Meme Division:

KAKE II denizens schooled on Climate Change
By Sirri NTONIFOR TANGWE in Kumba
Denizens of Kake II Bokoko village in Meme Division have been sensitized on their role in the fight against climate change which is creating a revolution in the farming culture. Gathered at the chief’s palace, the villagers comprising farmers, students, counselors and quarter-heads, were schooled on REDD+ by a delegation from Transparency International Cameroon, Yaounde. REDD+ is a tool soon to be implemented to reduce carbon emission from deforestation and forest degradation so as to rescue the ozone layer and normalise climatic conditions.
    According to Nyassa T. Lucain, Forest Governance Programme Manager at Transparency Int’l Cameroon, the Kake II denizens would need to master the REDD+ process, contribute to tree-planting, collaborate with local authorities and denounce suspicious logging. He cautioned them to preempt corrupt practices that may occur during the REDD+ implementation process, such as illegal confiscation of their lands and deceitful withholding of funds.

    On their part, the villagers complained that due to corruption, they have enjoyed no royalties, revenues or other benefits from the Southern Bakundu Forest Reserves since the 1950s, although their village is a part of the Reserve. They also revealed that when illegal logging occurs, the confiscated logs ‘evaporate into thin air’ during the fifteen-minute drive from Kake II to Kumba, thus depriving them of their dues. The Transparency delegation gave them pointers on how to counter these ills.
    At the end of the sensitization campaign, the Chief of Kake 11, HRH Dr. Ndome thanked the delegation and encouraged them to return another time.
    The entire operation was moderated by Ajemalibu Self-Help (AJESH), a Kumba-based N.G.O specialised in forestry projects.
    Prior to the Kake II Bokoko expedition, the Transparency International Delegation had performed the same mission in Woteva, a village near Buea in Fako Division.