Meta People Start Going Back to their Roots

Some Meta Fons that Attended the Festival 

Indigenes of the Meta clan in Mbengwi central subdivision, Momo division of the North West Region of Cameroon have begun going back to their roots after donkey years of a near cultural abandonment and potential extinction. This they did through a cultural festival dubbed "Mɨchi Əbeŋ" whose maiden edition took place on Saturday April 15 2023 in the palace of Guneku village. 

The ceremony that was first of its kind was unique in that communication through out the event was strictly in the Meta language, every attendee was compelled to dress only traditionally to gain access into the ceremonial ground, ancient works of arts and craft were brought for exhibition and during refreshment, all ate only traditional meals from wooden bowls or plantain leaves using only their fingers and drank only palm wine from calabashes and horns.

Refreshment

Exhibition of Ancient Arts & Craft

H.R.H Dr. Fomuki Ticha IX, Fon of Guneku village is the initiator of Mɨchi Əbeŋ. Speaking at the start of the event via WhatsApp from Bonn, Germany, he first appreciated all who financially supported the realisation of the festival willfully and mostly on anonymity, people from across several walks of life at home and abroad. He affirmed from the onset when the plan was nursed over a year ago, it was earmarked to be a small gathering but towards the tail end as the d-day approached, it turned out to be a grand event in which many sons and daughters of Meta origin from around the globe developed an interest in. 

Fon Fomuki also beckoned on Meta parents to never relent their efforts in bringing up their children to first master their mother tongue before any other secondary language irrespective of where the parents live or where the children were born. He cited the example of the late statesman, Solomon Tandeng Muna who despite his position at that time made sure all his children grew up mastering their mother tongue. 

Mbengwi Mukonge Xylophonists Dressed in Animal Skin 

Barakwe Mukonge Dancers Wearing Shoes Made Ouf of Plantain Ropes and Pal Fronds

Guneku has a library furnished with thousands of books. "We are planning to introduce Meta language classes and traditional dance courses plus arts and craft lessons like carving and weaving to interested persons especially youths in the library" revealed the Fon. He ended his speech by appreciating his colleagues for the recent success achieved in reorganising the Meta Cultural and Development Association (MECUDA) and pleaded on the Meta Fon's Union (MEFU) to also hasten up with its own reorganization.

13 Meta fons and 6 Fon's Representattives attended the cultural festival whose main activity of the day was a Mukonge Dance Competition, the first of its kind too that saw six competitors, that is Barakwe, Sang, Mbemi, Kai, Bome and Mbengwi challenging one another to showcase their mastery of the dance. Each group was accorded seven minutes to perform all what it knows in terms of playing instruments, coordinated changing of dancing styles, singing of meaningful songs and other aspects. 

Meneme, Mukonge Dancer from Sang Intimidating their Opponents with his Dressing Style, Like a Talisman

Mɨchi Əbeŋ Organising Committee Members 

The competition was preceded by speeches, graduation of some students that had completed a one year training course at the Guneku Royal Library, award of traditional titles to some meritorious villagers for their great contributions through selfless sacrifices to the growth of the village and donation of farm inputs to some selected farming groups in the Guneku fondom. The handing over of the certificates, titles and tools was done by some of the Meta Fons present.

Fongoh p. Ayeh headed the five man committee that organised Mɨchi Əbeŋ, made up of Amamuki Jonathan, Tebo Julius, Ndingwan Primus and Bandeh Godwill. In presenting the genesis of the festival, the committee head said it is a project he wrote and submitted to the Fon of Guneku for funding over a year ago and all this while, arrangements had been going on backstage till the 15th of April that the project was effectively realised. 

Attendees Seated Under a Traditionally Made Canopy 

General Dancing on the Dancing Arena 

As a staunch Meta culturalist, he appreciated the Fon of Guneku for using him despite being a native of another village to realise such a mega cultural event in the Guneku palace. The organising committee head told attendees "There is just no single excuse a Meta couple that know their vernacular can give as to why their kids are being brought up with no knowledge of their mother tongue."

He will then progress into pricking the minds of the attentive audience by asking them "Have we ever seen any Mbororo child that doesn't speak Fufulde despite growing in this supposed android age? Have we become too modern than the Bafuts, Mankons, Balis and Nsos that are still very much glued to their culture?"  The answers to these questions were left in the minds of every listener. 

