Anvil has supported the community at Ndom to repossess the site (528 hectares) and is currently working to establish a community regulated organisation for the development of the plantation.
The plantation lies on a plateau about 6km east of the N5 road to the commercial centre of Cameroon, the city of Douala on the Atlantic coast. The N5 links Douala with Nkongsamba, with Bamenda in the grasslands and goes on northwards towards Cameroon’s boarder with Chad.
The German colonists built a road into the rain forest and up the face of an escarpment close to the north side of Mount Kupe to reach the site of the plantation. The road was built over 100 years ago. It was an amazing commitment, rising in a short distance to a height over 600m above a railway also being constructed on the Nkongsamba plain below. A large plantation house with castellated roof tower, now in a state of dereliction, was built alongside the road.
At this altitude, the climate is cooler than on the plain below. The soil on the plateau is fertile and there is an abundance of water all the year round. Many varieties of crop have been planted at Essossong and thrive in the deep soil: tobacco, coffee, cocoa, tea and palm oil. Cattle have also be reared in the plantation.
But there have been two problems which, over the years, have undermined Essossong.
Firstly, it has been a victim of conflicts, World War 1, World War 2 and the Cameroon struggle for independence. The first two forced a change of ownership after which the management of the plantation fell to people with less commitment than the German pioneers. The third, found Essossong less than 2 km from the border between protectorate territories of British and French Cameroons. Essosong has history.
Secondly, Essossong is halfway up a mountainside and the road access, though not difficult in terms of modern construction methods, has continued to be a challenge for the 100 year-old track that has not seen maintenance for thirty years or more. The problem is the rains are heavy for three months of the year. A road will be needed that will stay passable though the year.
But this could bring problems. This part of KMD is adjacent to the Mount Kupe Reserve. Open access could lead to free exploitation of a unique habitat. So part of the Essossong scheme is to manage road-access into this part of the KMD and to embrace tourism as an integral part of the plantation activities.
