The Conference on the River Nyong (CFLEN) organized by the NGO Volontariat Pour l’Environnement (VPE), with the local technical partnership of the Cameroon Network for the Conservation of Mangrove and Wetland Ecosystems (RCM) and the international technical partnership of the World Wetlands Network (WWN), was held in the town of Mbalmayo, capital of the Nyong-et-So’o department in the Centre region, from July 23 to 26, 2024.
The Nyong river is considered to be Cameroon’s second largest river after the Sanaga, at 690 km in length. It rises 40 km east of the town of Abong-Mbang and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in the commune of Lokoundje. It is navigable for 250 km and crosses four regions (Centre, East, Littoral and South), eight departments (Nyong-et-So’o, Nyong-et-Mfoumou, Mefou-et-Akono, Mefou-et-Afamba, Nyong-et-Kelle, Sanaga-Maritime and Océan) and waters 28 communes.
Considered the stronghold par excellence of the “kanga” fish, the River Nyong basin is not only a heritage to be cleaned up, restored and preserved as a matter of urgency, but also a veritable development hub around which revolve a panoply of priority projects just waiting to be developed for the benefit of riverside populations.
Hence the importance of the conference. According to the NGO VPE, “It will enable us to assess the extent to which the ecosystems of this geographical area are disappearing and the related consequences, while at the same time providing an opportunity to bring to the laboratory all the solutions and subsequent financing avenues for the well-being of present and future generations.