By Ndifor Sally, Uba CADS student on internship
Kola coffee, a by product of coffee beans on World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) celebrated May 3rd, gained the attention of the Cameroon Journalists' Trade Union (CJTU) North West chapter and the public.
This follows the decision of the union to celebrate the 2022 edition of WPFD, with North West Cooperative Association Limited,NWCA Ltd, at it's headquarters in mile 3 Nkwen Bamenda, where kola coffee is processed.
Receiving members of the trade union, the administrator of NWCA Ngangwa Mathew told the union members that his institution is a farmer organisation grouping arabica and robusta coffee farmers from all the 34 subdivisions of the North West region. He explained that the link is maintained by buying coffee beans from these farmers before transforming it into kola coffee for consumption locally and internationally.
During a guided tour of NWCA, Nangwa Mathew and other top ranking personel availed pressmen and women including student journalists of the University of Bamenda, on the stages of production that bring kola coffee to fruition. He however regretted that the product is not highly valued at the local level but indicated that there are efforts to change the situation.
During the guided tour with Ngangwa Mathew and Nji Ignatius leading
"As Cameroonians, we do not value what we produce. Cameroonians should try to consume what we produce." Nangwa Mathew told reporters.
Local consumption he said will safe the stress of always being affected by a drop in prices at the world market where a greater part of kola coffee is sold.
Hoping on journalists to help in expanding and encouraging local consumption, Nangwa expressed gratitude for the choice of NWCA to commemorate the world press freedom day.
"it is an opportunity for us and for the press to know exactly what we are doing here.I know that it is through the press that we can have our visibility",he further told reporters.
On his part, Ignatius Nji, North West chapter president of CJTU said the choice of commemorating with NWCA was to to bring awareness on what has been very instrumental to the empowerment of most parents in the region.
"...to sell out what we have because we identify the NWCA as a cooperative our parents have been dealing with. People were wondering whether coffee is still in existence?" said Ignatius Nji adding that "NWCA is a place for everybody to come and see what is happening.
Neng Delphine, Marketing officer of NWCA told the press that kola coffee is found in shops in Bamenda, Buea, Douala, Yaounde and others.
Rated the best in quality, in and out of the country by several consumers and institutions, the benefits of kola coffee include: improvement on sexual life, eases digestion, helps you stay focus, reduces risk of stroke, reduces risk of cancer and many others.