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Monday, October 19, 2020

President Biya Ends Phone Tax

The Head of State,  President Paul Biya has instructed Prime Minister,  Head of Government to suspend tax on telephones. The decision by the Head of state to end tax on new mobile phones was made public today October 19, 2020 by the Secretary General of the Presidency,  Ferdinand Ngo Ngo. Here below is the communique from the Presidency 



When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Friday, October 16, 2020

Shey Jones Yembe Decorated for Nation Building



  The chairman of Board of Directors of the Port Authority of Douala (PAD) raised to the rank of Officer of the Cameroon National Order of Valour. Shey Jones Yembe was decorated last Tuesday October 13,  202 in Douala for his trappings towards nation building. 
Performing the decoration rite on behalf of the Head of State, the Minister of Transport, Jean Ernest Massena Ngalle Bibehe, placed the medal on Shey Jones’ chest on the sidelines of a ceremony to inaugurate some newly acquired nautical vessels by the PAD in Douala Tuesday October 13. The inauguration ceremony was chaired by the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute.
The visibly happy PM told the press after launching the new vessels that the machines are going to help to spur the Douala Port which also serves landlocked Chad and the Central African Republic into a real centre of activity in West and Central Africa. 
The acquisition of the over FCFA 40 billion-worth ‘small ships’ by the maritime company is in line with  President Paul Biya’s  economic blueprint  to  enhance  economic  growth and is part of several reforms taken lately to modernise  the port, generate more income and use more local human resources.
The presidential instructions to the ports are channelled through the Board that is headed by the no-nonsense Shey Jones who is endowed with a rare leadership and managerial prowess. Prior to the acquisition of the vessels, all dredging at the Port of Douala was carried out by private and especially foreign companies. But the board, headed by Shey Jones, has been frantically working on it following government policy of trying to get back their sovereignty by getting some of the things done by Cameroonians. While waiting for Cameroonians to be able to do it, the maritime firm just executed government policy by getting it done by government itself with an objective eventually to pass it over to Cameroonians businessmen, according to Shey Jones.
After a careful and methodical study, the PAD board headed by Shey Jones is said to have approved that the company goes for a commercial loan of FCFA 32 billion to purchase the vessels which are expected to generate about FCFA 15 billion surplus in operating cost annually. PAD had been spending at least FCFA 22 billion on dredging annually.

Other Trappings 
The acquisition of the nautical vessels was just one of several reforms which the Douala Port has witnessed since the appointment of Shey Jones as Board chair.
PAD today has its own container terminal which is run by Cameroonians. No one could have believed that the ‘almighty’ French business giant, Bollore, could be shipped out of PAD until Shey Jones came in with instructions from the Unity Palace.
The board recently, with permission from the government, following remarkable results registered in its first six months of operation, extended the mandate of the local agency managing the container by three years beginning January next year.
In addition to the container management, the company has also built the petroleum Dolphin; a place at sea where ships transporting petroleum products dock for security reasons. Many people, who have been charmed by the board’s execution of the Head of State’s instructions relating to the modernisation of PAD, have described PAD as the driver of the country’s 2035 emergence vision.
No doubt the PM was marvelled and nodded his head at each time he listened to the Board chair, Shey Jones Yembe, and General Manager, Cyrus Ngo’o, during his tour of the maritime facility on Tuesday.
“With all the reforms in terms of security, logistics, transport, and it has been very interesting to see and I am going to report very positively to the President of the Republic that his reforms are being carried out here in Douala,” the PM promised at the end of a tour of the new installations at PAD.

