Hon Ngala Gerard gets another recognition for promoting peace, community dev’t.

The community development locomotive and serial entrepreneur was handed the prestigious Prix d’Excellence Managériale Award in Douala recently. 

It is a recognition based on the assessment of a group of investigative journalists, under the banner of Collectif des Journalistes d’Investigation, CJI, loosely translated as Association of Investigative Journalists. 

The President of CJI, Tah Silvain, and the President of the award jury, Ignace Yombi, said the lawmaker was singled out for matchlessly demonstrating and incarnating the best public morales and leadership in the “promotion of peace and living together, youth training and support to vulnerable persons towards the emergence of Africa”.

The organisation added that the politician and heavyweight of the CPDM party in Donga Mantung Division, was also recognised for his “political dynamism and unmatched loyalty to the ideals of the Head of State”. 

Hon Ngala Gerard’s vote of thanks 

Speaking shortly after receiving the prestigious award, the laureate, Hon Ngala Gerard, said the distinction was more of a surprise to him. 

“I am deeply humbled and honoured to receive the "Prix d'Excellence Managériale" Award 2023/2024 from the Collective of Investigative Journalists. It is impressive to see such an institution has been following up on our work,” the lawmaker said. 

Hon Ngala Gerard said the “recognition is not just a testament to my own efforts, but also to the hard work and dedication of my team and the people of Donga Mantung Division”. 

He used the occasion to restate his unflinching commitment to continue serving his “community with integrity, transparency, and excellence”.

The lawmaker also expressed gratitude to the organisers for paying keen attention to his actions in Donga Mantung and across the country. 

"I am grateful to the organisers of this award for recognising my modest contribution to my constituency and to Cameroon as a whole. This gives me the opportunity and to work harder and with a lot of determination and enthusiasm," Hon Ngala Gerard stated. 

Revisiting Hon Ngala Gerard’s grassroots actions 

Hon Barrister Ngala Gerard has demonstrated unrivalled courage in keeping his constituency at bay from separatist activities, since the crisis in the two English-speaking Regions erupted in 2016. 

His efforts have seen Nkambe stand out in terms of school attendance in the crisis-hit North West and South West Regions.

Through his actions, the Subdivision has remained the only administrative unit in the entire North West and South West Regions that has never observed separatists-imposed ghost towns or lockdowns; since 2016, when the crisis started. 

The widely acclaimed community mobiliser has also spared no efforts in rallying inhabitants of his area to actively and massively participate in national festivities like Youth Day, Women’s Day, Labour Day and 20th May. 

He has been an icon in spearheading peace efforts in Nkambe and making sure his people respect State institutions, youth training and civic engagement. 

The youthful MP also has to his credit projects executed across every community within his constituency and beyond. 

Hon Barrister Ngala Gerard is an education and community development champion who has powered several projects, especially in funding the return of children to school across Nkambe Subdivision.

Almost every educational establishment in his constituency has benefited from his financial and material assistance. 

The award-winning MP, who is also a pupil-advocate, is among the key voices who lobbied for government to update the Nkambe District Hospital to a Regional Hospital Annex, that is serving thousands of people across Donga Mantung Division and beyond.

Despite threats from separatists, Hon Barrister Ngala Gerard has remained consistently present on the field, assisting the needy in his constituency and championing efforts for massive school attendance. His productivity goes beyond his constituency to the entire nation. 

The MP has remained a supporter of peace, living together and unity initiatives that continue to bond Cameroonians. He has also offered countless job opportunities to members of his constituency and Cameroonians as a whole.

Inhabitants of his Bonaberi neighbourhood in Douala, have confessed that Hon Ngala Gerard is not only God-sent to them but a veritable Father Christmas whose never-seen generosity knows no bounds.    

In parliament, he has since November 2020, been pioneering the Parliamentary Network on Circular Economy, PANCEC; that is crusading sustainable development with interest on best practices in waste transformation.

Hon Barrister Ngala Gerard has been pushing for industrialisation that respects national and international norms in the production, importation and commercialisation of non-biodegradable plastic bags. 

When it also comes to the management of pharmaceutical waste, he is an advocate for the issuance of environmental permits and firm control.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3360 of Wednesday February 5, 2025