SOWEDA, PTS Kumba forge historic partnership to empower rural communities.

It was signed on Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at SOWEDA's head office in Buea. The MoU will reshape how agricultural expertise and community engagement are delivered to some of the South West Region's most underserved populations.

The MoU establishes a collaborative framework that harnesses SOWEDA's mandate as the government's technical arm for integrated rural development and PTS Kumba's extensive community footprint, alumni network, and training capacity in different communities across the Region.

Together, the two institutions aim to improve agricultural productivity, enhance practical skills among seminary students, and drive sustainable livelihoods across the South West Region and beyond.

SOWEDA's General Manager, Dr Besong Ntui Ogork, explained the strategic logic driving the institution's decision to partner with a faith-based organisation. 

He highlighted the persistent challenge of rural exodus particularly in the North West and South West Regions and the consequences it has on the management of infrastructure already put in place by government.

“…while other people are moving out, pastors are moving in. In a village where a health centre is built, water provided or road constructed, the pastor in that community as a member of the management committee will enhance sustainability,” Dr Besong Ntui Ogork said. 

Dr Ogork further highlighted the agricultural dimension of the alliance, with PTS. Committed to training pastors in farming techniques, SOWEDA sees future graduates as de facto extension agents embedded in the very communities where they serve. 

This addresses a long-standing gap in agricultural outreach: reaching dispersed, remote communities with consistent technical guidance.

For PTS Kumba, the partnership represents a deepening of its foundational mission. Rev Dr Felix Kang, Dean of PTS Kumba, described the MoU as an opportunity to add a vital practical dimension to theological education; one that equips pastors not just for the pulpit, but also for the complex realities of community life. 

“SWOEDA is the best partner to give us the practical skills to strengthen what we will be doing on the field,” Rev Dr Felix Kang explained.

He stressed that the seminary's goal has always been to train pastors for both "the pulpit and the public. 

“With SOWEDA's technical expertise now incorporated into the curriculum and outreach programmes, students will graduate with competencies in poultry farming, fish farming, crop production, agro-processing, and value chain development; practical tools for transforming rural livelihoods wherever they are deployed,” he noted.

Both parties stressed that the agreement was explicitly a framework document that defines roles, responsibilities, and areas of collaboration, rather than committing immediate financial resources. Specific activities will be guided by mutually agreed action plans developed as the partnership matures.

SOWEDA will provide technical leadership, agronomic expertise, and developmental guidance, while PTS will serve as the implementation, training, and community-outreach platform for agricultural and rural projects. The arrangement is designed to be responsive to the evolving needs of communities across the Region.

The MoU anticipates a range of concrete outcomes flowing from sustained collaboration, chiefly enhanced agricultural productivity and improved livelihoods for rural households, greater practical competence among PTS students, stronger community participation in development projects, and expanded outreach to hard-to-reach communities.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3814 of Thursday June 11, 2026