Bamenda symbolic name includes virturally all the villages which formerly made the Bamenda Central Subdivision and all the villages of Bamenda I, II and III Council areas. As the regional headquarter, Bamenda offers the population and the entire region, administrative, commercial and social services. These functions are unpresidented since its creation which dates back to the construction of the “Ford” by the Germans in the 1900. Bamenda was created to control the territory and to introduce a modern administration into an environment which was strongly structured along the lines of customary law.
The dialectic position (the Ngemba dialect in particular) gave rise to the special status of the municipality of Bamenda. It is unique and intended to achieve a compromise between the authority of the chieftains in whose territory the town was built and the dictates of the municipal administration (Bamenda II Council) made up of Mankon, Mbatu, Chomba and Nsongwa villages following Decree 74.23 of December 5th 1974, which organizes the municipalities but were not applied until 1977.
During the period of British colonization (1919-1961), Bamenda Division meant the entire North West Region and was administered as such with a District Officer (today called the governor) with its seat at the German Ford. The choice of Bamenda as provincial now (regional) capital resulted in the arrival of civil servants, and increases in construction and trade because of the need to house,
feed and equip these “outsiders”, who at the time were not integrated into traditional structures.
HISTORICAL URBANIZATION PROCESS: (URBAN DEVELOPMENT DURING THE COLONIAL ERA)
A) Genesis of the Bamenda Central Town:
The growth of Bamenda II stems from the influence of the Germans, who, by opening a road network attracted migrants to Bamenda from Mbengwi, Wum, Fundong, Kumbo, Ndop and other part of north west and south west regions and beyond. The most import migrant group that stimulated growth and development were the Hausas from Northern Nigeria. The Hausas came into Bamenda with their traditional craftsmanship and commercial activities.
This function attracted traders into the town and some of them began to acquire land for building development and the town started growing without any formal plan. After the First World War the English took over the region. This event made it easy for more Hausas to move into Ntambag (Old Town) for commerce. Their numbers were significant and they occupied Abakwa on the Ntambag plateau, establishing the first major market and the first layout plan of Abakwa was made. The development in the Hausa business community attracted the population of the region and other regions especially the Bamoums and the Bamileke from French-speaking Cameroon.
The arrival of Roman Catholic missionaries in 1939 (construction of Catholic Church in Big Mankon) and Baptist missionaries in 1946 constituted the core of new urban development, as their acquisition of land and development further expanded the built environment. Towards the end of 1940 witnessed the influx of Ibos into the town with varied business activities and goods. Increase in commerce made Abakwa market at (Old Town) inadequate to cope with land demands. The English authorities therefore designed Bamenda Main market and the adjacent layout (Fon Street Layout) establishing the new commercial centre which today is Bamenda Central Business District (CBD).
This period marked essentially the spatial organization of the town, by sector/zones where commercial and residential activities were allocated. During this period, building permits was the sole document to regulate how buildings were to be constructed. Remember 1948 land use act of Federal Republic of Nigeria was applicable. A number of buildings and services were constructed during this period such as:
- The Regional Hospital which was formerly at the Magistrates Court Up- station,
- The Bamenda main market and commercial area formerly at Ntambag (Old Town),
- The Bamenda Post Office formally at the present - CAMTEL site, Catholic Church Big Mankon, present day Cathedral,
- The Cultural Centre (Bamenda City Council Library), - Barclays Bank (BICIEC at Commercial Avenue), - Etc.
Some of the buildings constructed at the time are still good except of their broken roofs
which were made of bricks.
B) Evolution of the Central Town:
The Bamenda Central Market and Commercial Centre were initially at the Ntambag Plateau (Old Town). The influx of Nationals and non- nationals (Hausa/Fulani and the Ibo traders) into the town, brought about relocation decision to the present central market and commercial avenue. Hence the reason why the central business district distinguishes itself from its initial location, given rise to high rise buildings use for commercial administrative and residential. Building constructions are with heights varing from (G+1 to G+5). The contrast is very imminent in the peripheral areas of the CBD where high density per hectare, is common and buildings are constructed using permanent, non-permanent or semi-permanent materials.
Increased urbanisation and urban growth was a driving force which pushed the authorities to elaborate development plans-the Bamenda Master Plan in 1985, then followed by that of 2011 and then the Bamenda II Council Land Use Plan (POS) of 2014. A number of sectoral plans were developed at different scales during the studies. Bamenda is witnessing the development of trade, transport and storage facilities. In carefully analyzing the initial concepts of previous urban planning documents before 1985, they were not plans developed except layouts for the benefit of local businessman, but also as transit points and branches of the large firms.
Growth and development of socio-economic activities which to an extent were dominated by forces in and outside the region had made the centre of Bamenda, somewhat chaotic. This resulted to the creation of distinct functional poles of activities on the edges of the town like (Muwastu, Ntarinkon, Nitob and Ntatru). The branches of these national trading houses, warehouses and maintenance facilities are potential clients for the creation of light and heavy industries in these areas as cited in the Bamenda II land use Plan (POS) of 2014.
The relocation of businesses which are still at the “marketplace” stage in Bamenda is unavoidable. It is now up to the local businessmen to exploit the position they still have as indispensable middlemen and take the initiative. If this is not archieved as indicated in thePOS, Bamenda will remain only branches of commercial centers hence decline as a business centre.