By Raymond Dingana and Anne-Valiene Berinyuy
The North West Livestock Development Fund, known by its French acronym CDENO, has empowered approximately 550 livestock and fisheries farmers by providing thirty thousand day-old chicks, one hundred piglets, and four hundred bags of complete animal feed, among other resources. These efforts are part of CDENO’s routine activities aimed at combating the food crisis in Cameroon under the Emergency Project to Combat Food Crisis in the country (PULCCA). This initiative aims to increase production and productivity in the poultry, piggery, and fishery sectors, significantly contributing to the fight against food insecurity in the nation.
This was highlighted during CDENO’s Golden Jubilee celebrations, which took place on Friday, December 20, 2024, at the institution’s esplanade in Bamenda, under the patronage of the Minister of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries (MINEPIA), Dr. Taïga.
Appreciating CDENO and its partners for their support, Dr. Mamenkem Gladys N. of the Luc Menorah Rehabilitation Foundation in Bamenda stated that the day-old chicks would be invaluable.
“The chicks, bags of feed, and other supplies we received today will greatly enhance the nutrition of the special needs children at our foundation. The children will also learn how to care for the chicks and can share these skills with their communities after the crisis,” said Dr. Mamenkem.
Speaking on behalf of poultry farmers in the region, Nfor Mbesoh Jing, President of the Federation of Poultry Farmers in Bamenda, remarked that CDENO has consistently supported them with day-old chicks and feed, which has significantly improved their livelihoods.
CDENO’s Golden Jubilee was not just a celebration of its 50th anniversary but also an opportunity to reflect on the institution’s achievements, resilience, and the countless lives it has impacted since its establishment by Presidential Decree No. 317 on November 8, 1974.
“We have been a great help to livestock breeders in the North West Region for the past 50 years. We have engaged in the production of day-old chicks, which previously had to be sourced from the West Region and other areas. We decided to produce them locally to support farmers in chicken production,” said CDENO’s Director, Mbah Shupong Michael.
Catalogue of achievements since creation
Other achievements of CDENO over its fifty years of service include vaccinating over 1,927,800 cattle in the North West Region to prevent various diseases, producing over 1,955.3 tons of complete animal feed for farmers, and generating over 838,497 day-old chicks since the inauguration of the CDENO hatchery block in 2020. CDENO has also established 80 hectares of Brachiaria and Guatemala pastures across various localities in the North West Region.
From 2002 to 2010, CDENO constructed 85 wooden crushes and 54 permanent cattle crushes from galvanized pipes from 2011 to 2024, along with 33 cattle drinking water points. It has organized capacity-building workshops for over 6,979 livestock breeders in areas such as poultry and pig production, dairy management, feed formulation, pasture improvement, pasture seed production, and fodder production.
Furthermore, CDENO has assisted over 1,804 poultry farmers with 120,000 day-old chicks, 13,500 three-week broiler chicks, 3,900 laying birds, and 2,106 traditional fowls, all accompanied by a total of 2,304 bags of assorted feed. It has also supported over 450 pig farmers with 1,150 piglets and 750 bags of starter feed.
Despite the success story of CDENO, the institution has also faced obstinate challenges in its 50 years of existence.
“We encountered challenges with the quality of fertile eggs, which led us to establish a parent stock farm to produce fertile eggs locally. This initiative also aligns with the government’s focus on import substitution,” Mbah Shupong explained.
MINEPIA has been instrumental in ensuring that CDENO overcomes challenges faced, the institution’s Director said expressing thanks to MINEPIA boss, Dr Taïga who chaired the anniversary celebration.
“We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude [to you, Dr Taïga] for your attentive support when we approach you with challenges,” Mbah Shupong said adding that: “We also appreciate your colleague from the Ministry of Finance for the continuous financial assistance provided to our structure”.
His appreciation extended to the Board of Directors of CDENO, as well as to past and present staff members whose dedication, innovation, and unwavering belief in the institution’s mission have been crucial in realizing its goals.
To the livestock and fishery farmers of the North West Region, Mbah Shupong emphasized that they are the reason CDENO exists, and their strength, resilience, and trust inspire the institution.
Commitment to stay above curve despite challenges
Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing sociopolitical crisis in the English speaking Regions of the country, CDENO has re-strategized and introduced innovations to continue serving the livestock farmers of the North West Region.
“While today is a moment to celebrate our past, it is also an opportunity to look to the future. The world is changing rapidly, bringing both new challenges and opportunities. At CDENO, we are committed to staying ahead of the curve, embracing innovations, and expanding our production to align with the state’s import substitution policy,” explained Mbah Shupong.
The CDENO Director furthered that the institution is currently preparing a parent stock farm for broilers to supply the fertile eggs needed by its hatchery unit. “We have a duty to the Government of Cameroon to support initiatives like the Emergency Project to Combat Food Crisis in Cameroon (PULCCA), which aims to assist livestock and fishery farmers in boosting food production and productivity in the region,” Mbah Shupong said.
On his part, Dr Taïga called on the beneficiary farmers to make good use of the inputs and equally ensure its sustainability in order to boost the poultry, piggery and fish sectors of the region and consequently more protein consumption by the population.
He also requested them to serve as ambassadors of peace in their different localities so that through their proactive activities, those destabilizing the region will find interest and join them for peace to reign in the region in particular and Cameroon in general.
Staffs honoured for outstanding services
The 50th anniversary of the North West Livestock Development Fund (CDENO) also provided an opportunity to honor 18 staff members for their outstanding services. The institution’s Chief of Service for Finance, Nfor Bani Sadre was one of the honorees. He was awarded a Silver Laboour Medal of Honour.
“I am delighted to receive this Silver Medal of Honor from the Minister of Livestock, Fisheries, and Animal Industries. This recognition inspires me to exceed expectations,” he said.
Created on November 8, 1974, by Presidential Decree, CDENO has navigated decades of challenges and triumphs while continuously adapting and staying true to its missions of animal production, animal health protection, pasture improvement, construction of livestock infrastructure, capacity building for livestock farmers, and support for livestock farmer groups and production organizations.