A Role Model as Chairman 
Shey Jones is longest-serving board chair the PAD has ever had. His trappings speak by themself. Many observers say this is because the already wealthy businessman brought in a new management style with reforms that some of his “money-minded” predecessors did not think of the moment they were appointed at the income-generating company. Ever since Shey Jones Yembe was appointed Board chairman,  the Douala Port Authority has become a bee-hive of activities. Accountability and transparency has been the menu.
In other state corporations, board chairs and their managers are usually mostly at daggers drawn — in most cases because of money and overlapping of functions. This is not the case of Shey Jones who knows very well that the board is just “like a post office” through which instructions pass to management.
“The board is just a transmission, it is a passage. We pass the policy of the government, the head of state’s will, which assists government policy. We pass it to the management and the management executes. So we don’t need to meet the Head of State for that. We need to just know that this is what he wants, this is what he is telling us to do and we pass it over to management and supervise that management does it,” Shey Jones told the Press.
The man whose, watch words are transparency and accountability, knows what the text says and what the rights and obligations of a board chair and the General Manager are and thinks if all other board chairs understand, there will be no conflicts between them and their managers.
“What I have noticed in Cameroon is that 80% or 70% of Cameroonians like to do another person’s job not their job or pointing at the other person’s job without doing theirs. What we are doing here is the board members and I do what the board is supposed to do and we make sure that we give management the breathing space to do what they are supposed to do,” he continued.
Shey Jones understands that the role of the board is that of a watchdog and so does not interfere in what the manager is supposed to do. He regret that in some corporations both the chairman and the manager perform same tasks.
“All the board chairmen, I am telling you, please stop going and sitting in the corporation as if you are doing the General Manager. You are not supposed to be there every day,” the selfless Shey Jones said.
“Please also stop talking to workers, talk to your General Manager who will talk to the workers. Stop having the chairman’s people and the General Manager’s people. It is a shame that board chairmen are doing that. It is a shame and I say it with all the courage on earth, it is a shame that they should be doing that. Leave the General Managers too work and you do your work so that you can come back and sanction or put him to order and have authority over him. If you go and sit there as a General Manager then you can’t have authority over him,” he also advised his peers.



When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Hundreds Pay Last Respect to Hon. Bungong Jinka


The former Member of Parliament for Nwa,  Hon. Bungong Jinka Jonathan who died on September 25,  2020 will be buried in Mbem,  Nwa this weekend. The late politician who started the Nwa Development Programme began his journey of no return in Douala as hundreds storm his home to pay him last respect. 
The man who served the nation as custom official before joining politics was the first MP for at the verge of multiparty politics,  a dieheart militant of the Social Democratic Front,  SDF. The team Hon. Awudu,  Hon. Tansa,  Hon. Jinka and Hon. Chemo were elected in the early 90s from Donga Mantung Division. As a politician,  Hon. Jinka would be remembered for his providing the master plan for Nwa,  his rural electricity programme and support to the needy. It was during his term of office that several secondary schools and primary schoola were created in Nwa.
Hon. Awudu says that Hon. Jinka was a great man and his demise is a great lost to the nation,  Donga Mantung and the SDF party. 





When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Thursday, October 15, 2020

