By George Etoh-Anzah in Bamenda
The journey began in 2022, when Mayor Peter CHENWI embarked on a maiden visit to Victoriaville and Montréal in Canada in the company of other Mayors from the North West Region, during the holding of the Forum on Decentralized Cooperation and Development (FOCODDEV), organized by the Network for Decentralized Cooperation and Sustainable Development, better known by its French Acronym RC3D (Réseau pour la Coopération Décentralisée et du Développement Durable) from October 1st to 12th 2022.
Being the “hunting dog” he is and one who leaves no stone unturned as far as the development of Bamenda II Municipality and the welfare of his people are concerned, Mayor Peter CHENWI embarked on another journey to Canada a few months later in December 2022. During that visit, Mayor Peter CHENWI opened up discussions with the City Councils of Brampton and Kitchener in the Ontario Province of Canada.
After close to two years of lobbying and exchanges between the two Councils, Thursday August 22, 2024 marked a turning point in their relationship with the signing of a Cooperation Agreement between Brampton City Council in Ontario Canada and Bamenda II Council in Mezam Division of the North West Region of Cameroon.
The areas of Cooperation between the two Councils will include, but not limited to:
– Manpower and Human Resources Development.
– Agriculture.
– Education.
– Waste Management.
– Hygiene and Sanitation.
– Tourism.
– Rural Development.
– Environment and Climate Change.
– Road Maintenance.
– Technological Development.
– General Council Management.
During his presentation at the Brampton City Council Hall, Mayor Peter CHENWI expressed the following concerns to Mayor Patrick Brown and the people of Brampton, which required urgent attention:
– Assisting school children and encouraging them to return to school through the construction and refurbishment of classrooms, as well as equipping schools and providing them with didactic materials.
– The construction, refurbishment and equipment of Health Centres.
– Construction of shelters for Internally Displaced Persons and others in need.
– Expansion of the Equipment Pool of Bamenda II Council with the acquisition of a Grader and Excavator.
Mayor Peter CHENWI expressed the desire for a win-win relationship with the City of Brampton. As such, he highlighted the fact that the people of Brampton City will benefit the following from his Municipality, amongst others:
– The deployment of manpower from Bamenda II Municipality for the Agriculture Sector in Brampton.
– Provision of artifacts for Museums within the City of Brampton.
– Provision of some agricultural products from Bamenda II Municipality.
– Provision of Quartzite and other minerals.
Following the signing of the Cooperation Agreement between the City of Brampton and Bamenda II Council, Mayor Peter CHENWI was awarded a Certificate of Recognition by the Brampton City Council, symbolizing the enduring bonds of friendship and cooperation between the 2 Councils. In return, Mayor Peter CHENWI adorned Mayor Patrick Brown in North West Traditional Regalia with accessories and further distributed assorted gifts to the Mayor’s collaborators, Councillors and some staff of the Brampton City Council.
On the sidelines of the sealing of the Cooperation Agreement between Brampton City Council and Bamenda II Council, Mayor Peter CHENWI was invited to an important meeting by the promoters of the soon-to-be established African Business Center – ABC (first African Mall) in Brampton, Canada. He was briefed on this very groundbreaking development that will be the first of its kind in Canada. During the discussions, Mayor Peter CHENWI highlighted how Bamenda II Council could play a strategic role in the ABC with products such as palm oil, coffee, natural honey, the toghu in all its forms and varieties, corn, beans, cayenne pepper, etc., and to showcase the Made in Cameroon Label in general.
On a sidelines of the meeting he also met with student leaders and other youth actors of Cameroonian decent in Canada.
One of the benefits of the come-together was the preaching of the message of peace and the call for Cameroonians to register massively on the electoral list.