Wooden Bowls in Which Fons Were Served their Food

Branded Fibre Bags

To Fongoh p Ayeh, "In the yesteryears, we bore mostly our Meta names like Ticha, Ngwe, Anwi, Tibah, Endah but today if a child is not called Junior, Precious, Marvelous, Blessing then something is wrong. In the yesteryears we cooked and ate mostly traditional dishes like porridge cocoyams but nowadays, Meta women don't even farm makabo cocoyams again, families stay for over half a year without ever cooking porridge cocoyams at home. Instead, what one sees at almost every occasion these days is salad, rice, water fufu and erro. Before, people enjoyed palm wine at ceremonies but today, nearly everyone prefers canned drinks, beer, wines and whiskies and the worst of it is the practice of carrying food and drinks home"

These are some of the weaknesses in the Meta culture that Mɨchi Əbeŋ has come to address. While many these days out of ignorance hold the view that their children should be brought up in English language so as to be intelligent in school and fit in the world, in reality, most of the best speakers of the Meta language round the globe nowadays are also superb when it comes to English and even other languages. It is for this reason that attendees were encouraged not to only dress traditionally, eat traditional meals, dance traditional dances and speak only Meta for the cameras to capture but to make this a daily routine in their various homes because it's actually good to keep one's roots. 

H.R.H Dr. Fomuki Ticha IX, Fon of Guneku, Initiator of Mɨchi Əbeŋ 

A Guneku Youth Dressed as it was in the Yesteryears

Before coming for the festival, each of the participating dance groups had been offered financial subventions for their transportation, refreshment and fortification of their instruments. After the competition, they were again given some financial remuneration on equal basis plus wooden bowls and fibre bags for the group presidents. At the start of the competition, the dancing arena was launched by the Kwem Dance Group of Guneku and closed by a special Mukonge Dance group known as Fɨtəkɨ Mɨkoŋgə rə Tondig. The performance of this special group was as in the days of old when Mukonge had no uniformity during dancing and no dressing code plus it wasn't played using the xylophones we have today but a portable type in the form of a small wooden box. 

Institutions like Abbi Fall Resort, the best touristy site in Mbengwi and ANS3 Immigration, a law company specialized in Canadian immigration partnered with the Fon of Guneku to realise the festival. The latter had her marketing agents on the event ground to give proper directives to potential immigrants on the genuine process to follow and obtain a study or work visa in Canada. Following this prospection, at press time, we learnt at least two Meta youths will soon be flying to Canada after fulfilling the requirements that were given by ANS3 Immigration. 

ANS3 Immigration Team that was Present at the Festival

Refreshment Time

Prof. Njoh Oliver, the President General of MECUDA in making an appraisal of the event said "For the past six years we've not been able to do things like this thus leaving our culture virtually in the cold till now that we are trying to warm it up." He furthered that "the Meta culture is absolutely very very rich and it is in our interest to preserve it and pass it to the generation to come."

The Fon of Guneku was represented at the festival by Ni Mbakwa Bernard. Quizzed on the push factor for the organisation of such a cultural festival, he said "The idea came up when the Fon saw the way the Meta culture was being jeopardised and so we sat in a team and agreed to revive all of what had been thrown in the dustbin through a competition so as to attract many participants who happily came because of the desire to grab something at the end."

Ni Mbakwa Bernard, Guneku Fon's Representative

Prof. Njoh Oliver, MECUDA P.G

On Saturday the 23rd of March 2024, the second edition of Mɨchi Əbeŋ will take place still in the Guneku palace and will involve Kwem Dance Groups in Meta competing like Mukonge did for the first edition. The announcement was made by Fon Fomuki at the close of the ceremony. For the sake of fair play the judges at the end of the competition declared that all the groups won, an announcement that was highly appreciated since in reality each wanted to be declared winner. 

The difference will be that unlike the Mukonge competition that had no openly declared over all winner, all the competing dance groups in the second edition of the Festival will be ranked and results proclaimed on the event ground. Preparatory activities towards a successful organisation of the second edition of Mɨchi Əbeŋ have begun and there are hopes that attendance on that day will double or triple compared to the pioneer edition. 

Traditional Title Holder Leads Campaign to Transform Mbengwi Palace Entrance

Anticipated New Look of the Mbengwi Palace Entrance

Barrister Ndangoh Tah Calvin, a legal luminary that is current National President of the Mbengwi Elements Development Association (MEDA) wants the entrance into the Mbengwi palace transformed through the construction of a specially designed work of arts that will depict royalty.