Cameroon Begins Journey Towards Muzzling New Digital Civil Society


The news fell like a bombshell. Even law makers who supposedly voted the 2019 Finance Bill were taken aback with the detail of the implementation of the bill requiring that end-users pay custom duties and taxes on imported telephones and tablets. Starting from this October 15,2020, the burden of paying custom duties and taxes on imported digital technology products like phones and tablets shall lie with the consumer.  The new phone tax entails that each time an end user introduces his/her Sim card into a new phone, the International Mobile Equipment Identity, IMEI, is recorded at Arintech, a new platform fronted by government, and a message is immediately sent to the user requesting he/she chooses one of the two options of either paying the custom duty or tax in lumpsum or paying in installments each time he/she buys airtime from any of the mobile phone operators. In addition to that, and also beginning October 15,2020, each time users of digital tools download an application, they are expected to pay another Fcfa 200 tax. 
Lingering Concerns
Questions concerning phones with multiple or dual Sim cards that connect simultaneously have not been answered either by Arintech or the government. Will users with such categories of phones and tablets not be taxed doubly? What would be a country's rationale to tax end users at industry price rather than the market price? And when available information from the Cameroon Customs Department already indicate that the phone and tablet taxes range from Fcfa 3000 to 300000, is it not clear that if a person purchased a phone or tablet for Fcfa 250000, he/she would end up paying a tax of Fcfa75000? If government claims that this is not a new tax but that payment has just been transferred from the physical frontier to the digital frontier, why transfer it then, and why only for phones and tablets?  Given that if the new system goes operational successfully, all personal data of end-users in mobile telephone operators' banks would be transferred to Arintech, what guarantees are there that Arintech would not misuse citizens' personal data, especially in a country where no privacy and personal data protection laws exist? How did government arrive at selecting Arintech to host the new platform? Is it not ridiculous for government to claim that by shifting the payment of custom duties and phone taxes from the importers to the customer, phones would rather be cheaper for Cameroonians? Can a government that has for years been taxing people out of business suddenly become a Father Christmas? And what would become of people who because of their vulnerable economic situations default in payments? 
Short-term and Long-term Consequences of the Phone Tax
With the advent of new digital technologies and, of recent, the coronavirus pandemic, many services have gone online including digital financial services, e-commerce and e-learning. The new tax and new obligations for mobile phone operators to oblige users to pay or be denied their services would only go a long way to not only increase the digital divide but also, to push more people offline since owning a good smartphone is a condition sine qua non to fully enjoying online services. Poor and vulnerable citizens' inability to pay such exorbitant taxes and custom duties would only increase the already existing barriers to getting online, thereby limiting citizens access to freedom of expression and access to information as well as access to goods and services that are now online. It is for this reason that the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and association online has stated that: 'taxes like this propagate the misconception that internet access and social media use are luxuries'. The short and long term consequences of the introduced phone and eventual social media tax pose a huge threat to internet access and affordability, and financial inclusion for low income and marginalized groups such as women, youths and rural communities, as clearly stated by Clement Voule, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association online. While there may be an economic rationale for the tax, it disproportionately impedes the ability of individuals to have access to new digital technology. The tax in its current state raises concerns of necessity and proportionality, particularly for low income citizens for whom purchasing 1GB of data per month will cost nearly 40% of their average monthly income.
New tax targets freedom of association and peaceful assembly online.
For those not versed with the manner in which authoritarian regimes veil their intentions, they may hail the claims advanced by government for introducing the phone and app's tax as coming to reduce cost of phones and bringing in much-needed revenue for the state. Fat chance. Realizing that even though it has successfully cowed every Cameroonian from ever demonstrating on the streets as it would amount to disturbance of public order and a threat to national security,  and citizens have found new territory on social media where they can assemble and associate peacefully with little intrusion, government now wants to begin Muzzling this new civic space by tightening access to it through taxation. After Cameroonians experienced the longest interruptions to digital communications in a bid to control online assembly and the free flow of information in 2017, and realizing the negative publicity it would attract if it were to shutdown social media, government would rather go softly by directly taxing its use. If one considers the phone in the situation of Cameroon as one of the key equipments of accessing social media, justification for introducing such a tax and at such a moment would only arouse suspicion even given that the ICT market is still relatively small. The cost of such a tax on the nationals' right: political (the exercising of their freedom of expression), social (the Civil freedoms of association and opinion formation), and economic (to access electronic information at an affordable rate),therefore seem to outweigh all the potential benefits.
The introduction of the new tax mirrors the overall shrinking civic space and now virtually closed political space, and where government is getting more hostile to the political opposition as well as activists, critical media reporting and more importantly, to criticism by social media users. After confiscating physical civic and political spaces and, after realizing that a bulk citizens are freely associating and assembling peacefully online, theƬ government of Cameroon is moving in to begin the shrinking up of online civic space through taxation. By transferring the custom duties and taxes from importers to end users can never make phones affordable as claimed by government. Affordability strategies should be in line with the Alliance for Affordable Internet's Policy recommendations. 
The new tax on digital technology tools as introduced by the government of Cameroon contravenes the UN Special Rapporteur for freedom of peaceful assembly and of association online when he states that: 'States should promote and facilitate access to digital technologies and should not put restrictions on their use for the exercise of their right to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association'. In relation to the new tax, Clement Voule rather recommends that: 'Policies and practices should address equal access to the Internet and digital technologies, the affordability and participation in the digital age for all, so as to bridge the digital divide'. 
The new tax already endangers the new found digital civic space in Cameroon. Worthy of note is the fact that online association and assembly play a particularly important role for the marginalized groups and interference with the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association can have a disproportionate impact on individuals and groups in vulnerable positions. And so, it is recommended that in fulfilling their obligations, states should pay particular attention to the desparate impact that limitations on access to and use of digital technologies can also have on minorities, political opponents and activists, as well as on the overall health of the internet. 
Given that a growing number of Cameroon citizens are using ICTs on a regular basis and which has made digital technologies pivotal to their livelihoods, the introduction of the new tax could undermine internet access and affordability, and therefore weaken the potential for ICTs to catalyze free expression and civic participation. It is therefore incumbent on the Cameroon Digital Rights Coalition and the Cameroon Internet Society to quickly move in to convene stakeholders to deliberate on the economic, social and human rights impact arising from the new taxes, especially as it would mean that the end user would now have to share the little amount he/she had to pay for airtime with the mobile phone operator and the customs department. The proposed dialogue should also deliberate on how policy making processes can advance inclusive and equitable access to the internet, promote innovation and consumer rights protection as aptly recommended by Clement Voule, United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and association online. 


