As 2026 begins, the figure of Bernard Njonga, who passed away on February 21, 2021, continues to inspire Cameroonian politics and civil society. An agricultural engineer by training, he left his mark on Cameroon through his commitment to rural development and food sovereignty.
Njonga, often called the "Cameroonian José Bové," worked to defend the interests of rural populations against agricultural multinationals. He denounced corruption in the agricultural sectors and fought against the massive import of food products, particularly frozen chicken, which threatened local production. His actions led to concrete measures, such as the ban on importing frozen chicken in 2006, a decision that helped revive the local poultry industry.
Beyond his sectoral battles, Bernard Njonga had an overall vision for Cameroon. He was convinced that agriculture should be the pillar of the country's economic growth. He created several organizations to promote rural development, including the Service d'Appui aux Initiatives Locales de Développement (SAILD), the newspaper La Voix du Paysan, the Association Citoyenne de Défense des Intérêts Collectifs (ACDIC), and the Croire au Cameroun (CRAC) political party.
According to Louis-Marie Kakdeu, Second National Vice-President of the SDF, Bernard Njonga saw politics as a relay race. He passed the baton, even if many did not understand his language. Kakdeu points out that Njonga wanted to be replaced as head of CRAC and ACDIC, but no one was ready to take on that responsibility.
In 2026, Cameroon needs statesmen who are willing to be unpopular in order to do the necessary work of recovery, Kakdeu writes. He invites political figures to read Bernard Njonga's vision in his program book "Je continue.../ I continue....". Bernard Njonga's legacy is a call to action for a policy focused on vision and the public interest, rather than popularity and reflexes from the past.
