Lofty Nkambe Council school project bankrolled by Japan

Yaounde, Cameroon—The Nkambe Council has received non-refundable endowment worth 43,541,113 FCFA from the Japanese government that will fund the building and furnishing of five new classrooms for Government School Bambe in the municipality’s Wat village where over 300 pupils currently study in two poorly furnished classrooms built with mud bricks.

Mayor Ngabir presenting speech, Ambassador, Fon of Wat, look on

The Council will with its own funds finance the renovation and furnishing of the two existing classrooms and the head teacher’s office. It is expected that the project will see more pupils enrolled in the school in the coming school year.

The grant contract documents were signed at the Japanese Embassy in Yaounde on Thursday February 26, 2014 by the Mayor of the Nkambe Council and the Ambassador of Japan to Cameroon.

The mayor, Mr. Ngabir Paul Bantar, who signed on behalf of the municipalitiy, said Government School Bambe found in Nkambe Central Sub Division, Donga Mantung Division of the Northwest Region, has not had any befitting structure since its creation some two decades ago. “We have been managing in two mud brick unplastered classrooms”, he said. He further revealed that the grant is the biggest the council has received in decades.

According to the mayor, education in that rural municipality has been stifled by an acute shortage of infrastructure and personnel. “This timely offer will go along way to make-up for the great infrastructural deficit”.

Crediting the offer to the cordial diplomatic relationship between Cameroon and Japan, the mayor disclosed that “the outstanding structure upon completion will epitomize this wonderful relationship between the friendly and brotherly people of Japan and Cameroon, for generations to come.”

'We are grateful', the mayor tells Japanese Diplomat

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Cameroon, Mr. Tsutomu Arai said education is one of Japan’s development priorities in Cameroon.

The Japanese government has constructed and equipped several “Japanese Schools” in Cameroon within the framework of the bilateral cooperation between the governments of Japan and Cameroon.

Though Government School Bambe does not fall within the ‘Japanese Schools’ in Cameroon, the project however attracted Japanese funding. “Our objective in funding this project is to contribute to the laudable efforts the government of Cameroon is deploying through grassroots organizations, local councils and the civil society at large”, the Japanese Ambassador said.

The project, the Japanese Diplomat explained, will directly benefit more than 326 pupils “who do not have access to a consolidated standard, conducive and sustainable learning infrastructure”.

Construction which will span 8 months ought to begin in March 2015, according to the contract. But the mayor promised he will ensure that it is executed within six months so that it can be put to use in September this year-when the 2015/2016 school year begins.

(L-R)Fon of Wat, Japanese Ambassador and Mayor of Nkambe

Following the Japanese offer, the mayor revealed that the council has committed itself to renovate and furnish the existing two mud brick classrooms and the head teacher’s office.

Also present at the grant contract signing ceremony were the Fon of Wat, HRH Fon Ngorake Valentine, who is also councilor of the Nkambe Council, councilors Nfor Mohamadou Bawe who heads the project committee and Killah Godlove amongst others.

HRH Fon Ngorake Valentine called the project “a sigh of relief” not just for him but for children in Wat and it will help and neighbouring villages.

By Ndi Eugene Ndi in Yaounde