0 0 0
GBSS Old
Camp /Mbonso
GSS Kovki
GBSS Lip

20
4.3. Agriculture
Agriculture is the main activity of the Mbiame municipality with over 90% of the population
being farmers. There are three main production zones; Mbiame, Mbonso and Lip. Some of
the crops produced in the municipality include maize, rice, groundnuts, okra, plantain,
cassava, coffee, tomato, beans, bananas, potatoes and coco yams. Table 8 presents the main
crops produced in the Mbiame council area, their production zones, quantities produced and
total surface area cultivated in 2017.
Table 8: Production statistics for some major crops

Agric Mbiame Mbonso Lip Total

zones
Scale Quantity Scale Quantit Scale Quantit Surface Quantity
Crop (Ha) (Tons) (Ha) y (Ha) y area Produced
(Tons) (Tons) (Ha) (Tons)
Maize 3376 5032.5 3355 5032.5 508 762 7239 1085.5
Beans 1349 1079.2 / / 60 73 1409 1152.2
Groundnut / / 102 163.2 45 67 147 230
Rice / / 190 7222.6 / / 190 7222.6
Solanum 61 846 / / / / 61 846
potato
Soya beans / / 266.6 306.6 78 109.2 3446 415.8
Tomato 8.4 110 / / / / 8.4 110
Pepper / / / / 64 104 64 104
Plantains 8 84 113 1243 12 149 133 1476
Oil palm / / 150 165 8 8.5 158 173.5
Arabica 16 7.7 / / / / 16 7.7
coffee
Robusta / / 5 5.5 22 30 27 35.5
coffee

21
Source: SDDRD Mbiame 2017

The main challenges faced in this sector include dryness of soil, pest, disease, inadequate and
poor storage facilities and limited mechanized farming greatly affect the productivity making
it impossible for optimum outputs per hectare to be realized. Inorganic farm inputs are not
very affordable to farmers considering a bag of fertilizer cost 18000 francs and Urea costs
about19000 francs. Problems of floods in the rice fields of Mbonso also affect production
because the drainage canals and irrigation are not well done together with poor farm
management.

4.3.1. Management of pest and disease

One of the main challenges faced by farmers in the Mbiame council area is dealing with pest
and diseases, which greatly affect production. Table 8 presents the pests and diseases that
affect production in Mbiame municipality and the control measures used.
Table 6: Different pests and diseases that affect production of some major crops and the
control / phytosanitary measures used

Pest / Disease Crop affected Control measures

Rodents, Rice, Cassava clean round the farms, weeding of farms use
of traps and poisoned baits
Birds Rice Scaring

Stem borers Tomato, Maize Weed farm and Use of pesticides depending
on the pest encountered
Blight (caused by Tomato, pepper, Pray with fungicide
fungi) potatoes
Corn Smut Maize Use Fungicide

Weevils (post- Grains (beans, maize) Use powder insecticide

harvest pest) Local preservation by burning of cypress
leaves over grains

Moulding caused Maize, Beans etc Appropriate harvesting of crops and drying to
by fungi prevent moulding

22
Source: Divisional Delegation of MINADER, Mbven

4.3.2. Supply of agricultural inputs

There is supply of inputs like seeds, phytosanitary products like pesticides, herbicides,
fungicides, and fertilizers is by the Ministry to farmers in the Mbiame council area even
though not regularly.
When the delegation of MINADER obtains products from the ministry, they are distributed to
Chiefs of Agricultural Post (CAPs) to share to farmers, especially maize and rice seeds.
Pesticides are distributed mostly to market gardeners and coffee framers.

4.3.3. Sustainable land and fertility management measure

To ensure the sustainable management of land and soil fertility in the municipality, farmers
are sensitized against the use the slash/ burn (Ankara) method of farming, encouraged to use
organic manure to improve on soil fertility, and they are also sensitized on the proper use of
pesticides and fertilizers.

4.3.4. Rural mini infrastructures

The Municipality has 02 cooperative ware houses which also function as weighing stations,
01 of them situated at Mbonso. There is also the produce marketing cooperative and a
MIDENO building dilapidated and not really operational.

