Dr. Nick Ngwanyam, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of St Louis Clinic and University Institute, has outlined an expansive national development proposal aimed at resolving chronic water shortages and environmental degradation in Northern Cameroon.
Through his reform-oriented platform, the 3rd Option, the trained surgeon and senior statesman calls on Cameroonians in the diaspora to partner with local communities to deliver one million water boreholes across the Adamawa, North, and Far North Regions.
The prominent social media voice, in his regular solution-oriented social media posts, presented the initiative as both a humanitarian intervention and a long-term economic and ecological strategy. He described it as a “love gift” from Cameroonians abroad to populations that have endured decades of neglect and climate stress.
A Daily Reality of Water Insecurity
According to him, in much of Northern Cameroon, access to safe drinking water remains a daily struggle. He lamented that many residents travel long distances to collect water from open streams, which are often shared with livestock. These sources, he insisted, are frequently contaminated, exposing communities to water-borne diseases and preventable health risks.
He noted that the water crisis has also undermined agriculture and livelihoods, explaining that a steadily declining water table has left soils dry and compacted, reducing crop yields and limiting the irrigation potential. As tree cover disappears due to fuel needs, Dr. Nick said that environmental degradation accelerates. During the dry season, livestock face severe shortages of pasture, forcing nomadic families into transhumance, accompanied by social and economic challenges.
Identifying the Causes
Dr. Nick Ngwanyam attributes the crisis to a combination of natural and human-driven factors. Northern Cameroon’s geographic position closer to the Sahara makes it inherently drier and more vulnerable to desertification. This natural constraint has been intensified by bushfires, reduced tree cover, overgrazing in some areas, and poor water-retention practices.
He also pointed to excessive surface runoff as a critical but often overlooked issue. After rainfall, hardened soils allow water to flow away rapidly instead of infiltrating the ground, preventing the natural recharge of underground aquifers.
Restoring Water, Restoring Life
According to the business mogul, the 3rd Option’s proposal goes beyond drilling boreholes. It adopts an integrated land and water management approach designed to gradually green the landscape and raise the water table. Working with local communities, he further explained that the initiative would promote the reduction of bush burning and uncontrolled fires. Practical techniques such as digging shallow pits, creating ridges and furrows along contour lines, and using animal traction and small machinery would help trap rainwater and allow it to seep into the soil.
The plan, he said also includes constructing small dams along streams, digging artificial ponds to store water, and planting fodder crops such as elephant grass, brachiaria, and Guatemala grass on water-retaining ridges. In rocky and rugged areas, Indian bamboo species would be introduced to provide sustainable sources of building materials and fuel.
The Diaspora as a Development Partner
Central to the vision is the active participation of the Cameroonian diaspora. Dr. Ngwanyam argues that many citizens who left the country in search of education and opportunity should now be welcomed back as partners in national development rather than excluded from it.
Under the 3rd Option, diaspora contributors would be eligible for dual nationality or permanent residence permits. Each participant would sponsor the construction of a borehole in a community in Northern Cameroon. These boreholes powered by solar energy or manual pumps are estimated to cost approximately 2.5 million CFA francs each.
Donors’ names would be engraved on metal plaques installed at the borehole sites, symbolizing a lasting connection with beneficiary communities and encouraging long-term collaboration through community-based “Ubuntu units.”
Youth Employment and Local Industry
The project is also designed to stimulate employment and skills development. Ten youth-led companies would be established three in Adamawa, three in the North, and four in the Far North specializing in borehole drilling and installation. With proper training and equipment, each team could drill two to three boreholes per day in suitable terrain.
The state would supply drilling machines, while teams would be organized to handle drilling, plumbing, and tank installation. Local councils would conduct needs assessments to guide equitable distribution, and a government-supported pipe extrusion factory in Northern Cameroon would produce plastic pipes and connectors locally.
A National Vision Rooted in Solidarity
If one million donors each sponsor a borehole, the initiative could mobilize 2.5 billion CFA francs, with a significant share of the funds remaining in the northern regions through wages, training, and local procurement.
For Dr. Nick Ngwanyam, the project is ultimately about dignity and unity. “When we provide water, we provide health, food security, and stability,” he said. “This is how we rebuild the land and bring the nation together.”
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