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| Rogers' represntative (in suit) receiving Man of the Year |
There
is a common saying that those who do extraordinary things in a common manner
are pragmatic. This is so because the most accomplished people have always been
their own best ally in achieving their high standings because they do common
things that command respect and admiration. Last week end Rogers Nforgwei
(Representative of Cambridge University Press in Sub Saharan Africa) was voted
Man of the Year 2017 by the Cameroon National Youth Council, Donga
Mantung-CNYC. This is not surprising as he has also been named among the 100
Most Inspiring Personalities in Cameroon in 2017 by Yes Magazine.The award
ceremony which took place at weekend at the Nkambe Community also recorded the
launching of a Youth Excellence Center in Nkambe that will serve many. What makes Rogers different from others is
that he loves giving back to the communities.
If
we go by the popular saying that a spirit of cheerful-giving builds trust, then
Rogers embodies the values that need public admiration. The Man of the Year
Award has strong connections to these ideals, which is significantly just a
spur to encourage him in the promotion of youth activities and philanthropies’.
It should be recalled that in 2016, Ndamnsah Blaise Nkfukuh (based in Italy)
won CNYC Man of the Year while in 2015 the winner was Fai Cassian Ndi (CEO of
Donga Mantung Eye Media Group which publishes The Eye Newspaper)
Synopsis of Man of the Year, Rogers Nforgwei
Rogers
Nforgwei hails from Mbabi in the Wat village. At 45 years old, he is employed
with one of the oldest and most prestigious multinational publishing companies
called Cambridge University Press in England since 1999 (18 years). His career
with that company has been prosperous during that time within the same company
and today he is Director for the Mid Africa Region (West, Centra& East
Africa) since the last 4 years. Interesting to note that he is the only Black
man from Africa holding the level of responsibility, all the way from Mbabi,
Wat!
In
this capacity, he directs Cambridge business in more than 30 countries taking
responsibility for market development, overall strategy, supply chain,
operations and contracting of partnerships.
His
God-fearing nature, his humility, his bilingualism, his flexibility and his ability
to contextualize ideologies have been the strength behind his capacity to
navigate through the varied cultures of both English Speaking and French
Speaking African countries as well as his multitasking in many other roles:
His Trappings
He
is CEO and Chairman of one of the leading local publishing companies in
Cameroon, which he founded about 10 years ago and which is fast growing into a
continental company.
He
is the founding President of DRIMP Foundation, which in seven years has
provided mentorship to Cameroonian youths nationwide through the various youth
leadership and social programmes organized by the foundation. DRIMP Foundation,
being a faith based organization, has also organized pastors’ conferences in
Cameroon as well as they have taken on the challenge of promoting of and
advocating for the growth and recognition of gospel music.
He
is National President of National Association of Publishers in Cameroon. He has
been aggressive in the advocacy for publishing and quality education as one of the
ways to building a strong nation.
He
is the Director of Finance and Administration of COHEB, an International
humanitarian NGO operating in Central Africa Republic, Chad and Cameroon.
His
torrential presence in the community life of Donga Mantung Division has been
unbelievable. It truly attests to the fact that this man is a man with the
heart for humanity, as seen in the following projects
1. Organization of a championship tournament for boys and a
heavily attended Youth forum worth 3million, 2016
2. Donation of text books to Primaries schools and secondary
schools in the Sub Division worth close to 10.2million, 2016
3. The establishment of the Home Branch WADECA (Wat Development
and Cultural Association) which is transforming the Wat village and focusing
the Wat people on unity and sustainable development
4. Sponsorship of a paint artist from Nkambe to Yaounde for the
National Art and Culture Exhibition by the Ministry of Arts and culture,
5. Lobbied for more participants and guided the proper
selection of the three Youth Parliamentarians for the Donga Mantung during the
first ever youth parliamentarian in Cameroon in 2016
6. And he is main sponsor of the Women football Championship
2017 in Donga Mantung, 2017
7. Donated 900 books to promote back to school to Primary
schools in Nkambe, 2017
No
doubt the President of Republic of Cameroon knighted him in November 2016 with
the prestigious “Chevlier de l’Ordre de
la Valeur”
When
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said: “Lives of great men all remind us, we can make
our lives sublime, and, departing, leave behind us, footprints on the sands of
time” he was talking about the likes of Rogers Nforgwei, who has engaged in
promoting youth talents. In fact, his contributions to building others can only
be captured by Thomas Carlyle who emphasized that ‘Man is only truly great when
he acts from his passions’. The name Rogers Nforgwei is gradually becoming a
household name in Donga Mantung Division not only among the hard-to-reach and
underserved segments of the population but also within political circles.
Like Bill Copeland he believes that ‘the
trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and
down the field and never score’ surely Rogers’ direction is to score a political
goal.
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
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