Waindim Timothy Ntam, born on 18 May 1965 in Muyuka and rooted in Kom heritage, became one of the most influential figures in the North West’s agricultural story. Until his death on Thursday 20 November 2025, he served as General Manager of the North West Cooperative Association (NWCA) Ltd a role in which he reshaped the fortunes of Cameroon’s oldest Arabica coffee cooperative and restored dignity to tens of thousands of rural households.
Late Waindim Timothy Ntam in his office
His path to leadership was shaped by discipline, service and an unbroken belief in the power of organised farming. Trained first as a lawyer at the University of Yaoundé, he moved into community development soon after. Over the following twenty five years he became a respected figure in cooperative management, rural livelihoods and agribusiness. He built his expertise through an Executive MBA from the University of Bamenda and postgraduate studies in agribusiness, markets and cooperative governance from leading institutions in Canada, the United States and Cameroon.
His leadership at NWCA Ltd marked a turning point for the organisation and for farmers across the region. He inherited a cooperative in need of direction and gave it a steady, ambitious roadmap. The results were clear. Annual coffee production surged from 109 tonnes in 2013 to 1,200 tonnes by 2020. Turnover climbed from ninety two million francs to more than one billion. He led the installation of a state of the art processing and packaging unit worth two hundred million francs and created a modern picking shed that now employs more than five hundred displaced people. He pushed the KOLA Coffee brand into national and international markets, returning NWCA to global relevance.
Under his watch, the cooperative disbursed more than one billion francs in bonuses to member unions, renovated its headquarters and restored confidence in a sector many had feared was declining. His management style combined firmness, organisation and deep respect for the farmers who formed the backbone of the cooperative.
His influence, however, did not stop at the gates of NWCA Ltd. In Boyo and beyond, he was known for quiet generosity. As President of the Boyo II CPDM Section, he supported schools with ICT equipment, supplied seeds to women’s groups, assisted displaced families with documentation and sponsored children who needed help to remain in school. His commitment to education, agriculture and community resilience was consistent and practical.
He carried this spirit of service into cultural, church and development life. He served the Kom Cultural Development Association, the Supreme Council of Kom’s agricultural committee, the NUIFOR Cultural and Development Association and the MC2 microfinance institution in Belo. He worked closely with churches in Belo and Bamenda, often taking on project leadership roles that required both trust and accountability.
Nationally and internationally, he represented Cameroon’s cooperative movement with distinction. He sat on the Executive Committee of Consumer Cooperatives Worldwide in Brussels, served as Vice Chair for Central Africa at the Alliance Africa Agriculture Organisation in Nairobi and sat on the board of the North West Development Authority. He contributed to national coffee and cocoa quality programmes and public private partnership platforms, helping shape policy for two of the country’s most strategic crops.
Late Waindim Timothy Ntam in his office
Before rising to the top of NWCA Ltd, he served in various roles including Chief of Administration and Personnel at NWCA, a resource person to the GP DERUDEP projects, Sponsorship Assistant at Plan Cameroon, Administrative Manager and Legal Adviser in Yaoundé and a teacher in Belo. He also worked as a consultant during the early restructuring of NWCA and lectured business law at the National Cooperative College.
His work drew recognition from across the sector. In 2025 he was named The Guardian Post’s Best North West General Manager and listed among the 25 Most Influential Personalities in Bamenda III. Earlier awards included honours for development advocacy, innovation and coffee sector promotion by the The Voices, World Echoes, Life Time Newspapers.
He leaves behind two children and a region that continues to feel the shock of his passing. His legacy lives in the farmers he supported, the institutions he strengthened and the communities that benefitted from his steady, committed leadership. His work changed livelihoods, revived a sector and left a lasting imprint on the cooperative movement in Cameroon.
By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Online
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