Nkongsamba city gradually deteriorating

Despite the super-abundant richness of this city, the coffee-growing city presents more of a leprous image. Located 145 kilometres from Douala and 370 km from Yaoundé, Nkongsamba is a big agricultural center with culture and marketing of coffee as the main activities.

The town is bounded by fascinating mountains with volcanic craters: Mwanenguba with 2,400 metres, Nlonako and Kupe, where according to the villagers, the patron gods of the region lives on the main industrial activity in Nkongsamba; culture and hulling of coffee.

It is a seasonal activity that allows people to generate their income on one half of the year, the other half being devoted to various activities such as cultivation of maize, oil palm and small trade.

With 3 723 km² of area, the former 3rd city of Cameroon, also known as "the black gold city", houses on its territory, the last remnants of Greek industrialists settled in this part of Cameroon since the 1950s.

The bankruptcy of the companies Tzouvelos, Petropoulos, Tzouvelos ,Petropoulos, GORTZOUNIAN, NGAKO ANSELME TCHUAFFE, SITAGRI, COOPLACAM, Société du pressage de ’huile de palme : ETS Mangwa or even CICAB, constitute, alone, the symbol of the decadence of an entire city, decadence due also to the fall of prices for raw materials, primary resources of the Department of the Mungo.

There are no more trains in Nkongsamba for years, as rail infrastructure have been damaged thus out of use. Agricultural corporations that once were available to the local population with thousands of jobs and participating in cost of tens of millions annually to the bailout of the Town Hall coffers have dropped. The cultivation of coffee is in freefall. The coffee itself sells at low prices

On the side of education, the town of Nkongsamba has a dozen establishments of the second degree. Institutions renowned in the city include the Mwanenguba high school and college St Joan of Arc. There are also five years institutes of higher education such the Institute supérieur de Management du Mwanenguba (ISMAM), the IBA (Institute of fine arts) and so on.

The town of Nkongsamba boasts an urbanization plan that no longer meets the standards of art. Built around Mount Mwanenguba and mount Nlonako which were designed in a colonial style.

The roads are rutted, and the presence of huge pile of filth on the public highway is an image which the population is getting use to, says a curious visitor. According to the municipal authorities, a campaign of sensitization of the population for household ditching becomes more and more urgent. "We don't have sufficient lighting, the city is dying" said a motorcycle taxi driver. Taxis are becoming increasingly rare and the Renault 4 which have been able to resist the wear of time carries five or 7 seven people

Today, approximately 110 600 people live in Nkongsamba with very few youth. At the level of the departmental delegation of Social Affairs of the Mungo, no figure is advanced to explain the reasons for the aging of the population.

After the dizzying fall of coffee prices, the town of Nkongsamba began a descent into hell. What had been until then its pride and strength became his jinxed. The major commercial companies such as CFAO, SCOA, RWKING, PZ, SHO, SOCOPAO, SOCADA, Cami Toyota all closed doors due to lack of customers.