The Elephant in the Room: But What Does the NW Even Contribute to the National Economy?

By Hans Ngala

This is the kind of question that some NW elites and some within the SW community often ask. This question assumes that the NW doesn’t have anything it contributes to the national economy, which is significant. While it is true that there are more visible economic investments in the SW, it is good to get many facts straight.

• Best National Healthcare:

The NW is the health capital of Cameroon with three of the best private hospitals ie Banso Baptist Hospital, Mbingo Baptist Hospital, and Shisong Catholic Hospital. There are more than 50 other hospitals and health centers operated by the Baptists across the country, all thanks to the pioneering work of the hospitals in Kumbo and Mbingo. Catholics and Presbyterians also run several specialized hospitals, most of them concentrated in the NW, including Acha hospital, the best eye hospital in Cameroon. Shisong has the best cardiac hospital in Cameroon and the wider West and Central Africa region.

• Cameroon’s Richest Man is from the NW:

Baba Danpullo, also known as Pa Ndawara is Cameroon’s richest man and an indigene of the NW from the Fulani tribe. Danpullo wields economic power in Cameroon and across Africa, having made his wealth from tea, telecommunications, and real estate. Danpullo lives and works in the NW, where he has grown his wealth, so this disproves the myth that there is “nothing” in the NW. According to Forbes magazine, Danpullo is estimated to be worth $940 million USD (about 515 billion CFA).

• Education: The NW has some of the best private secondary schools in the country, attracting students from all over the country.

• Livestock and dairy production hub:

The region is a major center for cattle rearing, poultry, and pig farming. NW dairy products (milk, yoghurt, cheese) feed local and national markets, while cattle from the region support Cameroon’s meat supply chain, especially in southern cities.

• Aviation and logistics services:

Through its aviation programme in partnership with SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics), the CBC has contributed to aviation training, aircraft maintenance, and humanitarian air services across the country. This aviation programme supports medical evacuations for its dozen hospitals, missionary and humanitarian logistics, and aviation skills development—services that reduce transport gaps in hard-to-reach parts of Cameroon and beyond. This is one of the best private flight services in the country, employing both locals and foreign pilots/mechanics. The program operates with one helicopter and one Cessna plane – all estimated at hundreds of millions of CFA.

• Human Capital Production/Skilled Labour (teachers, nurses, technicians):

Beyond secondary schools, the NW has produced a significant share of Cameroon’s teachers, nurses, laboratory technicians, and health workers due to the fact that the majority of private hospitals in the country are based in the NW. These professionals power public and private institutions nationwide, meaning the region exports skilled labor that sustains the national economy.

• Cooperative and Microfinance Strength:

The NW has some of the strongest cooperative societies and credit unions in Cameroon, according to CAMCCUL, the umbrella organization for credit unions. These institutions mobilize local savings, finance small and medium enterprises, and support entrepreneurship—especially in agriculture, trade, and education—often succeeding where formal banks do not. According to CAMCCUL and RECCU-CAM, credit unions such as BAPCCUL, Ntariko,n and Azire are some of the top credit unions in the country.

• Trade, Transport, and Cross-border Commerce:

The NW sits at a strategic crossroads linking the West, Southwest, and Nigeria. Informal and formal cross-border trade (agricultural goods, livestock, manufactured products) generates income, customs revenue, and market access, reinforcing the NW as a strategic economic crossroads between Nigeria, Cameroon, and the rest of the country, bringing in millions of CFA annually. The Ndop plains, Ndu Tea Estate, and Ndawara Tea Estate all employ thousands of people while contributing to the national economy.

In summary, the NW’s contribution may be less than that of her sister region in the S, which has oil terminals or ports, but the NW’s contribution is structural—healthcare, food production, human capital, aviation services, finance, and trade. This is not an attempt by any means to say that the NW is better than any other region, but it is meant to clarify the misconception that the NW adds nothing to the economy. Most of the NW’s contributions are built by the hard work and sweat of the people themselves which is why they are among the most industrious people anywhere in the country ,as life has taught them to be self-sufficient.