4.3.5. Supervisory and agricultural extension services present in the council area
The Mbiame municipality has 03 agricultural posts, 01 in Mbiame, 01 in Mbonso and the
other at Lip. There are also 3 extension zones under the National Agricultural Extension and
Research programme (PNVRP) which is a program between two ministries with zonal
extension workers. The 3 agricultural posts are carved out into 03 extension zones. The sub
delegate of MINADER is in charge of the CAPs not the zonal extension workers. The Zonal
extension workers are the link between research and MINADER. They take research results
to the field and if there are challenges in the field the zonal extension workers bring to the
agricultural post for research.
ACEFA exists and offers training to interested individuals on any aspect that concerns
community life. They work with different stakeholders. They can also setup demonstration
plots.

23
4.3.6. Creation and rehabilitation of farm to market roads in the council area
Farm to market roads exist in the council area but are in poor conditions. Most farms are
accessible by bike and on foot and produce can easily be evacuated especially during the dry
season.

4.3.7. Management of agricultural-sylvicultural and pastoral conflicts

In events of crop destruction by animals, complains are tabled to MINADER where
mediation is engaged to find solutions. If it is not resolved, the matter is forwarded to the DO
and the DO writes to MINADER for crop evaluation, MINADER is accompanied by
MINEPIA, and at times law enforcement officers are part of the team. Crop evaluation can
also be carried with a letter from the law enforcement office.

4.3.8. Types of farm tools and their effects on the work output
Despite the importance of agriculture to the economy of the area, many farmers still use
rudimentary tools which limit them to small farm holdings. The average farm holding per
household is about 1.5 ha which is usually made up of two to three small plots located in
different places. However, mechanized agriculture is practiced by some farmers who hire
tractors for ploughing over large plots.

4.3.9. Conservation and transformation technology for agricultural products

Rice hauling mills, corn mills, oil presses do exist in the Mbiame council area for
transformation of products. Soya beans are equally transformed into powder and cassava into
garri.

4.4. Livestock Production

Livestock production in Mbiame council area is relatively high specifically in terms of
animal population size per livestock type. The main livestock production zones in the council
area are the Mbiame and Mbonso basins. Aquaculture is predominant at Lip basin, with
Pisiculture (fish farming) carried out all over Mbiame. Promotion of this sector is enhanced
by financial, material and training support programs like PNVRA, PACA, IRAD, MIDENO,
LIFIDEP, PRODEL and PLANAVET. There equally exist a number of groups and
associations carrying out livestock activities. Table 8 shows the different livestock and their
population in the entire sub division. Sadly, very little is done in the area of transformation
and commercialization of reared products.
Table 7: Livestock Production in 2018

24
Type Total population for various
speculations
cattle 13,976
Local chicks 12031
Goats 4356
sheep 4724
Pigs 4816
Brawler’s 780
Donkey 664
Ducks 631
Horses 80
Geese 10
Turkey 2
Pigeons
Source: Sub delegation of MINEPIA, Mbiame

Table 8: Diagnosis of livestock infrastructure

Livestock Number of State (temporal or Need/ difficulties

infrastructures structure permanent)
MINEPIA Sub 1 Temporal -The structure needs repairs
Delegation -A need to construct a sub divisional
office
Zoo technical 1 Permanent -Electrification required
and veterinary
center
Vaccination 5 Only one Four of the crutches are repaired annually
crutches permanent at Reeh
Drinking 0 0 Troughs are required
troughs
Cattle paddocks 3 0 All need repairs
Cattle dip 0 0 0
Sales Slabs 0 0 A need for the construction of sales slabs
Slaughter slabs 1 Permanent No water supply
Cattle market 3 No permanent structures

