The Livestock Development Fund for the North-West (CDENO) celebrated 50 years of groundbreaking achievements and innovations.

The celebration, which took place in Bamenda on December 20, 2024, was chaired by the Minister of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, Dr. TAIGA, who did not hesitate to congratulate the Director of the CDENO for the achievements recorded so far. Dr. TAIGA recalled that the structure, which was initially managed by the Regional Delegation of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, North-West, with a budget of 30 million CFA francs, can now boast a budget of 1 billion 500 million CFA francs. He urged farmers who benefited from the inputs to make good use of them and ensure the sustainability of the poultry, piggery and fisheries sectors. He urged them to serve as ambassadors, adding that the gifts were made possible by the government, the CDENO Board of Directors under the coordination of the PULLCA project.

NOEA Director MBAH Shupong Michael described the celebration as one of hope, resilience and countless lives that the structure touched. Reiterating that they have remained faithful to their mission, despite the challenges, the Executive Director of the CDENO cited some of the achievements of the CDENO over the past five decades, the most significant of which are:

• The effective vaccination of more than one billion cattle in the North-West region, production of more than one million tons of various animal feed for farmers;
• The production of more than 800 million day-old chicks in the last three years following the installation of the CDENO hatchery;
• The establishment of 80 hectares of braccharia and Guatemalan pastures in various localities in the North-West region;
• The construction of 85 wooden yards and 54 permanent cattle yards from 2011 to 2024;
• the construction of 33 drinking water points for cattle;
• Capacity building of more than six thousand pastoralists in poultry production and management, pig production and management, dairy production, feed formulation, pasture improvement and others.

As part of the Cameroonian government’s Emergency Project to Combat the Food Crisis in Cameroon (PULLCA), 550 farmers and 150 fish farmers have benefited from 30,000 day chicks, 100 piglets, 600 bags of feed, 75,000 fingerlings and 150 floating cages in BAMBALANG. These gifts were symbolically handed over to the farmers by the Minister of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, Dr. TAIGA.

The 3rd edition of the distribution of inputs to livestock farmers by the CDENO is in its 3rd edition. The Emergency Food Crisis Project with the help of poultry and pig farmers will continue in 2025 with milk production with 300 vulnerable farmers as beneficiaries, honey production, fish production in above-ground tanks, fish production in ponds and fish processing with 150 fish peddlers as beneficiaries.

The activity aims to intensify the partnership between livestock farmers and CDENO in order to increase production and productivity in the poultry, piggery and fishing sectors.

CDENO’s products are subsidized by the government.

Eighteen staff members were decorated with gold silver medals and silver medals during the colourful ceremony.

Francisca Dio Ekosso