Incipient poverty amongst youths in Bambalang will become history if they take up fish farming as an economic activity.
The consequences of the crisis on the daily economic life in the Ngoketunjia I section are serious especially amongst the youths. Most youths in Bambalang like other localities in the section are restarting life from scratch and the outcry of job scarcity is very loud. The Ycpdm section President Pius Mingo in his quest to re-empower the youths of his section has been proposing business ideas that the youths can take up and that are readily available in the environment. One of such is his incessant calls for the youths in Bambalang to consider exploiting the richness of the waters of the Bamenjin dam. With their gradual return home, local authorities of the CPDM are ensuring that they get them occupied so as not to get involve in crimes. The YCPDM section President, Pius Mingo is hopeful that their environment especially the waters if well exploited, the fish could serve them as an income generating activity while they look forward to better opportunities in the future. In his words “Bambalang is a goldmine which our youths can take advantage of despite its landlocked position. In the entire North West region, the most intensive inland fishing is carried out in the Ngoketungia Division, and specifically in Bambalang where hundreds of Fishermen turn full circle in the waters of the Bamendjin dam”, he revealed. Mingo has thus been encouraging the youths that instead of lazing around complaining and seeking just for white collar job that in his words “are hard to come by these days given that the government cannot provide jobs for everyone? The youths can use their natural environment”, he insisted. The Bamenjin dam, a natural gift in the can be of great help to a great number of jobless youths. The Bamendjin dam was built in the 70s to increase water supply to generate electricity at Songlulu. Floods from the dam now cover an extensive part of the west region and the Ndop plain which represent the largest body of water with fish farming potentials in the North West. Pius Mingo has also continued to plead on the elite and persons of good will in the locality to help the youth maximize the great potentials of their natural environment so as to boost food self-sufficiency and also to create jobs and curb insecurity.
Irene AWENEG
