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A & A Associates is an International Construction Management Consultancy with experts from all sectors of the construction industry (Cost Engineers, Quantity Surveyors/Estimators, Land Surveyors, Planners, and Electrical Engineers) geared towards delivering construction projects efficiently within reasonable time and cost. Our goal is to make a contribution to the construction project management environment by providing expert advice and support to developing countries in the area of project development, finance and realization. Developing countries like Cameroon are the emerging markets and economies today. To meet up with the global business challenges there must be a defined economic structure to attract investors. Research purports that the construction industry is the regulator of the economy. This has been evidenced in times of crisis where a drop in construction production has resulted in the bankruptcy and insolvency of small companies and suppliers who rely mainly on the construction market.

In Cameroon and the other Sub Saharan African countries, the construction industry has not been defined hence the difficulty in establishing it. Most central governments in Africa have no structure in the procurement system. Most major projects are awarded to foreign firms and by some strange happenstance, the African governments are extremely lacking   effective quality assurance and control measures to ensure that the projects delivered are of high standards.  One item of ‘variation of addition’ could lead to overshooting the budget, resulting in abandonment of the contract. In the urban cities you will find many uncompleted, abandoned buildings which have become safe haven for criminals and the destitute... This is not to say that these African countries are lacking in qualified construction professionals! The National Polytechnic in Yaoundé, Cameroon for instance trains engineers. In addition, African governments trained qualified engineers through its scholarship programs in renowned academic establishments around the world. Consequently, Cameroon like many other African countries has the manpower and capacity. However, there is a general absence of structure and government policy required for the creation and effective running of a national construction board and to regulate the construction industry for an effective delivery of projects drawing from evidence based research.  This has resulted in everyone becoming a construction contractor as long as one registers with the Chamber of Commerce and the Social Insurance Fund in the case with Cameroon.

But whether we have a structure or not, there will always be a high need for housing provision either by the state or the private sector. Without controlled costs and the effective management of resources, the working populace as well as the massive unemployed will not afford any costly property.  According to a report from the Center for Affordable Housing Finance for Africa (CAHF), “the Building costs in Cameroon are fairly high.  In this low middle income country with a conservative banking system and slow government reforms, it has been difficult to build houses at a cost accessible to most of the population.  This has resulted in a discrepancy between production costs and purchasing power of the potential buyers.  Very few banks provide end-user housing finance which is affordable to the middle and lower income groups. Access to credit for housing is therefore very limited. Government is trying to reduce housing production costs in an effort to make housing more affordable.  It has established agencies to encourage the use of local materials and also to reduce the price of land and inputs such as cement and sand, and has stepped up funding for government agencies in this sector.  The government has decided to roll out projects to construct affordable housing in all 10 regions of the country”

The above is not an overstatement. There are investors now in Cameroon working with local construction companies setting up plants to manufacture building materials which can be used to achieve affordable housing. But the technology and methods (US insulated panel system) they are using gives an end product priced from $48,000 to $85,275 (excluding sales tax). These come to between 24 and 43million FCFA- it’s just not affordable. The one million dollar question is:  Which bank will accept to sign mortgages for individuals without proper job security? Will the investors stay in business? The local construction companies partnering with these investors, do they have qualified cost engineers, quantity surveyors and other professionals to advise them? A & A Associates have the expertise to resolve all these “puzzles”. We are ready to share our expertise with governments to advise them on the best policies for land administration, exploitation and processing of local resources, housing generation and area planning, finance and construction methods. We don’t only manage project costs and human resources, but also all other factors or aspects that would affect or influence the decision to embark as well as the execution and long term management of the built facilities. If you would like to make use of our services, do not hesitate to contact us through the information below:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Ngwa Bertrand

26.Jan.2015

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Françoise Foning, Mayor of Douala 5th and president of a CPDM section, in the economic capital passed away today at the Yaoundé Central Hospital. She was a victim of a traffic accident that occurred on Sunday, January 18, 2015 at the Ebebda Bridge deep within Lekié Division in the Central Region. Madam Françoise Foning was close to Paul Biya, National President of Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM).

The Mayor of Douala 5 who at one point became a member of parliament marked the political landscape for at least 25 years. She loved to sing and dance in all circumstances during political meetings of  the CPDM which she served as a fervent supporter.

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Ngwa Bertrand

23.Jan.2015

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PNC Bank and one of its employees have been accused of negligence in a complaint lodged with the civil court in New Jersey on January 5 by lawyer Roberto Espinosa J Harkavy of Goldman, Goldman & Gerstein, which represents the Permanent Mission of Cameroon to the UN, and their agent, Nganje Kingue Ewumbue Monono. On September 19, 2010, collection agent Kingue Monono opened a bank account with PNC Bank in Manhattan for Cameroon’s Mission to the United Nations. In order to open the account, Monono was required to present his diplomatic passport as ID, and left with the assurances of PNC Bank that only he would be able to receive disbursements and account statements. “Yet on November 21, 2010, Monono realized that someone had obtained from the bank confidential information and documents on the account for the Permanent Mission of Cameroon to the UN,” the complaint alleges, continuing that “Monono repeatedly asked for an explanation from PNC Bank for this leakage of information, but met with a stone wall”

Patrice Nouma, stepped out of the shadows in a YouTube video posted on May 23, 2014. The video showed off a number of bank records as evidence for Nouma’s charge of misappropriation of funds and money laundering by the Cameroon Mission’s finance controller. The adverse effects of this video on their reputations are what motivated the Mission and Monono to seek redress from PNC Bank for its lack of professionalism. In a letter dated September 5, 2014, addressed to Ambassador Michel Monthé Tomo (seen here on this photo) PNC Bank’s management finally acknowledged that one of its employees had inadvertently provided information on the account opened by Monono to an individual who was not a signatory to the account. The Mission and Kingue Monono has also filed a complaint against Patrice Nouma.

