Cameroon: death of Jean-Bernard Ndongo Essomba, the "king of cocoa"

In the 1970s, Jean-Bernard Ndongo Essomba roamed the countryside and paid ruby on the nail for the beans he fetched himself (illustration image) AFP/Archivos

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Jean-Bernard Ndongo Essomba died on Friday, March 17 at the hospital in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Elderly and ill, the MP from the central region was at the head of the CPDM parliamentary group since 1992. But politics is not enough to sum it up. Jean-Bernard Ndongo Essomba was first and foremost a great cocoa trader. So much so that at the time of his splendour, he was nicknamed the "king of cocoa". Portrait.

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Cocoa farmers in the central region nicknamed him "Ndongo cacao". In the 1970s, the young trader roamed the countryside and paid ruby on the nail for the beans he fetched himself, getting up at three o'clock in the morning to start his day, says a manager of the sector who knew him well.

This workaholic, scrupulous about quality, quickly earned a reputation for solidity and seriousness. His business is growing. In recent years, he traded up to thirty thousand tons of cocoa per year.

Even today, Jean-Bernard Ndongo Essomba is a reference, notes a professional in the sector. The largest and most prestigious of all independent traders, that is, not affiliated with a foreign multinational.

About ten years ago, he began handing over to his son, while visiting his Yaoundé offices every morning. The "cocoa king" had also become a political baron. A member of the CPDM since its foundation, he was elected MP for the first time in 1992 and became leader of the parliamentary group. For a year, his company had been on standby, while his son took over the paternal torch under another name.

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