It is in this light that he has been spearheading a campaign for the raising of funds to realise the project, estimated to cost about 2.3 million Francs. Friends and well wishers have been supporting him morally, materially and financially to see this vision achieved. 

Barrister Ndangoh Tah Calvin Celebrating his Title

In the afternoon of Sunday March 26 2023, hundreds of people from all walks of life drawn from across the national territory stormed his lakeside residence in Nkolbisong, Yaounde to witness the public presentation of his new traditional title and installation as representative of the Fon of Mbengwi for the Centre, South and East regions of Cameroon.  

Last year, during a ceremony to award traditional titles to some reputable indigenes of his village by H.R.H Fon A.A Njokem III,  Fon of Mbengwi, one of the villages that make up the Meta clan conferred the title of "Tomfon" (wed-tom ɨfɔn) meaning the Fon's messenger, otherwise the person the Fon sends on errands on Barrister Ndangoh Tah Calvin. 

Some Mbengwi Elements Development Association (MEDA) EXCO Members in Group Photo with the Barrister

The Barrister and Some Traditional Leaders

The recent ceremony thus presented an opportunity for him to flaunt his new title to the public at large. Speaking to reporters at the close of the ceremony, the legal practitioner said "If I hadn't been working up to expectation I won't have been conferred this title. I want to thank God for giving me the energy, wisdom and understanding to be able  to meet the needs of my people"

Quizzed if it was his utmost desire to be recognized as such, he responded that "All what I've been doing, I was not doing so for any distinction or award but of recent, I've seen distinctions and awards coming thus making me to understand that awards only follow hard work and to whom much is given, much is expected."

Backdrop

It was a Red Carpet Event

In a phone interview with the conferrer of the title, the highest traditional authority of the people of Mbengwi village told this Mbengwi Online reporter that the conferee has done much for the people and masters how to unite them, reason why the "ngumba" (house of notables) unanimously validated the title to be conferred on him. "Nginyam" Njokem Awah added that there can only be one "Tom-fon" in the village at a time meaning Barrister Ndangoh Tah Calvin will bear this title alone till death. 

The public presentation and installation ceremony was attended by politicians like Ni Joseph Sanji Achu, Momo 1 Section President of the ruling C.P.D.M, Jean Bitongo, Centre regional chairman of the opposition S.D.F, legal minds like Barrister Akere Muna, the Vice President of the Cameroon Bar General Assembly, Barrister Ernest Gbaka Asho, several other fons and was animated by traditional dances from the Meta clan, the NW and centre region.

Fon of Mbengwi (Middle) and His Representatives in Various Regions

Bar. Ndangoh Tah Calvin with Fon of Mbengwi the Day He Was Given the Title Tom-fon

Bar. Ndangoh Tah Calvin would've celebrated his title but he wasn't the only one conferred such last year by the palace of Mbengwi particularly on Saturday October 22nd 2022 during a home branch meeting of Mbengwi Elements Development Association (MEDA) where a Royal Decision was read in which six new members were appointed into the Mbengwi Village Traditional Council, some of whom shall in turn serve as Mbengwi Fon's Representative in their respective towns. They were Barrister Ndangoh Tah Calvin, Emmanuel Asah, Njoh Roland Ndam, Yaya Francis Lacbane, Njoh Chrisantus Ticha, Baymoh Awara Benjamin and Tamunang Rudolf Njoh. Most of these illustrious sons were also given traditional titles.

At press time, the Barrister is currently coordinating a trip of Meta people to the palace of Mankon on Saturday 15 April 2023 to pay homage to Fo'o Angwafor IV. It will be the biggest trip ever paid by the Meta people to their neighbours of Mankon as the mobilisation of funds, dance groups etc is being done world wide with close to three million francs already raised.

H.R.H A.A Njokem III, Fon of Mbengwi Village, Meta Clan, Mbengwi Central Subdivision

It should be noted that though being the name of a subdivision and at the same time Momo Divisional headquarters, Mbengwi is first of all a village, one of the 31 villages that make up the Meta clan. As such Fon Njokem is the Fon of Mbengwi village and not Fon of all the Meta people. Barrister Ndangoh Tah Calvin likewise is caretaker of Mbengwi villagers only in the Centre, South and East Regions of Cameroon.

