Connecting diaspora to their roots

A group of investors led by renowned Limbe-based investor Eric Igwacho and a team of investors drawn from within and out of Cameroon, have unveiled a pan Africanist microfinance institution that aims to provide the population with a cooperative that serves the needs of its members by providing a secure and reliable platform for their financial growth and development.

The new credit union, Africa Diaspora Cooperative Credit Union League, ADCCUL will provide an opportunity for members to save and have loans. Other key services include managing the businesses of their members, payrolls, and financing developmental projects, paying tuition, njangis, dispensing family support money, and many other services both at home and abroad. ADCCUL was unveiled in the seaside resort of Limbe on Thursday 5 June 2025 Addressing stakeholders during the inauguration ceremony, the President of the Board of Directors of ADCCUL, Eric Igwacho, said the credit union was unique in its ability to breach the gap between microfinance institutions in Cameroon and their clients out of the country.

“We are acutely aware of the unique challenges and difficulties that our diaspora brothers and sisters often face when considering managing their financial investments back home”. He noted that Africans in the diaspora face challenges like geographical distance, lack of transparent and accessible channels resulting in missed investment opportunities in Africa by Africans in the diaspora. He said ADCCUL would address such challenges. “…your desires for a reliable, secure, efficient, transparent, and accountable one that truly reflects the modern financial landscape” Guided by the motto of "efficiency, integrity, accountability" he said the institution led by its board of directors have a vision that embraces cutting-edge technology as a cornerstone of its operations.

Igwacho revealed that the microfinance institution would be deploying a brand new, groundbreaking digital banking software provided by CamCCUL, for their banking services, allowing customers to join and use the platform from the comfort of their homes from any part of the world. “…ADCCUL will bridge the financial gap in society while empowering its home and diaspora members”. CamCCUL GM salutes vision of ADCCUL founding members, board of directors The General Manager of CamCCUL, Dr Tienchou Jonas, said he was proud that ADCCUL was born not just out of strategy, but also out of a necessity to adapt, to evolve, and to lead, as the financial landscape grows more complex and interwoven with technology, sustainability, and social responsibility. He added that the new credit union in their line of affiliates would serve as a catalyst for solutions that are agile, intelligent, and deeply impactful. He said CamCCUL would provide leadership and guidance to ensure economic stability, social welfare as ADCCUL champions innovation to empower businesses, entrepreneurs, and ecosystems with the tools and support needed by businesses to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Dr Tienchou encouraged the board and management of the new credit union to lead with purpose, listen with humility, and act with courage to ensure customers serve and borrow to grow their businesses. In this light, he called entrepreneurs, innovators, small businesses and change makers to entrust their resources with ADCCUL, given its credibility. Fako Chief throws full-throated endorsement of the new investment The inauguration of the microfinance institution at Nambeke Street in Limbe was a rare opportunity for Fako Chiefs led by the President of the Fako Chief’s Conference, the Paramount Chiefs of Buea and Limbe and other chiefs in the Division to show their full-throated support to such a massive investment. The chiefs turned out in their droves to welcome such an initiative that will provide employment opportunities for son and daughters of the Division. ADCCUL was born in August 2023, at a meeting held in Gilgal Tower, during the maiden visit of Dr Umar Johnson Ifatunde, a renowned Pan Africanist based in the USA to Cameroon. The pan Africanist expressed the need for African countries to develop assimilation programs to assist their children in the diaspora to return home. The minimum amount required to open an ADCCUL account is 100,000 francs.