Raymond Dinga Gwanyalla: The Outstanding Leader of the Month

 By Fai Cassian Ndi

Raymond Dinga Gwanyalla: Outstanding Leader

If leadership qualities were to be measured by impact, our leader of the month Raymond Dinga Gwanyalla would have done appealingly fine on the hinges of that weighing machine given that he has proven his worth in very many domains. And if leadership as they say is a career committed to solving societal problems, Raymond Gwanyalla is for that reason a gigantic problem solver.

And he has been fairly rewarded for his leadership skills both as mayor of Bali Council and President of BOBA where he was voted by acclamation to build the future of emerging leaders. But since nature demands that everyone who exudes excellence in the line of duty deserves a pat on the back or some prizes for making the difference, Raymond Gwanyalla has enjoyed some good romance with glittering accolades for his leadership qualities. In the North West Region of Cameroon, one of the leaders who have built his great influence to excellently empower a new generation of leaders is Gwanyalla. He is one that always takes the lead and receives the support of others. People have a lot of trust in him for his honesty and spirit of accountability. His influence is inspiring change all over North West Region. Born and raised in a typical Christian family, he grows up to be a high flying academic achiever. His Alma matter CPC Bali has remained in his heart for ever.

Last January 17, 2015 he was re-elected by acclamation at the BOBA Elective General Assembly. This is so because where Gwanyalla had taken the lead, there evidences have been glaring that he is one of those who run of the wheel of positive change for society to prosper, an audacity of integrity whose passion reflects his desire to see sustainable development being put into practice. CPC Bali is likely to be the first secondary school in the North West Region where students and teachers will say bye-bye to blackboard and chalk and say welcome to laptops and book notes. Thanks to the dynamism of Gwanyalla, BOBAN has been transformed into exemplary enterprising venture. The BOBA warehouse in Douala is a model example. Gwanyalla’s confidence has always given him a place in different leadership capacities, increasing his favourable influence at every favourable occasion and putting forth innovative ideas into concrete actions. The renovation of the CPC library, pavement in campus, the biogas project and water supply scheme are amongst the realizations of Gwanyalla at the helm of BOBA.

Ba Nkom Raymond Gwanyalla is an accomplished leader, philanthropist, devout Christian, family man and pragmatic politician. His outstanding leadership skills have won him several awards; including the prestigious title of Ba Nkom (the highest title for nobles in the Bali Fondom). Besides, he was also voted,  Best Mayor, Best Politician, Most Result-oriented mayor etc by readers of frontline Anglophone newspapers such as Chronicle, The Guardian Post, and Cameroon Post International etc. Ba Nkom Gwanyalla’s leadership skills are many and varied. This strong and resilient man loves what he does; his influential drive for development, education has made him the most active man of all men in action. The way he promotes humanitarian activities, social welfare and the social cohesion distinguishes him as one of the silent achievers in Cameroon who is changing lives. When two or more are gathered to talk development, he is always present.

Meet him to talk about politics and you would not regret to have met a refined politician. And politics has played a very important role in his life-shaping mission to his community. When he retired at the head of the Costumes Department, he returned to Bali and engaged into politics. He was honoured as the head of the council list for the CPDM in the 2007 Twin Elections. His list won and he was elected mayor. As mayor, Ba Nkom Gwanyalla left an indelible mark of greatness and a catalogue of achievements. He targeted and solved the water crisis in Bali and he solved them with dexterity. He embarked on the opening of farms to market roads, construction of classroom in areas where there were none, and at the end of his mandate, he stepped down democratically from the position of mayor. Bali youths would never forget the scholarships he offered to promote excellence in schools to youths ranging from Nursery through Secondary, High Schools, Universities and professional schools. Popular opinion in Bali sees him as the next section President. Yet Ba Nkom Raymond Gwanyalla is yet to declare his intentions. The people Call may likely usher him to take over the management of the CPDM in Bali given that without him, the CPDM may be naught.

In the domain of business, he is a successful businessman who like Fafre in the Mayor of Casterbridge is blended with the gifted charm that everything he touches grows. The Chief Executive Officer of Cargo Management Services is not a man to pigeon hole with. Through this structure he has been able to demystify transactions at the Douala Port. It is his greatness and savoir-faire that CAMAStransit is a household name in Cameroon. At CAMAS he has employed hundreds of youths to work for his company CAMAS.

The Unsung Hero

He was born to a father who was a court clerk and a housewife mother. That is to say Ba Nkom Gwanyalla was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth, yet he was not equally born into abject poverty. His parents understood the significance of schooling and enrolled him early in Primary School in Momo Division in 1964 where he later moved to P.S Azire to obtained his FSLC in flying colours and got admitted into CPC Bali. After CPC Bali, Ba Nkom Gwanyalla was recruited into the Costumes. Yet he continued learning while working. He then moved out of Cameroon to Sierra Leone where he enrolled in the University of Furrabe. After graduation, Raymond Gwanyalla being a patriot refused all work positions abroad and returned to Cameroon. Back home he decided to fine-tune his knowledge of customs. He entered the Advanced School of Administration and Magistracy, ENAM in 1972 where he graduated as Custom Inspector. Proof of this is that he started as a customs clerk and because of his hard work and commitment; he gradually rose through all the rungs of the professional ladder to the coveted and prestigious position of Director of Customs. His appointment by the powers that be was in recognition of his contribution to the growth of the customs department and the economy of Cameroon through revenue collection and the stamping out of corruption.

A President Paul Biya’s loyalist of the first order, Raymond Gwanyalla does all in his powers to support the ideals of the New Deal government. He has always told his people of Bali that the CPDM is a large enough umbrella to shelter everybody and there was no need for some of his people to keep on standing under the rain of the opposition. He has converted many militants from the opposition into the CPDM through his practical politics of development and not sterile promises.

To say that the municipality of Bali has witnessed great changes is to use to weakest idiom to describe the great silent achievements of Ba Nkom Raymond Gwayalla. To say Bali has grown in leaps and bounds under Ba Nkom Raymond Gwanyalla as mayor worthwhile. When he was elected mayor of the Bali Council, there was no befitting council hall.

Today, the Bali town hall is one of the best in the region.  As mayors he has graded old roads and opened up new ones. He has electrified villages and established water schemes in almost all the villages that had none. The Bali market today is of modern standards thanks to the assistance Ba Nkom Gwanyalla got from FEICOM to build the market. Before he solicited assistance from FEICOM, the Bali market was an eye sore as it had dilapidated.


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