  

Hundreds of Millions in the Mbengwi Council

The 2022 administrative and management account session of the Mbengwi council has been adopted during a session that took place, Friday March 31st 2023 in the council hall chaired by the mayor, Ndangsa Kennedy Akam. Thirteen councillors physically sat through the session while the others sent in their proxies and in the course of the deliberations, several hundreds of millions were heard being pronounced.

The administrative account of the mayor and the management account of the treasurer of the council for the 2022 financial year stood at 606.594.137Frs in revenue and 590.151.738F in expenditure with a positive balance of 16.442.399F carried forward to 2023 thus giving a 77.5% execution rate of the budget in revenue and 75.4% in expenditure. Other millions pronounced included functional revenue that was said to have generated 198.139.293F while investment revenue recorded 372.700.000F plus the sum of 35.754.844F as cash brought forward from 2021.

Ndangsa Kennedy Akam, Mayor of the Mbengwi Council Responding to Questions from the Press at the Close of the Council Session

Council Session 

In his welcome address, Mayor Ndangsa Kennedy Akam regretted that challenges like the prevailing Anglophone Crisis coupled with constant harassment of contractors by separatist fighters and the close down of the Mbengwi Bamenda road handicapped the council from recovering authorised taxes and slowed execution of projects in the municipality.

However, despite these huddles, the council still managed to score high marks in developing Mbengwi subdivision. He enumerated the achievements of the council within the previous year through projects that were awarded with some of them executed at 100%, some still ongoing and one suspended due to insecurity.

Some of these include amongst others, provision of support to the vulnerable population, construction of two classrooms in Government School Bessi Fomukong, extension of rural electrification from Kai to Zang Tabi, purchase and installation of 35 solar photovoltaic street lights at major junctions in villages, rehabilitation and extension of the Ngyen-Mbo water supply scheme, construction of Tebug bridge linking Njindom to Wumnembug, the rehabilitation of Muswe-Checkpoint road, supply of farm tools, sewing machines and hair dryers to some groups, execution of manual road maintenance work on the Regional Road R051 sponsored by Road Funds.

The New Modern Standard Slaughter House in GRA Mbengwi when it was just Constructed

Non State Armed Fighters Destroying a Road Grader Working on the Acha-Njikwa Road, Retarding the Development of the Subdivision

On the unexecuted project of extending electricity from G.R.A to Bessi Fomukong since being awarded about some two years back and the contractor failed to meet his own terms of the contract despite having been paid, Ndangsa Kennedy revealed that as at now, following legal actions taken, the sum of 12 million francs was successfully recovered from the recalcitrant contractor and in effect, work has fully resumed and should be completed in no distant time. He added that the unexecuted project of purchasing a 7 ton tipper for the Mbengwi Council has been changed to a 10 ton that shall soon be driven into the municipality in no distant time, same as a hearse too which the council has purchased already for the mortuary.

In the course of the deliberations, precisely during committee reports, the council executive was criticised for its failures and praised for its successes. The Embellishment Committee for example cited the recent roofing of the corridor linking the mortuary building to the chapel nearby thanks to collaboration between the Mbengwi Council and MECUDA U.S.A as good.

The Health and Education Committee on its part gave a pat on the back of the council executive for finally putting the new slaughter house that was constructed by the previous mayor to use and clearing of roadsides in the municipality. The secretary of this committee, erstwhile mayor Tebe Beatrice however regretted that up till now, prizes for the cleanest village campaign that was organised last year by MECUDA and the council are yet to be awarded despite announcing the winners long ago. "With these, I think the council is on a good footing" she ended her presentation.

Trough the High Intensity Labour Approach, Local Solutions Being Provide to Solve Local Problem

Council Executive Some Months Back Mobilised the Population to CarryvOut Maintenance Work on the Water Supply Pipeline

Other reports came from the Works and Transport Committee, Finance Committee and Natural Resources Committee that also congratulated the council executive for organising a mini agro pastoral show last year after over four years of no such a thing, tasking them to ensure continuity and also proposed the construction of a warehouse that will be a source of revenue generation for the council.

