Handicrafts and Appropriate Technology

CAT Cameroon installs a Mini Solar Hydro Electrical Power in the Akwaya Municipality in the South West Region of Cameroon

Aaron Kaah Y

The Center for Appropriate Technology CAT Cameroon under the 2012 Cameroon government investment budget will installed a mini solar hydro electric power in the Akwaya council area of the south west region of Cameroon. The electrical power will generate low cost energy for the council area tele center and other government structures in the divisional head quarters. The Project piloted by the Akwaya council is executed with funds from the 2012 investment budget. The low cost energy will boast life and economic activities in Akwaya sub division which faces a plethora of challenges brought in by lack of a good road infrastructure and communication net work.

Travelers to Akwaya from other parts of Cameroon must go through Nigeria before getting there. The very bad nature of the roads and the many multiple notorious police checks points give passenger’s headache, some times leading to the exchange of hot air and street fights. Akwaya sub division may also enter the Guinness book of record as the place in the world today which has a total black out in communication net work. Some reports say residence have to climb a tree a certain top before access communication net work. The municipality is the bread basket of the south west region of Cameroon and other parts of Nigeria but the lack of a road to connect to these places leaves the locals very misery and poor. Illiteracy and ignorance is also high in the area because of basic well equipped learning institutions. Letters from there to the outside world are done by hand and sent by mail. People in the Akwaya area have never seen an electronic money transfer agency. Residence of the municipality throng a lone tele center communication to send messages out of the land locked area. Even government structures are non functional in the municipality due to lack of power and energy to run their reports. A lot of professional work is still done manually with type writers and by hand making effectiveness and efficiency lost. The tussle between the SDF and the CPDM to host the council in this area has brought in more frustrations. The people because of their plight have vowed never to vote for the ruling party but their choice of the SDF has brought no changes yet.

The teaching of ICT’s in school out there has never been thought of. Most students and residence of the area see ICT’s gadgets only when they travel to other areas of the country or on papers. The construction of this mini hydro solar energy plate will also provide energy for the revitalization of the government services often empty for lack of workers who take pretext that there is no energy to run the equipment. The excitement in the Akwaya sub division is high ahead of the proper inauguration of the solar energy plate. The director of CAT Cameroon Njini Victor has mobilized a crack team of technicians to see this dream came true.