Colbert Gwain 
New Digital Civil Society Advocate


When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 bloggies Finalist)

Sunday, October 11, 2020

Donga Mantung: Here is the Untold Success Story of Donga Mantung Scholarship Fund






 How DOMASF Rekindled Back to School and Hard work 

As part of efforts to reawaken back to school in the entire Donga Mantung Division and equally reward excellence and hard work, the Donga Mantung Scholarship Fund-DOMASF is entering into records for outstanding achievements. Launched in August 2019 at the eve of back to school with the sum of FCFA 18 million, DOMASF has reached out to thousands in it's drive to build human resources and encourage education, ignite excellence and hardwork. The success story of DOMASF is one worth emulating. 
During the official launching of DOMASF during the 2019 back to school, its initiator and promoter, Dr, Fuh Calistus Gentry said the scheme was put in place to mobilize communities to send children to school, support Parent Teachers Association to recruit teachers and to honour, encourage and reward excellence. 
Last week, over 200 students and pupils from the Five Sub Divisions that make up Donga Mantung Division received scholarships ranging from FCFA 25.000 to FCFA 150.000. In addition to the awards of excellence, school bags and exercise books were distributed to the needy to instill back to school. The coordinator of the scholarship fund, Tarlishi Oliver Yinyu, says DOMASF has created a huge impact in the entire Donga Mantung since it was launched on August 19, 2019 at the eve of back to school. In a retrospective, Tarlishi Oliver says in 2019 back to school campaign, over 1000 students and pupils (mostly Internal Displaced) benefited from school fees allocations and didactic materials. According to Tarlishi Oliver, each sub division received funds to sensitize parents and guardians to send their children to school. More so, Tarlishi Oliver also revealed that 38 Parent Teachers Associations (PTA) received FCFA 200.000 support from the scheme to recruit teachers in areas where they were lacking. Following the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, DOMASF also included in its programme, the distribution of covid 19 kits to instill government measures to combat the spread of the virus with schools milieu. Face masks and hand-washing buckets 
On October 7, the coordination embarked on the last phase of the distribution of scholarships to high performance students and pupils at the 2020 official examinations. Three centers were chosen to host the distribution of scholarships, GBHS Misaje hosted students and pupils from Misaje Sub Division, Government School Ako for Ako Sub Division while GS Ntumbaw for students and pupils from Nwa sub Division, Nkambe Central and Ndu Sub Division respectively. The prizes handed over to laureates for their performance in the various official examinations ranged from FCFA 25.000 to FCFA 150.000. The Pupils and students were rewarded following their excellent performance in the First School Leaving Certificate, CAP, General Certificate of Education (Ordinary and Advanced Level). Beside the scores that were awarded, schools bags and didactic materials were also shared to basic and secondary education schools of the subdivision. Considering the new normal to instill government measures to fight the COVID 19 pandemic, anti COVID 19 materials were also shared to schools. 



Education Stakeholders, Pupils and Students Applaud Dr. Fuh Calistus in Misaje 
 Parents, teachers, students, pupils and local administrators of Misaje Sub Division have canonized Dr. Fuh Calistus Gentry for his initiative to support education in Donga Mantung Division. H.E. Dr. Fuh Calistus received the applause during the official launching of the third phase of the Donga Mantung scholarship Fund, which is aimed at encouraging meritocracy and back to school in the entire division took place at GBHS Misaje under the patronage of the Divisional Officer for Misaje, Tchayah Thomas. 
Speaking at the official handing over ceremony, the Divisional Officer for expressed gratitude and thanks to the promoter of the Donga Mantung Scholarship for the timely gesture that will go a long way to boost back to school and instill hard-work, excellence and meritocracy.  He said Dr. Fuh Calistus has never failed to extend a hand of fellowship to the needy. Tchayah Thomas reiterated that the scholarship distributed to students and pupils is an additional impetus in Misaje sub Division. 
Sammy Mgbatta Nforkemba exploded that the scholarship distributed to students and pupils is just an iceberg of what Minister Fuh Calistus has been doing for many years. Sammy Mgbatta said the initiative to boost the resource base of the sub Division has enabled many children to enter into professional schools. It is the best in terms of human investments he added. Harping on the 2020/2021, the mayor of Misaje was optimistic that this year is going to be the brightest in the entire sub division as compared to the last four years. 
In Misaje sub Division, students and pupils who performed well in the last official examinations were rewarded. Nine students, and three pupils , who had the best results in the entire sub division received scholarships ranging from FCFA 150.000 to FCFA 25.000. About 200 others were handed school bags and didactic materials. 



