Origins of the Canton
Bonkeng-Penja Canton spans two districts, Njombé-Penja and Loum, bordered to the south by Balong Canton (Mbanga), to the north by Manehas Canton, to the east by the village of Bakossi and to the west by the Nkam department. It is home to three sociological communities — the Bonkeng, the Bafun and the Abo — spread across a mosaic of villages, who have lived in perfect symbiosis since time immemorial, reinforced by extensive intercommunity marriage: many in this canton have Bonkeng blood through their father, Bafun through their mother, and Abo through their grandmother.
A land of rivers — including the Kombé, home to large crocodiles — mountains (Mount Koupé) and hills (Djoungo) that produce pozzolana for Cameroon's cement industry, the canton especially benefits from exceptionally fertile land thanks to volcanic lava from Mount Cameroon. Coffee, cocoa, pineapple, bananas and various citrus fruits are grown here, and major agro-industrial operations (PHP, SBM) add value to local production — including the now-famous Penja Pepper, internationally certified. A popular ditty sung until the 1970s summed it up: "Macabo mé ndé Bonkeng Ahololo" — the biggest macabo tubers are grown among the Bonkeng.
🌶️ PGI Penja Pepper
The Superior Chief
The Ngondo in Pictures