25
Source: Sub delegation of MINEPIA, Mbiame

4.5. Forestry and wildlife

There exist a forestry and wildlife post with a chief of post. He does the control of the
exploitation of the few forests and wildlife found in the municipality. The Mbiame council
area is mostly characterized by secondary forest with patches of natural forest and a natural
community forest along the road to Kumbo which also serves as a sacred forest (shrine).
Most of the secondary forests are owned by individuals. The Mbiame Municipality is
preparing a place to create a nursery for further reforestation with mostly eucalyptus species
at Mantum. The forest is rich in different species as follows:
- Plant species: Eucalyptus, mahogani, iroko etc.
- Fauna: birds; bannerman’s turaco, green turaco, Bamenda apalis, Banded wattle eye
pigeon. Animals: monkeys, hare, panthers, wolf duckers, rats, porcupine, hare,
antelopes bush goats etc. Reptiles; African rock pythons, two horn chameleons, green
and black mambas, two horn stunted snails and different types of snakes.
- Non timber forest products: indian bamboos, rattan cane, honey, prunus africana,
raffia palms.
Monitoring is mostly done in the forest resources along the borders between Mbiame and the
west region. Within the community, regular visits are paid to the forest sites to restrain people
from illegal exploitation of resources.
Forest exploitation is done mostly in Mbonso, Lip, Tiwong, Nkonin, Mbiame and Coco.
Supervisory work is difficult since there is only one personnel in the entire subdivision.
There is an indiscriminate felling of trees and the unsustainable harvesting of Prunus
africana, bush meat and medicinal plants from the forest. The forest landscape is gradually
turning into agricultural zone.

4.6. Environment
There is no sub delegation for this sector in the Municipality, thus, the divisional delegation
does the supervision of environmental issues. The Mbiame council has a sanitary team that
does patrols for hygiene and sanitation within the municipality. The markets are provided
with trash cans and clean up campaigns done once every month. Out of the market areas,
waste management is mostly by individuals who dump waste haphazardly and a small
quantity used for composting (manure on farms) while some wastes like plastic bottles are
reused as drinking water containers.

26
There are no council owned green spaces but individuals have planted carpet grasses around
their premises.

4.7. Water

27
 The municipality is privileged to have pipe borne water managed by a water management
committee, and supervised by the council water care taker. There are also wells, boreholes and
springs in all the villages. There are 9 boreholes, 25 public and 57 private taps with 1 connection.
8 taps are not functional and all the 9 boreholes are broken down. Most of the stand taps in the
Municipality are dry and some need repairs. Management is done by the council water care
taker. Table 11 shows some of the water points in the municipality in 2008 when it was still
being managed at the divisional level.
Table 9: Water supply situation of Mbiame Council Area for 2008

Public Stand Taps Modern Wells Total Total Total

Funct Not Funct
Sub Locality Type of Population Number Funct No Funct
Division Source Of locality
MBVEN RIFEM Spring 1500 5 5 0 0 5 0 5
SUB MBOYEWIY 300 2 2 0 0 2 0 2
DIVISI KITSEM “ 350 1 1 1 1 2 0 2
ON SHUKOV “ 350 1 1 1 1 2 0 2
NJAVNIN 200 0 0 1 1 1 0 1
MBOSHONG “ 500 0 0 2 2 2 0 2
KUNKOV “ 600 3 3 0 0 3 0 3
LAM 400 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
REH “ 300 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
NJANAWA “ 700 5 5 0 0 5 0 5
LIP 350 0 0 2 2 2 0 2
TAH 150 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MBORONG
MUMYU 550 0 0 2 2 2 0 2
SHANCHO 150 0 0 1 1 1 0 1
SANG 300 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TANYAR 200 0 0 1 1 1 0 1
KOVKI 250 0 0 1 1 1 0 1
MBONSO 600 0 0 4 3 3 1 4
NKONIN 250 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MBOKOV 300 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TIY WONG 200 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SHUKEN 200 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MBOTSEM “ 300 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DZEMKIR “ 200 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SUB TOTAL MBVEN SUB DIVISION 32 1 33

28
Source: MINEE, Kumbo

4.8. Energy Supply

The Municipality is uses hydroelectricity, solar and thermal energy. Eneo is the main body in
charge electricity while individuals manage solar, gas and thermal energy (use of generators).
Given that there is no petroleum filling station in the municipality, there is the rampant sale of
contraband fuel. Twelve (12) communities of 32 have not been served with electrical network.
There are 7 transformers, 400 installed poles, 500 connections made with an average tension
length of 10000 meters. Currently, one transformer and 4 poles are not functional.