Euphoria in Ako

When DOMASF delegation stormed Ako Sub Division on October 8, with goodies to encourage back to school and reward excellence, the euphoria was at its peak. Prospects as to whether schools will resume this year were high. The massive turn out by education stakeholders to witness the distribution of scholarships to distinguished pupils in the 2020 First School Leaving Certificate examination, Common Entrance and didactic materials was described as the highest crowd pulling event in the passed four years. Fuh Calistus was canonized for promoting education and encouraging back to school. The Divisional Officer for Ako, Mbingno Abraham reminded parents to make sure that they send children to school. He applauded DOMASF and its promoter for the timely gesture which will go a long way to boost back to school. 
Before proceeding to the distribution of scholarships to the over 16 pupils and didactic materials to over 100 need students and pupils, the mayor of Ako Council, Nkanya Nkwai Godlove was categorical in reminding the population that education is fundamental to all children and its a human right. He reiterated the call earlier made by the Divisional Officer for parents to send their children to school. The 16 beneficiaries received scholarships ranging from FCFA 50.000 to FCFA 25.000 per pupil. The timely support by DOMASF will boost latest initiatives by the Divisional Officer and mayor who have been to Kuta area and Tumboh to sensitize villagers to send children to school. 



GS Ntumbaw Hosts Scholarships Award Ceremony for Nwa, Ndu and Nkambe Central

There was trumpet blast at Government School Ntumbaw where students, pupils and other stakeholders from Ndu, Nwa and Nkambe Central sub divisions gathered to receive rewards for their outstanding performances. Considering the magnitude of the event, the award to laureates from the three sub Divisions took place under the patronage of the Senior Divisional Officer for Donga Mantung Division, Nkwenti Simon Doh. Addressing stakeholders, the SDO epitomized Minister Fuh Calistus Gentry for constantly extending a hand of fellowship to the needy. He said Minister Calistus Gentrys efforts are worthy of emulation by the elites. While calling on the parents in Ndu and Nwa sub Division to send their children to school, the SDO warned teachers who have been sitting on the fence ever since to resume work. 
In his welcome speech, the mayor of Ndu council, Abdou Borno Kanfom, reechoed the clarion call for parents in Ndu sub Division to send their kids to school. The mayor of Ndu said education is the best thing anyone can ever offer to a child and congratulated Dr. Fuh Calistus Gentry for his initiative to build the future of youths. Over 40 students and 100 pupils received scholarship grants ranging from FCFA 150.000 to FCFA 25.000 while didactic materials were also shared as well as covid 19 kits. .
It should be recalled that last year, secondary schools were not functional in Ndu and Nwa sub Division. At least in the primary education section, some schools were functional in Nwa while Ndu was blank. This year, some schools in Ndu sub Division and Nwa have already opened their doors. This is due to the sensitizations done by the administration and the mayors of the two municipalities who equally received DOMASF support last year. 





