CAMEROON—Tiko city in Cameroon serves as a market and trading centre and an important trade and commerce route between the South-West region of the country and Nigeria. It has a small port used for trading in sand and fishing, and an entry for goods from neighbouring Nigeria, making the Tiko market important in the region.
In June 2008, the Tiko city council requested CESO services to advise and assist them as they prepared a Comprehensive Community Development Plan (CCDP). CESO accepted the request and, since then, three CESO volunteers, Bob Odeh, Jag Dhillon and Peter Etheridge, have assisted with the plan and following-up on CCDP activities.
In March 2010, during Etheridge’s assignment, the Tiko market was destroyed in a fire. The re-building of the market became a top priority for the Tiko council and they began to seek funding. Near the end of his assignment, Etheridge and council staff put together a proposal to receive funds from the national government. Back in Canada, Etheridge continued to work with council authorities until the final proposal was submitted.
The group proposed a 1.8 billion FCFA (the franc currency in 14 African countries) budget, and the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization (MINADT) together with FEICOM (Fonds Special d’Equippement et d’Intervention Intercommunale), have granted a quarter of that. This money will go towards the building of a new Tiko market, thanks to collaborative efforts between CESO and the council to put together a proposal. This is achievement is accomplished only because of the knowledge and skills shared between the partners. It is the first step for the Tiko council to achieve their goals.