nguti council monographic study - Impact monitoring of Forest ...

Monographic Study Nguti Council4.4.1 TourismThis area is still very much undeveloped especially as there is no policy in place. A few touristsites which have witnessed no upgrading from local authorities during the past several yearsserve the demands of the people. These include: The Escapement at Bambe The Water fall at Ntale with Precious Stone Lake Bermin The Bayang Mbo Wildlife SanctuaryThe potentials for growth in this industry abound. There has to be an integrated strategy thatwould require the collaboration of the Council, the Ministry of Tourism as well as BusinessOperators in the domains of hostelling and catering4.4.2 Financial SectorThere is only one formal financial institution in the municipality which is the Credit Union anaffiliate to the Cameroon Credit Union League (CamCCUL). The Nguti Credit Union has twoworkers and does not keep a daily schedule. Its membership dwindles as savings are erratic anddefault on loan repayment is high. Most members are men leaving the women to operate a moreefficient informal financial sector in which they make regular contributions to the benefit of onemember who must carry out an economic or social activity. This is called the ‘Njangi’. It iscommon place to find njangis in all settlements in the municipality. The absence of financialinstitutions means that hoarding of money in large quantities takes place within the municipality.4.4.3 TransportTransportation in this area is only by road. The road from Kumba to Nguti is passable all yearround with small vehicles, (called “clandor”) which barely have the necessary documents andtherefore carry overload to enable them pay their way through corrupt uniform officers.However, from Nguti to the other villages is mostly done through trekking or with poorlymaintained motorcycles that have no documents or helmets at high risk to the user.4.4.4 Administration, Police and GendarmerieThe administration and the various services (but for a few) are present in the sub division. Theirmain functions are to provide technical services in their various spheres of competence. Theseinclude sensitization on government policies, training, providing legal documents and adviceincluding liaising with divisional, regional and national institutions. The police and gendarmerieprovide services in the domains of law and order. They are also involved in disputes and conflictresolution.A major preoccupation in this sector is the inadequacy of personnel, infrastructure andequipment. Most of the services are not housed in their own buildings and the limited staffs areusually away from their places of work for long periods on a monthly basis. This explains thehuge gaps experienced by researchers seeking information about the municipality.4.4.5 NGOs and ConsultancyBeside Nature Cameroon that has effective presence operating in the domain of Conservationand Natural Resource Management, several organisations have made valuable contributionstoward the development of the municipality including:37