That Day of the official launching of DOMASF 

The Senior Divisional Officer for Donga Mantung, Nkwenti Simon Doh officially launched the FCFA 15 million scholarship Fund code named Donga Mantung Scholarship Fund.  Funded by Dr. Fuh Calistus Gentry, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Mines, Industries and Technological Development to the tune of FCFA 15 million, the scholarship fund seeks to support students, pupils and teachers ahead of September school resumption. Addressing education stakeholders, pupils, students and parents at the official launching ceremony, the SDO for Donga Mantung applauded the benevolent gesture by minister Fuh Calistus Gentry to boost the reopening of schools in the division couple with the fact that many parents who are crippled by the crisis are unable to meet up with the school needs of their children. “We want to say that this is coming at an opportune moment and we want to encourage other elites who have similar ambitions for this fast and important division to also come on board. This scholarship scheme is definitely going to boost the moral of those who are willing to study but the crisis has pulled them down”. He continued that Minister Fuh Calistus Gentry has been offering scholarships desirous pupils and students of Donga Mantung but this year the amount has been raised to FCFA 15 million. “We have seen practically the distribution of the largess to those who merit and I want to use this occasion to also tell the willing pupils and students of this division that the administration will not spare any efforts in helping them where the need arises for effective resumption of schools. The last academic year has shown us that we are up to the task”. He concluded by reminding the population of Donga Mantung that “ there is nothing you can give a child that surpasses education”. Before commissioning into function the members of the coordination charged with overseeing the disbursement of the funds to beneficiaries, the SDO warned that any “mago-mago” wont be tolerated. And as DOMASF ended the 18 million francs scheme, no mago mago acts were recorded.
SDO for Donga Mantung
Madame Ajara, the then 4th Deputy of Nkambe said that a gesture of such magnitude can only emanates from an intellectual of his caliber. She added that wherever the development of the mind passes, all other forms of development follows, she emphasized. She concluded reiterated that the “seed that was sown in Misaje some years back has gradually covered the whole division and we pray that it has come not to go but to stay until our illiteracy rate heats the highest level in the North West Region and why not Cameroon”. She concluded even before the crisis it has been the general wish of everyone to see such a gesture. 
Tarlishi OliverYinyu, the Divisional Delegate for Secondary Education and Coordinator of the scholarship fund in a presentation disclosed that the programme will be in three phases.  He said the second phase will be disbursed when schools have resumed while phase III will be encourage and reward outstanding teachers, students and pupils. In his statement, he was categorical that education is the key to the world. He said a child without education is like a bird without feathers given that education doesn’t only prepare the youths for a better future but it is life in itself.  He expressed gratitude to the funder, minister Fuh Calistus for his philanthropic gesture and added that those who give never lack.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Friday, October 9, 2020

Ako Sub Division: DOMASF Sprays Scholarships to Outstanding Pupils



Donga Mantung Scholarship Fund, DOMASF, has confirmed its ability to promote Excellence and Meritocracy in Donga Mantung Division. Today October 8, 2020, education stakeholders witnessed the distribution scholarships to distinguished pupils at the First School Leaving Certificate and other basic needs to the needy to encourage back to school. Today's ceremony which took place under the patronage of the Divisional Officer for Ako Sub Division, Mbingno Abraham was described as the biggest crowd puller since 2016. 
Dr. Fuh Calistus Gentry, promoter of the fund was canonized by the popualtion for his effort to peomote and encourage education. The mayor of Ako, Nkanya Nkwai Godlove couldn't be indifferent to express thank to Minister Fuh Calistus Gentry for the timely gesture. Before proceeding to the distribution of scholarships to the laureates, Nkanya  Nkwai Godlove was categorical in reminding the population that education is the foundation of all human being beings and a fondamental right for children. He reiterated the call earlier made by the Divisional Officer made earlier calling on the population to send their kids to school.
16 Pupils received cash prizes for excellent performance in FSLC  ranging from 25000 to 50000frs and School bags and didactic materials where shared to basic and secondary education schools of the subdivision to boast back to school. This was done in context with government barrier measures to fight against COVID 19 and the  distribution of anti COVID 19 materials grace the ceremony. This is the last part of the 18 million scholarship fund for 2019/2020 Academic year. Worthy to note that no secondary school in Ako Sub Division wrote any official examination due to the ongoing crisis. 
It should be recalled that the Divisional Officer for Ako and Mayor of Ako have been on back to school sensitization campaigns to rekindle parents to send their children to school. The sensitization campaigns took them to Kuta area and Tumboh recently where they called on parents and guardians to send their children to school.








When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)


When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Thursday, October 8, 2020

DOMASF Sprays Scholarships in Ako



Donga Mantung Scholarship Fund, DOMASF, has confirmed its ability to promote Excellence and Meritocracy in Donga Mantung Division. Today October 8, 2020, education stakeholders witnessed the distribution scholarships to distinguished pupils at the First School Leaving Certificate and other basic needs to the needy to encourage back to school. Today's ceremony which took place under the patronage of the Divisional Officer for Ako Sub Division, Mbingno Abraham was described as the biggest crowd puller since 2016. 
Dr. Fuh Calistus Gentry, promoter of the fund was canonized by the popualtion for his effort to peomote and encourage education. The mayor of Ako, Nkanya Nkwai Godlove couldn't be indifferent to express thank to Minister Fuh Calistus Gentry for the timely gesture. Before proceeding to the distribution of scholarships to the laureates, Nkanya  Nkwai Godlove was categorical in reminding the population that education is the foundation of all human being beings and a fondamental right for children. He reiterated the call earlier made by the Divisional Officer made earlier calling on the population to send their kids to school.
16 Pupils received cash prizes for excellent performance in FSLC  ranging from 25000 to 50000frs and School bags and didactic materials where shared to basic and secondary education schools of the subdivision to boast back to school. This was done in context with government barrier measures to fight against COVID 19 and the  distribution of anti COVID 19 materials grace the ceremony. This is the last part of the 18 million scholarship fund for 2019/2020 Academic year. Worthy to note that no secondary school in Ako Sub Division wrote any official examination due to the ongoing crisis 








