Prof Victor Mbarika: President of Board of Trustees of ICT-University
By Richard Nde Lajong
Prof. Victor Mbarika, President of the Board of Trustees of ICT-University is no doubt a de facto roving ambassador to the African diaspora. This revered Professor of ICT has like he has always done, praised the role of the Government of Cameroon in encouraging and supporting diaspora investment in the country, noting that many development projects across Cameroon today are being driven by Cameroonians living abroad.
According to Prof. Victor Mbarika, despite some of the speedbumps faced by Diaspora Cameroonians to bring development in their country, they have never been abandoned by the state. “My personal experience shows that the government can and does intervene at the highest levels to facilitate legitimate investment initiatives.” He says there is visible growth in sectors such as real estate, agriculture, education, and hospitality, which are signs that diaspora confidence in Cameroon remains strong and they can go beyond that.
Some observers have increasingly noted that Prof. Mbarika’s active engagement with Cameroonian communities abroad, as well as his frequent travel between Africa, Europe, and the United States to promote academic, agricultural, and economic collaborations truly makes him a de facto ambassador to the African diaspora.
Some of his admirers have even taken on social media to ask whether Prof. Mbarika is informally serving as a de facto roving ambassador to the African diaspora, encouraging investment, defending the country’s image, and promoting stronger ties between Cameroon and its citizens abroad?
Whether official or unofficial, one thing is clear: voices within the diaspora who choose to build rather than complain are playing a major role in shaping the future of Cameroon.
Prof. Mbarika response
Prof Victor Mbarika championing Cameroon diaspora development
Prof Mbarika who has travelled widely than any Cameroonian of his generation says he is more focus on his dreams and not what people think. He has remained optimistic of the Cameroon’s government extreme support of diaspora investment in our country. “I have traveled across the developing world more than 99% of Cameroonians, and you only begin to truly appreciate what we have at home when you experience other parts of the world the way I have.”
Addressing whether there are challenges or not, Prof Mbarika says no serious nation is without challenges. “Many of you are aware of some recent difficulties I personally faced while in the country. However, I can state without hesitation that the Cameroon government went above and beyond to resolve the situation. This is not hearsay, and it is not innuendo — this is my direct personal experience, with intervention at the highest levels of government.” He says, noting that “moments like that make me proud once again to be a Cameroonian and to carry the flag of our nation all over the world.”
He observes that despite the challenges, the government has remained very supportive of diaspora investment, and many people are taking advantage of these opportunities in a positive and productive way instead of complaining day and night.
“Take a serious look at what is happening across the country today — apartments going up, hotels being built, schools opening, agricultural projects expanding, filling stations multiplying. The diaspora is investing big time. These are men and women working hard abroad, succeeding in Cameroon and in other African countries, and bringing their success back home to build the nation.”
According to Prof Mbarika, spending time on social media insulting the country or the government does not make one to succeed in life.
“While they talk, others are building. I am making it big time, and many others are too, while some will keep running their mouths and suffering in their little corners abroad.”
The distinguished Professor of ICT advises some of the diaspora Cameroonians who spend their negative energy encouraging their younger brothers and sisters back home to do nothing — just sit on social media insulting people — while in reality they are struggling, sometimes with no food, no opportunity, and no direction to rather use that energy to develop their country positively.
“Look at a small town like Buea. A huge part of the development you see today is because of the diaspora — the Bush Fallers, as my people in Buea like to say. Houses everywhere, businesses everywhere, private projects everywhere. Buea is booming.”
Cameroonians should believe in Cameroon
The President of the Board of Trustees of ICT-University thinks that Cameroon will be an eldorado if the Cameroonian diaspora thinks in one direction. “Imagine what this country would look like if all of us decided to invest even more instead of discouraging one another.”
To him, building Cameroon is a collective effort and nobody will come from outside to develop the country. “But one thing is certain: we must build this country ourselves. The white man will not do it for us,” he says while declaring his unflinching support for the government as she spares no efforts in assisting the Cameroonian diaspora in their projects to develop the nation.
