By Bakah Derick
The North West Cooperative Association (NWCA) Ltd now has a new leadership. The new leaders emerged from the 2022 Elective General Assembly (EGA) held at the association's head office in Nkwen Bamenda on Friday 6 January 2022. The elections which started with the board of directors produced a new board President and vice as well as the supervisory board.
Enter NWCA Elections
As defined by the organic text of the cooperative unions, getting to the level of NWCA for elections require a rigorous process. Elections have to be organised from the cooperative societies to the area unions and then the apex organization. After fulfilling all the requirements at the different lower tier structures, January 6, 2023 was set as the election date.
Delegates Voting during the elective general assembly
Standing unopposed, Ndikwa Peter Bayo from Oku Area Cooperative Union Ltd was voted president of the 11 manned board of directors of the cooperative association. He replaces Nchangnwi Helen who served the over 35000 member farmers from the 19th of March 2014 completing a constitutionally approved two terms maximum.
Reaction of supervisory authority; MINADER
The regional delegate for agriculture and rural development for the North West Region speaking during the EGM described NWCA Ltd as the best managed apex cooperative union in the region.
Speaking on behalf of the delegate, Mengwi Quinta Mbuoni Regional Registrar of cooperatives and common initiative groups at the Ministry of Agriculture stated that unlike other cooperative unions, she has received no complain from NWCA members.
According to the Registrar, this indicates a mastery of the cooperative principles and good management. Being an elective general assembly, the Registrar urged the 45 delegates representing the different area cooperative unions to make choices that will continue to keep the hard earned reputation of the association.
Delegates to the Elective General Assembly from the 11 area cooperative unions.
Achievements of the outgoing leadership
In what can be described as a balance sheet, the outgoing president Nchangnwi Helen presented a catalog of achievements which undoubtedly got the impressive rating of the delegate. She cited, promotion of good governance and accountability, effective loan management, regaining farmers loyalty, increase in coffee production, introduction of new coffee varieties, acquisition and installation of a modern coffee roaster, grinding and packaging machine, training of farmers, debt servicing, NWCA admission and membership into major national and International Coffee organizations, provision of farm inputs to farmers, unions and societies compliance with the OHADA system, support to displaced persons and more...
"What i have kept, I am very happy because when I came in all these things were not there and now that they are there, I am very happy going back home because I will always be dreaming of what I have kept. I am praying that the person taking over, I will always support him and direct the sources I have been going to for him to also succeed." The outgoing president told www.hilltopvoices.com
"I am not scared of the office because when she was the president, I was in the supervisory board as the president. I am not scared because all of what she was doing, I was aware and I am ready to continue from where she has ended." Ndikwa Peter Bayo incoming president said adding that he sees the increase in the production of coffee as his major challenge. To over the challenge, he has recommended transparency, commitment and unity keeping aside all differences that might have emerged during the election process from the societies to the Unions and now the apex cooperative association NWCA.
After the elections, the delegates and their new leaders were led in a guided tour of the New technical facility charged with the processing and packaging of NWCA's flagship product Kola Coffee by the General Manager Waindim Timothy Ntam.
EGA delegates at the processing and packaging unit of NWCA
The General Manager used the guided tour to explain to the delegates the source of the equipment while expressing gratitude to the government poverty alleviation initiative; Grassfield Participatory and Decentralised Rural Development Project (GP-DERUDEP) for standing by NWCA in the realisation of the project which allows for a more rapid and professional coffee processing and packaging process.
Created in 1950, North West Cooperative Association (NWCA) is a peasant farmers organization with over 35000 members from 11 Area Cooperative Unions including Nso, Belo, Dunga Mantung, Fundong, Oku, Awing, Santa-Piyin, Bali, Ndop, Bali and Bamenda.
Waindim Timothy Ntam during the elective general assembly
The institution is currently the highest producer of Arabica coffee in the country and occupies a comfortable position in the production of Robusta coffee with their flagship coffee Kola Coffee is distributed in Bamenda, Cameroon and beyond.