When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Back2School: Dr. Fuh Calistus Encourages Excellence, Rewards Merits




There was euphoria and fanfare at GBHS Misaje as stakeholders of the education family, administrators, parents, guardians, students and pupils turned out massively to witness the distribution of scholarships to meritorious pupils and students. 
The entire Misaje Sub Division used the event to canonize Dr. Fuh Calistus Gentry for his initiative to support education in Donga Mantung Division. Today's event which marked the official launching of the third phase of the Donga Mantung scholarship Fund, which is aimed at encouraging meritocracy and back to school in the entire division took place at GBHS Misaje under the patronage of the Divisional Officer for Misaje, Tchayah Thomas. 
Speaking at the official handing over ceremony, the Divisional Officer for expressed gratitude and thanks to the promoter of the Donga Mantung Scholarship for the timely gesture that will go a long way to boost back to school and instill hard-work, excellence and meritocracy.  He said Dr. Fuh Calistus has never failed to extend a hand of fellowship to the needy. Tchayah Thomas reiterated that the scholarship distributed to students and pupils is an additional impetus in Misaje sub Division. The prizes are magnificent, ranging from 25.000 Frs to FCFA 150.000 frs. This can only come from someone who has the love for children He concluded that back to school started on a very good foot in Misaje with massive turn out of teachers, students and pupils on the first day of school reopening. 
On his part the Mayor of Misaje council, Sammy Mgbatta Nforkemba said that the scholarship distributed to students and pupils is just an iceberg of what Minister Fuh Calistus has been doing for many years. Sammy Mgbatta said the initiative to boost the resource base of the sub Division has enabled many children to enter into professional schools. It is the best in terms of human investments he added. Harping on the 2020/2021, the mayor of Misaje was optimistic that this year is going to be the brightest in the entire sub division as compared to the last four years.
Award of Excellence: 
The prizes handed over to laureates for their performance in the various official examinations ranges from FCFA 25.000 to FCFA 150.000. The Pupils and students were rewarded following their excellent performance in the First School Leaving Certificate, CAP, General Certificate of Education (Ordinary and Advanced Level). Beside the scores that were awarded, schools bags and didactic materials were also shared to basic and secondary education schools of the subdivision. Considering the new normal to instill government measures to fight the COVID 19 pandemic, anti COVID 19 materials were also shared to schools. Teachers, students, pupils also used the occasion to applaud Dr. Fuh Calistus for promoting and encouraging education in Donga Mantung Division. 
Assessing the distribution of the scholarship to meritorious pupils and students, Tarlishi Oliver Yinyu, the Divisional Delegate for Donga Mantung Division who doubles as Coordinator of the scholarship Fund disclosed that it is since 2007 that Minister Fuh Calistus Gentry initiated and has been sponsoring this initiative to build the human resource base in Misaje and Donga Mantung at large. He continued that the impact of the scholarship has been tremendous. Today, we can count numbers in professional institutions and other institutions. We duff our hats to Dr. Fuh Calistus Gentry for this FCFA 18 million which was modernized to sensitize and mobilize communities to send their children to school as well as support school PTAs to recruit teachers. To Tarlishi Oliver, the euphoria demonstrated by students and pupils at the award ceremony was the mark of celebrating the man who has the children at heart. 
Ebale Divine, one of the laureates expressed thanks and gratitude to donor for the timely support. He said the award will encourage him to work more in school.
It should be noted that total sum of FCFA18 million scholarship funds was earmarked for 2019/2020 Academic year. His Excellency Dr Fuh Calistus Gentry has promised to come up with another scheme to improve on the livelihoods of the youths in Donga Mantung Division. 
NAMES OF LAUREATES FOR THE AWARD OF  SCHOLARSHIP TO MERITORIOUS STUDENTS/PUPILS BY DONGA MANTUNG SCHOLARSHIP FUND (DOMASF) DONATED BY DR FUH CALISTUS GENTRY TODAY WEDNESDAY THE 07th OF OCTOBER 2020 IN  MISAJE SUB DIVISION.

