When Dr. Mal Fobi crossed the Atlantic from the United States to Douala, he came to receive recognition. But on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at the annual Cameroon English Language Newspaper Publishers Association Awards at the GeCAM André Siaka Hall in Bonanjo, the Cameroonian-born U.S.-based surgeon to the stars used his moment in the spotlight to deliver a message reaching far beyond applause: Cameroon must create conditions that encourage its sons and daughters abroad to return with their knowledge, experience and resources.
In Muteff, when a son of the soil returned from beyond the hills, nobody was impressed merely because he had travelled far. The village wanted to know what he had learnt, what he had achieved and, above all, what he had brought home. What is the use of crossing the hills if everything gathered beyond them must remain there?
That old village wisdom came alive last Saturday when the crowd that gathered at the auditorium of the GeCAM hall in Douala discovered Dr. Fobi did not come home merely for an award but with a strong message about one of Cameroon’s most important untapped resources: its diaspora.
He was recognized for what the organizers described as his “transformative leadership, youth motivation and dedicated civic engagement aimed at building stronger, fairer and more self-reliant communities in the North West and South West Regions,” as well as his efforts to encourage Cameroonians abroad to consider investing back home despite the difficult environment.
Yet the most interesting part of the evening was the exchange between Dr. Fobi and Sir Dr. Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle.
Earlier, Halle had praised Fobi as one Cameroonian whom everyone should look up to for his integrity, hard work, service to the nation and, above all, his uprightness.
Halle specifically highlighted what he described as Fobi’s refusal to become involved in influencing election results in Cameroon even as he had the wherewithal of doing so. He also praised him for staying clear of corruption and mismanagement.
Dr Mal Fobi, in turn, praised Halle’s exemplary integrity. Both praises touched a fundamental question about diaspora investment: trust.
The diaspora may have the money, expertise and desire to invest, but there is one question that can stop a project before it leaves the drawing board:
Who can I trust with my money when I am thousands of kilometres away?
That is where integrity stops being merely a virtue and becomes an economic asset.
Cameroon has countless honest, hardworking and dependable citizens. But experiences involving alleged fraud, diverted funds, inflated project costs, poor workmanship, broken promises or mismanagement can create a wider crisis of confidence among potential investors abroad.
A Cameroonian in the diaspora may want to build a house, establish a company, develop farmland or support a community project. But if previous experiences have weakened confidence in those entrusted with such projects, the next investment may simply go somewhere else.
This is why the integrity praised by Halle and Fobi matters beyond their individual reputations. Peace can make Cameroon investable. Security can make Cameroon accessible. But integrity and accountability can make Cameroon trustworthy.
Dr. Fobi connected these issues when he called for an immediate end to the conflict and continuing insecurity in the North West and South West Regions.
According to him, more Cameroonians who have established themselves in the diaspora are eager to return with their knowledge, skills, experience and financial resources. But insecurity, he said, is pushing some towards other peaceful African countries.
He cited Ghana, Kenya, Namibia and, above all, Rwanda, and said he personally knew Cameroonians who had bought plots and settled in some of those countries.
According to Fobi, some of these decisions were driven more by frustration than by an original plan never to invest in Cameroon.
When diaspora capital moves elsewhere, Cameroon loses more than money. It can also lose jobs, expertise, innovation, mentorship and international networks that could contribute to development at home.
But why did Dr. Fobi personally make the journey when his nephew, Hon. Nchinda Fobi, had already been designated to receive the award for him? The answer was not hard to find.
Dr. Fobi had just been inducted into the Inaugural American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Hall of Fame. He asked himself: “Why accept recognition abroad and turn down one at home?” So he came home.
The timing was remarkable. If Dr Fobi was not someone who had the heart of gold for Cameroon, he could have taken the pretext of the elaborate birthday his children were preparing for him not to travel out of the United States. He turned 80 last Sunday, September 20, 2026. In an interesting twist, and to fill the vacuum, Sir Dr Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle opted for an impromptu birthday song in honor of Dr Mal Fobi.
This further electrified the gathering and made the day memorable especially as Dr Fobi was accompanied by
Professor Theresa Nkuo-Akenji, Vice Chancellor of The University of Bamenda; Princess Adah Mbah; Hon. Nchinda Fobi, alongside friends and family.
As Muteff might put it: the issue is not whether its sons and daughters who crossed the hills may still want to come home. It is whether home is ready to receive what they have brought back and whether they can trust someone to keep the suitcase safe.
That is why the venue of the event mattered: Andre Siaka GeCAM Hall, the meeting place of who’s who in the business world in Cameroon. It is where Cameroon entrepreneurs meet regularly to make proposals to the government on how the business environment can be made friendlier. Peace, security, integrity and trust are usually key items on the agenda.
At 80, Dr. Fobi did more than receive an award there. He made the journey home not only to collect an award – he has received more than 100 prestigious awards – but to remind Cameroon that bringing the diaspora home requires more than patriotism.
Colbert Gwain | The Muteff Factor
