Nestor Ngoin Nzié: Sharing farmers’ voices in Cameroon on Radio Nkuli Makeli

| February 20, 2017

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Nestor Ngoin Nzié has worked in radio for many years. He started in secondary school by participating in a cultural program aired by the national broadcaster.

He discovered rural radio in 1996 when he became the station chief of the first rural radio station in Cameroon, located in Lolodorf.

e says he learned that the most important thing for a broadcaster to know is their power to share important information with listeners—and see their satisfaction.

He Mr. Nzié is currently the station chief at Radio Nkuli Makeli: “The drum that shares your voices.” The station is located in the city of Kribi in the South Region. Its signal travels 70 kilometres, reaching Kribi1, Kribi2, Bipindi, Campo, Niete, and Lokoundjé. It airs programming in no less than six languages.

Radio Nkuli Makeli has two farmer programs: Agrithermo, which provides information on new farming practices and technologies, and Emergence Agricole, which focuses on the profitability of agropastoral activities to support farmers to increase their incomes.

Agrithermo often features advice from both experts and expert farmers. It focuses mainly on methods for producing local products, including cassava, cocoyam, potatoes, banana, and okra, as well as chicken, pigs, fish, snails, and others. Emergence Agricole focuses on improving production, often making use of materials found on the Access Agriculture website, which are produced in French and in local languages.

Mr. Nzié says Radio Nkuli Makeli serves the rural population, emphasizing communication for community development. It is also the second station in Cameroon to promote indigenous peoples.

To ensure that its programming is participatory, Radio Nkuli Makeli features call-in segments and invites listeners to appear as live on-air guests. The station has listening groups in 25 communities that provide feedback on its programs. One group member collects feedback from each group. The station also receives feedback from listening groups through phone calls and field visits.

Mr. Nzié says this feedback is used to improve the station’s programming.