Edison Fru Ndi, Bamenda-based business mogul has been honoured with a prestigious award for his selfless and relentless contribution to the development of the Bamenda in particular and the North West Region in general.
The business magnet cum diehard
member of the ruling Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement (CPDM) party was
crowned winner of the 2020 Development Champion Award.
The recognition was conferred on
his humble person by Cameroon’s lone English-language daily newspaper, The
Guardian Post. This was during the authoritative and widely read newspaper’s
Annual Achievement Awards ceremony which held in Yaoundé Friday 9 April 2021.
The crowd-pulling event rallied both national and international dignitaries notably the British High Commissioner to Cameroon, the Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to Cameroon, the Nigerian Consul General for the North West and South West regions, the Nigerian Consul General for Littoral, the Secretary General of the National Episcopal Conference and the Technical Adviser No. 1 at the Hydrocarbons Prices Stabilization Fund, CSPH alongside a cream of renowned journalists from diverse organs among other personalities.
Addressing attendees at the
event, the Chairman of the award committee, Jude Viban, disclosed that the
award was given to the entrepreneur following thousands of votes cast by
readers, subscribers, advertisers and partners of the newspaper and counted by
a jury made up of renowned jurists of international repute and ace journalists.
Viban who also doubles as National President of the Cameroon Association of English-speaking Journalists, CAMASEJ, said the award accorded Edison Fru Ndi attest to his efforts in selflessly spear-heading several development initiatives that have contributed in transforming the North West regional capital, Bamenda.
The self-made man from very humble background has resolve to make Bamenda an Eldorado where tourists will not hesitate visiting once in Cameroon. His strides in this direction for a decade and more has kept him on the lips on many keen observers who venture into analyzing the path to Bamenda’s development. This resolves to contribute his own quota to see Bamenda turn into an enviable city in the country that he is affectionately considered people’s true servant.
This has within the ravaging four year-long armed conflict proven his worth as a resilient entrepreneur. As proprietor of Dreamland Restaurant, Snack Bar and Cabaret, he has held his grounds and stayed back to continue operating despite the challenges.
The founder of Bamenda’s first-ever and modern-day restaurant, Dreamland Restaurant in the early 90s has maintained his space as leader in the business in the region.
This remarkable exploits in this sector would later lead him extend the restaurant into Dreamland Cabaret, which quickly became Bamenda’s entertainment hub. The entertainment joint which has nurtured and groomed many budding talents was rated best in the entire CEMAC Region in 2010.i
Edison who also wears the cap of
President of the North Chamber of Commerce has gone beyond his cuisine and
entertainment business to create other businesses notably a giant quarry
industry within Mankon which offer jobs to hundreds of youths without
discrimination.
Edison Fru Ndi has distinguished himself as an exemplary contractor, who, executes contracts granted him with satisfaction. It is this trustworthiness that made his peers to catapult him to the position of President of the North West Contractors’ Syndicate, NOWECOSY.
He is concerned with the health of Bamenda inhabitants, philanthropic, Edison Fru Ndi, joined the campaign to fight curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic by distributing anti-COVIUD-19 kits including thermoflashes, wash hand buckets, facemask and hand sanitizers among many others to several private and public institutions including Bamenda Regional Hospital, PMI Nkwen, Baptist Mbingo Hospital, the governor’s office, CRTV North West, Sacred Heart College, Mankon, Our Lady of Lourdes College, Mankon and Bangolan Health Centre.
In a bid to fight rise in criminality and insecurity, the down-to-earth business magnet provided streets lights in some streets in Bamenda including Fon’s Street to Ring Way Street, Ngeng Junction to Veterinary Junction, Mile II Nkwen and New Road (stretch from Amour Mezam Express to Up Station) etc.
Same gesture was extended to Sacred Heart College, Mankon when it went up in flames in 2017. Locals on this area also enjoy a borehole which he recently build and handed to them in a bid to fight the perennial problem of water shortage.
By Ndefru Mélanie
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