a) ADVANCED LEVEL
1st Prize. 
Che Robert Nyowike of GBHS Misaje
2nd prize. 
 Nsah Faith Kinji of GHS Chunghe
3rd prize  Hassan Terence of GBHS Misaje,

b)ORDINARY LEVELS
1st prize .
 Tume Ephraim of GBHS Misaje 
2nd prize. 
Jeng Karys of GBHS Misaje 

3rd prize.
 Koji Brian of GHS Chinghe 

c) CAP 
1st prize 
 Ngong Ephraim, Assez Bien
2nd prize.
 Mbori William. Assez Bien
3rd prize
Nji Gilfort.Passable.
    NB .No candidate for Advanced level in Technical.

d)  FSLC.
1st prize
Mbuh Collete of G.S Akweto 
2nd prize
Mapo Violine of Community School Bakichineh 
3rd prize
Gwendoline Lameh of GS Dumbu





hen News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Back2School: Donga Mantung Scholarship Fund to Distribute FCFA Millions to Encourage Meritocracy

PRESS RELEASE


FINAL PHASE OF THE 18 MILLIONS DONGA MANTUNG SCHOLARSHIP FUND (DOMASF) DONATED BY DR. FUH CALISTUS GENTRY



This phase shall be awarded based on meritocracy. Final year deserving pupils/students shall be awarded financial prizes ranging from 150.000frs for A-levels General and Technical to 50.000frs for first prize of FSLC. This will enable them to continue their education. 

Best results to be rewarded  will stem  from First School leaving to Ordinary and  Advanced  levels Certificate examinations  in  Grammar, Commercial, Vocational and Technical.
The magnanimity of our benefactor has pushed him to add to these cash prizes, a huge consignment of didactics materials to be share to the underprivileged and needy children to boast their morals of an enthusiastic back to school this 2020/2021 academic year.

The program of this phase runs as follows:

1. Wednesday 7 October, 2020 in Misaje precisely at GBHS Misaje. The event shall be presided over by the Divisional officer of Misaje Sub Division in the presence of DD of Secondary Education who doubles as the Divisional Coordinator of DOMASF, Mayor of Misaje Council, amongst other dignitaries.

2. Thursday 8 October, 2020: Ako at GBHS Ako campus, to be presided over by the Divisional officer for Ako Sub Division, DD Secondary Education DM, Mayor of Ako Council as well as the education family of Ako and other officials.

3. Friday 9 October, 2020 at Ndu, for the Sub Divisions of Nkambe Central, Nwa and Ndu it self. This event shall be presided over by the SDO for Donga Mantung at the GBHS Ndu Campus.

It is worth mentioning that at the end of this final phase, a total amount of 18 Millions would have been spent for the education of the Youths of Donga Mantung.

The respective Inspectors of Basic Education, Principals of Colleges, Head teachers, students and Pupils of the Sub Divisions are called upon to get set and put in place every aspect that shall lead to the success of this event in the various locations.

The entire population of Donga Mantung Division is requested to give education a chance by sending children to school.
We count on the active participation of  all stakeholders to come on board for a continuous call for an effective back to school.                               

COORDINATOR DOMASF,
 TARLISHI OLIVER YINYU.


When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Thursday, October 1, 2020

2020 GCE Results Released?

Fake news circulating  on social media have made rounds that the 2020 GCE results are out. The information which has not been signed by any official shows great performance in the general certificate of education,  Cameroon GCE results 2020. According to the unsigned statistics, a total number of 115723 candidates registered for the examination while 98015 effectively wrote the examination nationwide. 
 It further states that 66.846 passed recording a percentage pass rate of 74.24% registering a 11.97% percentage improvement in the general performance of the examination as compared to last year. 
However this information still to be confirmed given that of late numberous fake results and statistics have been circulated on social media. 


     • Advance level general = 79.56%
     • Advance level technical (ATC) = 85.24%

      • Ordinary level general 63.14%
              
     However, expectations are high that the results will be officially published before Monday 5 , 2020 

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)