The session will then generate heat and a debate ensued after the committee reports when councillor Chunga Patrick Dara openly accused the mayor, the administration and divisional delegate of lands and surveys for allowing individuals to encroached into the supposed Mbengwi district hospital land where several residential homes are currently being constructed thereby restricting the hospital from ever expanding in terms of infrastructural development in future.

In reaction, Mayor Ndangsa Kennedy affirmed that his attention had been drawn severally to the issue of the district hospital speedily losing it's land. "I've contacted MINCAF to clarify me on the matter and I'll meet the S.D.O in person to get first hand information from him on the issue" disclosed the mayor. He went on to assure the councillors that the genuine worry will be addressed. In his own words "As a council, we are doing all our best to safeguard even state land because any good thing done on it will be for the betterment of the people of Mbengwi reason we need to dialogue with the administration for the wellbeing of our municipality."

The Blocked Bamenda - Mbengwi Road

Calabar Chalk Exploitation Mine in Bessi Fomukong Village. On this Day, Friday 11 2020, the First Life Was Lose. The People Seen are Digging the Mine to Removed the Corpse of a Young Miner on Whom Ground Collapsed

He will then use the opportunity to address other crisis plaguing the municipality like water and electricity. These days, the water that flows from taps especially after the slightest rainfall is often void of all the qualities of good drinkable water taught in primary school. Here, the mayor said he has officially written to CamWater, expressing desire to step in and maybe take over management of the natural resource if need be. 

As for electricity, he notified the councillors not to be surprised should in the days ahead they see an expenditure rubric talking about restoration of electricity supply in the municipality considering that there are often some minor repairs that don't really require eneo to dispatch its team of technicians from Bamenda to Mbengwi to address them when the council can collaborate with the local technicians around to rectify such.

Other issues raised by the councilors which the mayor also addressed centred on the council feed mill, the slaughter house, calabar chalk mining in Bessi Fomukong and the blocked Bamenda-Mbengwi road. About the feed mill that's still not being put to use yet farmers are going through thick and thin to purchase animal and bird feed from Bamenda, Ndangsa Kennedy disclosed that a budget of ten million francs has been voted for the revamping of the Mbengwi council feed mill, part of which will be spent to harbour a farm for the cultivation of maize and wheat whose grains are already available in readiness for distribution to farmers for planting.

Meanwhile, after about two years of cajoling plus intimidation and  using forces of law and order, butchers in the Mbon market finally had to abandon the old dilapidated slap at Checkpoint, Mile 18 to go start using the modern slaughter house that had long been constructed in G.R.A Mbengwi by the council though as at moment, there are still some challenges there most especially water. As a temporal solution, some drums have been made available by the council for water storage while other complains advanced by the butchers inconveniencing them at the new site will be addressed.

Transportation by Bike, the Only Means of Movement to Bamenda Now After the Road Block

A Bridge Being Constructed on the Road to Mbengeghang

Still in line with the new slaughter house, the mayor again said, thanks to the vigilance of consumers especially some Mbororos, several seizures of uninspected meat that had been transported into the Mbon market for sale, often from dead or sick cows were carried out and that as at now, the council has already started generating some revenue from the new slaughter house through the collection of slaughter fee. 

Lastly, on this subject matter, he acknowledged that the decades long farmer - grazier conflict has drastically reduced in the municipality thanks to efforts put in place to curb its reoccurrence. To him, following a training workshop for mayors he recently attended, it was made clear to them that the issuance of transhumance documents to grazers is strictly the prerogative of the council.

As for calabar chalk exploitation in Bessi Fomukong village, "We have started harvesting from calabar chalk thanks to the D.O for instilling order in its exploitation" said the mayor though councillor Chunga Patrick did not still feel satisfied with the information. To him, the council should rather carry out studies on how to invest in transforming the mineral by opening up an industry that will in turn employ more persons in the chain of exploitation compared to the hundreds already employed at moment and earning a good living from the product. Chunga opined that "Even our illustrious president Paul Biya will be happy to hear that there's a calabar chalk industry in Mbengwi"

Compactor Working on the Acha-Njikwa Road Burnt by Separatist Fighters

Kai Junction, from Where Electricity Shall be Extended to Zang Tabi

The last challenge the mayor addressed was the issue of the blocking of the Bamenda Mbengwi road through Alabukam by separatist fighters. For over a month now, Mbengwi, Ngie and Njikwa subdivisions have been cut off from the North West regional headquarters, Bamenda following a ban on movement of cars and bikes along the Alabukam road imposed by non state armed fighters. Consequently, the economy is going down as prices of goods of necessity and services have skyrocketed, many not even available. 