It is vital to include in this report that Cameroon Concord edited some of the statements made by the reporter of USAfricanews.org and has ordered an investigation into the Kingue Monono/Patrice Nouma Affair. We will be bringing to our readers a detail report on our AGBAW-EBAI DEBATE soonest.

Culled from USAfricanews.org

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Ngwa Bertrand

20.Jan.2015

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The Ghanaian Eastern Naval Command has said that it has arrested eight pirates from Nigeria who hijacked an oil vessel over the weekend on the Atlantic Ocean. The vessel flagged-MV Mariam was said to be carrying about 1,500 tonnes of crude oil and was heading towards Nigeria when it was stormed by the pirates.  The vessel is said to belong to a private oil company in Nigeria. The pirates then turned the vessel around and entered the territorial waters of Ghana but a tracking device which had been fixed on the vessel enabled the company operating it to track it down. The company alerted the Ghanaian Naval Command to be on the lookout which led to the arrest when the vessel entered Ghana’s waters about 26 nautical miles.

Ghanaian Navy officials said the pirates had demanded a huge ransom from the owners before the vessel will released. Items retrieved from the pirates include 4 AK47 riffles, 10 magazines, one pump action gun, UHF Radio, mobile phones, digital cameras and thousands of dollars and some Nigerian currency. Crew members on board the vessel are said to be safe and the vessel has been docked at the port city of Tema about 30 kilometers from the national Capital Accra. Piracy on the Atlantic Ocean especially the Western part of Africa known as the Gulf of Guinea has become a problem for International Maritime.

In East Africa, many ships can move past at high speed with armed guards on board to protect crew members but in West Africa, many vessels have to anchor off the West African coastal nations, with little protection, making them a soft target for criminals. The International Maritime Bureau watchdog committee warned last year that all vessels especially those who route through off the West African coast-the Gulf of Guinea to be vigilant since they are at risk of being attacked by pirates.

In 2012, the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Program reported that the number of vessels attacks by West African pirates in the Gulf of Guinea region had reached a world record high with 966 seafarers attacked during the year and by mid-November, 2013 100 new attempted hijacks have been reported, placing the area in second behind Southeast Asia.The Gulf of Guinea region include waters off Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Ghana and stretches as far as to Ivory Coast which is a significant source of cocoa, oil and metals for world markets and pirates use the area for their activities.

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Ngwa Bertrand

19.Jan.2015

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Heavy fighting is reportedly taking place since Sunday morning between the Cameroon army and the Nigerian Islamic sect Boko Haram Cameroon Concord has learnt. Sporadic exchanges of gunfire took place this morning between the Cameroon army and Boko Haram infiltrators in the village of Mabass and the fighting seems to be spreading across the Mayo-Tsanaga Division as hinted by our military informant.

Mabass is located about twenty kilometres from the district of Mokolo, Mayo-Tsanaga Division in the Far North region. As revealed by Cameroon Concord this morning, Chad has sent a contingent of 400 vehicles to support the Cameroonian army against the Nigerian Islamic sect.

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Ngwa Bertrand

18.Jan.2015

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The construction of stands has begun at the Bamenda Culture and Heritage Trade Fair Village; The Bamenda Municipal Stadium. Visiting the Fair Village this Thursday, it was interesting seeing how  construction workers were happily at work. They cut bamboos and plank in some interesting songs from the region. The material for the stands could be seen while the workers assured me that in the next five days the village construction will be well advanced.

According to Jude Waindim PRO for the Bamenda City Council and Lead communicator for the Bamenda Culture and Heritage Trade Fair, the workers are expected to construct a cultural village which will host a giant palace. This will house all traditional institutions from the seven divisions of the Northwest Region. Close to the Palace will be a cultural podium for all performances. Opposite the palace will be exhibitors of arts and craft. Culinary arts stands expected to showcase the staple foods of the Northwest will equally be close to the palace.

Talking to Munjo Serge collaborator for REHOBOTH GROUP at the scene he said he had just returned from a planning meeting at the Northwest Regional Delegation of Youth Affairs and Civic Education where youth participation at the Fair was extensively discussed. In addition to the already contacted cultural groups, Serge indicated that over 1000 pupils and students from schools across Bamenda will be part of the opening carnival that will culminate with the official opening ceremony.

The Bamenda Cutural Tradefair will take place in Bamenda from 7-21 Febraury 2015.For more information visit the Bamenda Cultural Tradefair website or their Facebook page

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Ngwa Bertrand

17.Jan.2015

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