Speaking on Monday 25 May 2026 during the opening of the North West Regional Assembly session, Prof Fru Angwafo said the region witnessed an unprecedented mobilisation around peace during the Papal visit and warned against allowing the momentum to disappear after the celebrations.
“With the euphoria and unprecedented mobilisation for a return to peace in our region during the Papal Visit, the challenge is to maintain that momentum, that perspective and purpose of this noble assembly,” he said.
The session, initially expected in March, was delayed because of parliamentary activities and a Congress that occupied several key stakeholders. According to the Assembly President, the Papal Visit also mobilised the region significantly during April, resulting in scheduling adjustments.
Prof Angwafo III said history should remember the Papal journey as more than a ceremonial event.
“History will have it that the Pope came and things changed,” he declared, setting the tone for a session expected to focus not only on statutory business but also on the wider future of the region.
He pointed to visible infrastructure developments linked to preparations for the Pontiff’s arrival, particularly rehabilitation works around the Bamenda Airport and urban road networks, describing them as reminders of what the region could achieve.
“We must take that the rehabilitation of the Bamenda Airport access roads and urban crossings serve as positive reminders of the divine destiny of the Bamenda region,” he said.
The Assembly President stressed that the message delivered by the Pope in Bamenda should not be interpreted through a political lens but rather as a universal appeal rooted in shared humanity.
“The cathedral audience of the Holy Father, far from being a political message, was a humane, a moral call to all irrespective of creed, social and political groupings, standing or ideologies,” he noted.
He maintained that the visit represented a broader call for peace extending beyond the North West Region.
“The Papal Visit was a call for peace in the region, the nation, the continent and the world from Bamenda,” he said before adding: “Let us have peace.”
Using the language of arithmetic to illustrate his appeal for unity, Prof Angwafo III urged inhabitants of the region to reject division and embrace cooperation.
“The arithmetic of division is not good. Why strengthen subtraction when we can strengthen the virtues of addition and multiplication? Let us add, let us work, let us multiply in the arithmetic of regional development,” he said.
Beyond reflections on the Papal Visit, the session opened with a packed agenda centred on accountability and governance. Members are expected to examine the 2025 fiscal accounts, complete committee structures, review budget adjustments and participate in presentations on regional governance, psychosocial support, infrastructure and development programmes.
The Assembly also reaffirmed its commitment to promoting peace, reconciliation, social cohesion, youth and women empowerment and cultural promotion across the region.
As proceedings began, the leadership presented the session as a moment not only for administrative review but also for reflection on the future of a region seeking recovery after years of instability.
By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Web
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