TIPTOPSTARS

An observer once described Bamenda as the Lagos of Cameroon. Bamenda is the regional headquarters of the North West of Cameroon while Lagos, former capital of Nigeria is the economic nerve centre of Africa’s most populous country. Lagos is as active and dynamic as its inhabitants. Lagos thrives by itself. Its inhabitants love and master business. They hold success in business in high esteem. This same description fits Bamenda.

Over the years, Bamenda has experienced an amazing progress development wise. In infrastructure, Bamenda has moved many steps forward. The mentality of its people is said to have metamorphosized a great deal. This mentality evolution has been noticed in the area of private business initiative.

For some time now, sons and daughters of Bamenda and people of the region in general who identify with Bamenda have been building themselves as individual business entities. There are scores of successful business initiative linked to people of the region. Some of these people have been recognized in the Cameroon’s hall of fame and their works appreciated.

On the other hand, there have been an interestingly increasing number of entertainment initiatives, coming alongside the now blooming music and film sector in the North West region. This has brought about the huge sprouting of fast-growing entertainment outfits and individual artists who are printing their names in the golden books of Cameroonian and African entertainment.

Having established themselves, the business class and entertainers have now thought that coming together to showcase their successess and create more opportunities through a platform known as the Project New Bamenda, PNB. According to the architechs behind this project, PNB is a process of developing the economic atmosphere in the North West Region. “It is designed to propel the region into a new business and entertainment era to its full bloom,” the PNB website states. According to the site, PNB will be celebrating the emergence of the North West Region into a phenomenal era in business and entertainment, uniting townsfolk and its visitors through a series of cultural events, seminars, concerts, etc.

Objectives of the project include exploring talents, strengthening the structure of the entertainment industry, redress the carefree attitude of economic operators, instilling the spirit of confidence in the townsfolk, promoting cultural development, create investment avenues, recognizing excellence, etc.

Sponsors of the PNB include Think Tank Plus, Kibonen NY, Belle Muse and Imagine Bakery. Some of the popular names traced in the project are Ntumngia Walters (Project Director) and USA-based Kibonen Nfi.