Mayors schooled on Hygiene & Food Safety

By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba

Council officials at CAMCO seminar pose

Municipal authorities of the two Anglophone regions, Northwest and the Southwest alongside their hygiene and sanitation experts have been schooled on better ways of handling food safety in their respective council areas. This was at a seminar cohosted by the Cameroon Toilet Organization, CAMTO and the EJED Higher Medical Institute, Kumba at the Kumba City council under the theme “food safety education, a path way to an emerging nation’.

                Speaking at the seminar, CAMTO National president, Dr. Jacob Mbonteh pointed out that the seminar will seek ways to close the gap in food safety and dialogue of food safety inefficiencies. Dr. Mbonteh revealed that the objective of the seminar is to see into it that those who are trained make maximum use of the training in their various municipalities by improving public health through the activities they will coordinate at the level of the councils.

                CAMTO CEO, Dr. Mbonteh revealed “it is gratifying that the land mark training covers a great deal of topics directly affecting councils and what their hygiene and sanitation department ought to be doing to meet up with current trends” adding that “the current regulations on sanitation does not adequately address the sanitation the situation as it pays less attension to local communities in terms of resources” Mbonteh revealed. 

                Quizzed on the future plans of CAMTO on the aspect of hygiene and sanitation, Dr. Mbonteh revealed that the organization looks forward to extending its activities to the other regions since training has been done in both the northwest and the. He added that in the days ahead, CAMTO will embark on the training of drainers’ workshop for councils to handle hygiene and sanitation for various council areas, experience sharing visit to Konye council.

                Asked on how he came up with such an initiative, Dr. Mbonteh revealed that CAMTO was born when he attended a similar conference in South Africa and decided to create a platform to coordinate activities of hygiene and sanitation in councils of the NW/SW regions. In 2015 CAMTO organized its first seminar with focus on treatment of toilets. The CEO as well indicated that the initial aim of the organization as its name suggest was to train on management of toilets but due to the many health situations in the country the association then join forces with the minister of public health to better the leaving conditions of Cameroonians.

                Speaking in the seminar, the first deputy mayor of Kumba I council, Tanyi Rafael expressed his gratitude for the Kumba I council to have be chosen to host the event and revealed that Kumba I council lays emphasis on food safety though not enough because of the emergence of roadside food business. He noted that corporation is inevitable in achieving the dream of food safety.

                On his part, the Senior Divisional Officer for Meme, Chamberlin Ntou’ouNdong, lamented on the lack of proper sanitation inspectors in various councils is a call for concern. He called on CAMTO officials to continue with the good job they have been doing in the domain of sanitation as well as challenged various councils to step up in training of sanitary inspectors.