4.9. Post &Telecommunication

There is a post and telecentre newly constructed in the Mbven Sub division but not functional as
yet. Currently, the Sub division owns an operational post box in the post office of Kumbo where
they receive and send mails. Post box activities are slow in the areas of mailing given that people
communicate faster by mobile phones. The Municipality has two main antennas; MTN and
Orange but the Sub division also receives Nextel and Camtel networks.

4.10. Communication
Even though there is no community radio in Mbven, almost the entire Municipality captures and
listens to the Tatum community radio and the Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV) Bamenda.
Some of the communities capture the Foumban and the Bui community radios. Communication
is also done by phone calls and post through the use of letters. Inhabitants also use televisions but
do not have a cable network, they use satellite discs. Within the communities, communication is
equally done locally by using sound instruments like drums, horns and whistles.

4.11. Tourism

29
There exist natural and human touristic potentials. Some of these touristic sites are: the Mbiame
community forest, kovmbum up forest, indian bamboo hill, lake Nkonin, Nkonin plain, Mbaw
plain, mphons cave, nsan hill, mbuekinjem, Tiwong water, mbohkimah hill and forest, Robert
handicraft centre, Mbonso and Mbiame fon’s palace, Alverambiame ranch. They are equally
very few hotels. Most of these sites are however not well developed and exploited. Reason being,
very little data is available concerning the frequency and management of these existing touristic
sites, promoted by the clandestine nature of most of the activities. Also most of the sites are in
enclaved areas of the municipality.

4.12. Commerce
There exists three categories of traders in this Municipality; wholesalers, retailers and licensed
traders. The retailers and some wholesalers buy from Kumbo, Bamenda and Nigeria and
distribute to retailers within the sub division. Petty trading is a long established tradition of the
municipality. Wholesalers in turn buy maize, rice, beans and groundnuts and sell out of the sub
division. The only crop sold to licensed traders is coffee which they stock and transport through
Kumbo and Foumban.
The municipality has 4 constructed markets which are the Mbiame main market, Mbonso, Lip
and Kovki markets. None of the markets as of now has the complete facilities needed. The
products sold in these markets range from farm to finished products with the traders from within
and out of the municipality. There exist cattle and goat markets in Mbiame, Lip and Mbonso.
These markets are managed by the Mbiame council with a periodic surveillance from the
divisional delegation.
Commercial promotion in the council area is retarded by inadequate electricity supply, limited
market structures and poor road network.

4.13. Culture

30
There is no sub delegation of culture in the municipality but cultural diversity is glaring through
dances, music, dressing and festivals.There are existing dances such as Manjong, Kikum,
Menang, Longsi, Kincheeme, Chong and To’o which distinguish one community from another.
Some of these dances are accompanied by masquarades such as the Wan Mabuh, Kibara-nkoh,
Kinga-ayassi. The dressing of the Mbven people equally contributes in promoting their culture
although not very different from the peculiar traditional dresses from other areas of the North
West region. Furthermore, annual cultural festivals play a role in pulling together all the sons and
daughters to their ‘roots’. Much work still needs to be done in this sector for its development and
publicity based on the municipality’s rich cultural heritage.

4.14. Youth Affairs

There exists a sub delegation of youth affairs in the municipality. This sector is made up of a
multifunctional center and 17 members in the CNYC. However some of the youths have created
a volunteer association in the municipality as such, they are involved in some agricultural
activities like market gardening and livestock.
There are 30 agro pastoral youth associations. There is no functional literacy center. At the level
of insertion groups, only 4 youths in the Mbiame council area have been supported by PAJER-U
and non by PIFMAS. This delegation is not functional in the areas of youth holiday jobs, youth
camps and youth colonies, the absence of an antidrug brigade, the absence of a culture and
antiquity center, a youth library and leisure center.