He regretted that signs of tribalism have been noticed in the whole issue as Mankon drivers and natives hardly suffer any attack, kidnap, killing or burning of their cars by these fighters but each time such a thing occurs, it always turns out to be their non natives as victims to the level when even up till now that the road is blocked, there are Mankon drivers and bike riders still freely plying the road from Hospital roundabout to Alankie, near the entrance into Ngyen-Mbo, the gateway into Mbengwi and back unperturbed but Meta drivers can't dare.

It is only some Mbengwi bike riders that have been braving the odds to transports goods and passengers from Mbengwi through Bali Nyonga to Bamenda and back at a cost that has tripled the amount passengers used to pay before to travel by car. Even with this, some were still threatened at hospital roundabout by the fighters to desist from working, this by seizing the keys of their bikes as a warning sign.  Those still still doing so understand the risk involved but they can't help it than to bear the risk. 

To find a way out of this stalemate, mayor Ndangsa Kennedy Akam announced that a crisis meeting has been called for and will take place between the affected drivers and the council executive on Tuesday 4th April 2023 with the main objective of seeking for a way out of the blockade. The best solution as already being proposed by many will be for the powers that be to influence the government to renovate other alternative roads linking Mbengwi to Bamenda.

Ekum Fidelis, Assistant Divisional Officer of Mbengwi Subdivision 

Having addressed all these worries, the draft budget of the  management and administrative account of the council for 2022 was then presented and adopted thus ushering in the Senior Divisional Officer for Momo that was represented at the session by Mr. Ekum Fidelis, assistant Divisional Officer of Mbengwi to present his speech. He began by first appreciating the councillors for exhibiting signs of maturity and savvy of their functions during the deliberations. He urged them to double their efforts more than ever before because the population still needs a lot from them.

To the council executive, he challenged them to treat the councillors, workers and collaborators with a lot of diligence and accept criticism from them, an advice that was received with a round of applause especially as Mbengwi council workers are currently being owed their salaries for four months. In addressing the accusation levied against the administration by one of the councillors that they're the ones facilitating the encroachment into the supposed Mbengwi district hospital land, the officer said "Before you ever claim ownership of a piece of land, there's just one document to support your claim, that is a land certificate." With this, his message was clear, that there are many institutions including the council claiming lands they have no justifying documents to back their claims.

To be on the safe side, he cautioned the council and other institutions to protect all their landed properties by obtaining the required valid document (land certificate) without which  in time to come, they too may lose theirs because all state land is managed under the competence of the Senior Divisional Officer. Surprisingly, in the G.R.A  neighbourhood and elsewhere, cases of people erecting buildings directly under or close to high tension electricity supply lines are becoming recurrent and unfortunately for such persons, a time will come when an order will be passed for such houses to be demolished for the safety of humans.

Pertaining to the exploitation of calabar chalk in Bessi Fomukong village that was recently suspended, the administrative officer clarified that suspension only came in to regularise the sector and help the exploiters better go about the process. However, as he  disclosed, the suspension decision has been uplifted with conditions now put in place for every exploiter to must obtain their (legal) papers and ensure safety measures of exploiters are strictly taken into consideration so that no one dies there again.

"For the administration of Mbengwi to succeed, we really need your total collaboration" the assistant D.O pleaded. "We are very simple. We are your brothers and sisters. We have come here to serve you people. If you have any worries, come closer to us. Our doors are always open" he added.

Family Photo at End of Session

He then ended by advising organisers of public gatherings in the municipality to always endeavour to seek for authorisation before holding such. To him, the administration is fully aware many of events have been taking place in the subdivision without their knowledge reason he warned that "You'll only know the importance of that authorisation when something happens though we don't pray for anything to happen."b

It is worth noting that in the entire Momo division, Mbengwi council is the only that's been actively functioning from its premise all through these years of crisis. The others, that is Batibo, Widikum, Njikwa and Andek had long relocated to Bamenda with no prospects of them going to regain their council buildings any moment soon. This certainly accounts for why Mbengwi council has been effectively realising nearly all of her projects. At press time, we learnt a new project for the construction of a municipal guest inn in the Momo divisional headquarters is in the pipeline, to be financed by PNDP.