4.15. Women empowerment and the family

Even though there is no women empowerment centre in Mbiame, the Divisional delegation
organizes training sessions with women during which there is exhibition of different items
produced by women. Some of the training is on: Economic empowerment of the woman and the
Girl child, protection and promotion of the family, early marriages/violence against the girl child
and the fight against incest, rape and prostitution
Assistance is given to families in distress through the buying of their items and prizes given to
the first three best of each product. Families with sick or handicapped children/parents are also
identified during these sessions. The village once had a village association but which has not
been functional for about four years now. There exist many small women unions in the villages;
social groups, tribal or cultural groups, farming groups and religious groups but which are not
known by the Division.

31
Women are actively involved in community development where they participate actively in
community works, in council elections and cook food during meetings. They assist in paying
their children’s school fees.

4.16. Small and medium sized enterprises, social economy and handicraft

The Mbiame municipality has many micro small sized enterprises and a few small sized
enterprises doing craft work. These craft men do not have an association which makes it difficult
for them to benefit from the government support program. The ministry has a local development
initiative support program where craft men come up with projects and they are being supported
in the form of a grant. The grant cannot be given to individuals. The Divisional delegation also
organizes craft competitions where there is exhibition and prizes awarded to winners who then
participate at the regional level and further if they win. Unfortunately, nobody from Mbiame has
ever won and they have not been fully participating. The regional delegation has sensitized the
population to register at the one stop shop in Bamenda where they will get more information on
the creation of enterprises and the different support programs. Most craft persons lack capital to
start business and training to make their products more competitive in markets as most of them in
the sub division are operating informally. Equally, there is no craft centre in Mbiame, they work
individually with rudimentary tools. The different subsectors and number of people involved in
2016 can be seen on Table 12.
Table 12: Statistics of Craft work and handicraft enterprises in Mbven subdivision

32
subsector No of persons involved Activity Description of activity
Males Females Total
Embroidery 0 17 17 Knitting Knitting of caps, bags and
pullovers
4 4 Traditional Use woollen thread
dresses
Bee farming 18 0 18 Honey production Honey production
Bronze work 1 0 1 Making of hand Making of rings
rings
Weaving 9 8 17 Weaving Weaving of baskets, mats, trays
Sculpture 7 0 7 carving carving of stools
Bamboo works 8 2 10 Local chairs Use bamboos
Artistic work 1 0 1 Drawing/ drafting Drawing and painting
Photography 1 0 1 Photography Taking photos with camera
Textile 2 1 3 Sewing Sewing of dresses
Recording 1 0 1 Recording Put music on CDs
Local bear 1 1 2 Corn beer Use corn
production
Carpentry 4 2 6 Furniture Making of furniture
Communication 4 2 6 Call box Credit transfer/call
Decoration 3 3 6 Hair dressing Hair dressing
Decoration Decorate ceremonial ground
General 1 0 1 Butcher Retails cow meat
commerce
Production of 2 0 2 Production of bee Use bamboos
bee hives hives
Food processing 2 0 2 milling Grain processing
Barbing 1 0 1 Haircut Haircut
Plastic arts 1 0 1 Painting Paint sign boards
Leather works 3 0 3 Shoe Use leather
maker/repairs Shoe repairs
Blacksmithing 0 1 1 Blacksmith Make pots
Metal works 2 2 4 Welding Welding of doors, window
protectors
Repair works 1 0 1 Electronic repairs Electronic repairs
Source: MINPMESSA, 2016

33
4.17. Employment and Vocational Training
Employment opportunities from the state are limited mostly to the recruitment of teachers and
temporal contract workers during road maintenance. The council equally recruits council staff
when need be. There is mostly unskilled labour where it requires no recruitment. These
opportunities are in animal rearing, farming, building, carpentry, tailoring and bike riding. This
leaves many youths unemployed. About 5% of the population is employed (salary earners), 85%
are self-employed and 15% unemployed.

The municipality has two vocational training centers; SAR-SM owned by the government and
the Trial and demonstration Center (TDC) owned by the Catholics. Apart from these two, there
exist training workshops in the urban space used during practice. SAR-SM has 38 teachers with
four vocational trainers inclusive. The center is managed by the Parents Teachers Association
(PTA) and the Ministry of employment and vocational training (MINEFOP). Attendance has
been poor for the past two years where only five registered in 2017 due to the socio political
crisis in the English speaking regions.

4.18. Sports and physical education

This municipality is void of any properly developed sports infrastructure except for the council
field which is located around the health center which is not normal and a lone tennis table which
is not at the disposal of every youth in the municipality. There are very few other playgrounds in
the municipality. The few other playgrounds can be found in other primary and secondary
schools and all the play grounds are not developed. Sporting events are rarely organized. There is
no sport association and no sport center within the municipality. Only football is organized and
it’s not regular especially at the level of the council. There are insufficient sport and physical
education teachers in most schools; Mbonso, Lip and Kovki. Girls are always left behind as far
as sports and physical education is concerned in the municipality. There is lack of collaboration
between the executives at the level of the council. Both the office and the schools lack personnel
and materials like balls, t-shirts, stop watches etc. The delegate finds it very difficult to organize
holiday competitions for the youths due to lack of means.

34
4.19. Housing and Urban Development
Mbiame urban development is characterized by the construction of buildings for office use and
commercial activities. The urban space although delimited, since 2010, there isn’t any master
plan for urban development. There is haphazard construction of houses and activities have not
been allocated in the town. There is no public cemetery, nor an area allocated for waste disposal
and treatment. There is equally no constructed motor park with public transportation mostly
clandestine in nature, poorly developed with no public lighting and road signs.

4.20. Mines, Industries and Technological Development

There is mining of resources in the Mbiame council area like river sand, stones and laterite.
Other mineral resources as gem (Sapphire, garnet and tourmaline) traces have been found in
some localities but are not mined. There are four legalized quarries and many illegal quarries all
over the municipality. Artisanal type of exploitation of stones and sand in private quarries is
managed by individuals where they: - provide tools needed for extraction, -ensure safety of
workers and property, -determine the price of sand/stones, and pay taxes to the council for each
truck of material.

Table 10: Some mineral exploitation sites

Sand pit Number of points

Mayo Nkongdong at Mfi bridge 1
Mayo Nkongdong/Kovjoh confluence 3
Fohnjong 2
Mairin river 1
Yah Kungah stream in old camp 1
Mbunge Sand pit in Ngorin 1
Kovki Sand pit 1
Shuubui I and II in Lip 2
Mbven I and II 2
Kidulayu 1
Tov I and II 2

35
Source: Mbiame council

Some mining products are transformed into semi-finished and finished products, for example,
rocks are broken down to smaller sizes for construction in this council area and some used for
decoration. All the mining products are subject to tax payments as follows:

- Land tax: it is paid by all quarries every January, and is calculated based on the surface
area of the quarry; 25FCFA /M2 / year.
- Extraction tax: each material extracted is declared to the service of mines in Bui and paid
at the treasury. For loose materials like sand, it is 200FCFA/cubic meter while hard
materials like stones and gravel is 350FCFA per cubic meter.
- Council tax

There is often environmental degradation during the exploitation of these resources as seen in
quarry sites where the top soils is being removed and the soil exposed to erosion. The largest
exploited site is Shuubui I because it is exploited throughout the year. Legalization process for
the quarry business in the sub division is on-going with the Ministry of Mines, Industry and
Technological Development.

For industrial activities like garage works, bakeries and carpentry workshops, they are inspected
twice a year. Despite the efforts of this delegation to ensure good environmental conditions, most
of them still keep poor hygienic conditions.

Technological development is fairly advanced in the municipality and the inhabitants use great
ingenuity to meet their daily needs. This is typically the case with the fabrication of milling
machines for oil palm processing at Mbonso.

4.21. Social Affairs

There exists a sub delegation of social affairs services in Mbven sub-division. This sector takes
care of the vulnerable persons (the mentally deranged, the people with special disability, widows
and the orphans). Support is always given to the vulnerable in the form of gifts in cash and kind
from churches. Support is offered to victims of the council area who are victims of natural
disaster, for example, during the rainy season when thunder happens to destroy somebody’s
house or kills somebody’s cattle, the victims get some financial support from the council.

36
In this municipality, the Mbororo who are generally known to be marginalized, have integrated
themselves into the mainstream of societal life and do have access to basic facilities like any
other community member. However, a few Mbororos are still separated from the society and are
up the hills.
The marginalized group of persons are the Bamouns who do not fully participate in decision
making nor provided with access to basic needs. Other marginalized are the physically
challenged. Most have been organized into social homes by the organization “CHALICE”
Given that there is no association of people with special needs, they are always left behind since
they have no leader amongst them who can speak on their behalf. The public buildings have no
access ramps as such difficult to be access by people with special abilities.

4.22. Territorial administration and decentralization

The sub-division has 5 Ardos who are classified as third class chiefs followed by the Shifais and
the Fais while the paramount chief of Rifem is classified as a second class FON. The Fon’s
palace is constructed in a rectangular manner with stones, bricks, sand, cement, plank etc. There
is virtually no risky zone and no conflict over the use of resources.
Three civil status centers exist in the sub-division which is the Mbiame, Kovki and the main civil
status centers in Rifem. The Mbiame and Kovki civil status centers are considered as secondary
while the main center is Rifem. There have been no measure disasters in the council area but the
secondary civil status register centers lack personnel.

4.23. Health

37
There are 4 health areas in the Sub division and one resident doctor. Among the four, is a sub-
divisional hospital with one pharmacy, one laboratory, two microscopes, one delivery room with
two delivery beds, one autoclave for sterilization (its small and sub slandered) and some basic
office furniture is available with few chairs. The Sub divisional hospital was created in 1963 as a
health post and in is 1987 it was integrated as a health center and it finally became a Sub
divisional hospital known as CMA (Centre Medicale d’Arrondissement) in the year 2000. There
are 32 beds in the hospital of average quality and some of the mattresses are in bad shape. The
lab has a very small working space. There is a water point available though still under
construction. There are pit toilets available with bath rooms where one is good and one is of sub
standard level. There is no standard incinerator so waste pits are used for waste management at
the moment. There is also no mortuary and also no lodging for the medical doctor. The sub-
divisional hospital has 2 buildings; one for the maternity and the other has been divided into two
and one side of it is used as offices and the other section for hospitalization. The entire structure
is even dilapidated and needs serious renovation.
The CMA has 14 workers where only three of them are paid by the state and the others are paid
by the management board of the hospital.
All the programs for the fight against infectious diseases under the ministry of public health are
functional and no problems have been identified so far
HIV/AIDs infected mothers are well taken care of so that their babies will not be infected. Even
when the baby is born, optimum care is still taken until the baby is 18 months old (an age
whereby the mother can wind the child from breast milk) so as to ensure that the baby is safe.
The entire sub-division has 20 persons infected with HIV/AIDs who are currently taking
treatment. Of this number of persons, 5 are males (4 adults and one child) and the rest 15 are
females.
This sector faces challenges like the lack of a resident and transportation facilities for the doctor
even when he is the lone doctor in the entire sub-division. The hospital highly needs additional
government paid staff so as to ease their work and to reduce some of the stress of the
management committee.

4.24. Civil society organization

38
They are a number of Civil Society organizations present in the municipality. They work in
collaboration with municipal authorities and are contributing to the growth of the municipality.
The most remarkable include SHUMAS, NASCENT SOLUTION, GP-DERUDEP, CHALICE,
HELVETAS Cameroon, Agriculture Pilot Project (APP), Circle International Pour la Promotion
de la Creation (CIPCRE) who are and have been doing enormous work in developing
agriculture, livestock, education, health, and water and forest conservation.

ANNEXES

39
40