YAAH PATIENCE TAMFU

President CPDM USA

Yaah Patience Tamfu

Recognized. Trusted. Assertive

These are the characteristics most associated with Yaah Patience Tamfu. Serving her second term as President of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) in the US Section, Yaah Patience is a proven leader who has broken the highest and hardest Glass Ceiling. She is intensely dedicated, and has invested many years in service to the community. She has lived in Maryland for 25 years with her children. She is the mother of four, a son and three girls including an adopted daughter. Her son is in Medical School, her first daughter is a PharmD (Doctor of Pharmacy), second daughter is pursuing her studies in Physical Therapy, and third daughter will be graduating college this year.

Yaah Patience Tamfu is a seasoned community leader and tactician, she works passionately with like-minded Cameroonians, Cameroonian Americans, and Cameroonians of African Descent in the diaspora and our Homeland to contribute towards community and Nation-Building. She continues to show great leadership by her willingness to work across party lines.

In her role, as President of CPDM USA Section, she assures the operational integrity in the Section. With her affiliations, prospects are high that she will surely increase the growth of the Section. She is poised to generate alliances with civic leaders, organizational heads, and officials to enhance operations in the Section, community relations and services.

In 2007, Yaah Patience served as the President for the Women’s wing of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (WCPDM) in the USA Section. She is a member of the WCPDM National

Bureau headed by Mme. Yaou Aissatou, the Director General of Cameron’s National Investment Corporation (NIS). She serves in various organizations – Vice President of Cameroon Women for Peace International, Member of Board of Trustees WICUDA-USA, President of Unity Sisters, and a Member of Devoted Ladies of Maryland.

Vision

For the CPDM USA Section to serve as facilitators of positive change and development in Cameroon.

Yaah Patience believes in a “Peaceful, Progressive and Prosperous Cameroon.” She participated in community outreach events, such as:

While WCPDM President she attended a high-level meeting in Beijing with Mme. Yaou Aissatou, Cameroon’s first Minister of Women’s Affairs to discuss gender equality and women’s role in developing children.
In 2016, she attended the Diaspora section president’s training meeting by the Central Committee in Paris, where she represented CPDM USA, and she presented what became known as the Paris report. The highlighted proposals in the report included; dual nationality, faster visa processing service options, shipping container clearance amelioration, tax reductions to encourage investments in Cameroon, creation of a Minister of the Diaspora position, and brain drainage preventive measures.
In 2019, she was invited by the Head of Government, Prime Minister of Cameroon, Joseph Dion Ngute for the Major National Dialogue between the Government of Cameroon and various opposition parties, aimed at resolving the Anglophone Crisis
In 2020, she participated in the Women of Peace Bamenda march initiated by the General Manager of CAMTEL, Judith Yah Sunday Achidi, and the former Second Lady of the Republic of Cameroon.

Fun Facts

Yaah Patience has been known to say:

“Democracy is not a spectator sport. I believe our community needs the assistance and support of those willing to serve across party lines, religious beliefs and tribal origins in order to succeed. The valuable contributions of all Cameroonians, Cameroonian Americans, Cameroonians of African Descent and friends of the international community will help our Section, our communities and our Homeland.”

“Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. He is not a good man who, without a protest, allows wrong to be committed in his name, and with the means which he helps to supply, because he will not trouble himself to use his mind on the subject.”

Biography

Yaah Patience Tamfu, a nurse, and a community organizer is one of the few female politicians who has shown that women in leadership could mean a lot to Cameroon. Ever since this daughter of the great statesman, late Hon. SN Tamfu became the sparkling flicker, the ever first woman to strengthen the CPDM party in the United State of America, she has become a symbol that women in leadership positions are worth celebrating. Hitherto considered a no go zone for women, Yaah Patience Tamfu has not only dismantled the male barriers constructed around politics but has more importantly served as a woman emancipator. And that she defeated three men in a highly contested election to win the position of Section President in the USA is a fact. And that she campaigned tirelessly for President Biya to win in Diasporas during the last Presidential elections is an undeniable fact. It is thanks to her that the CPDM is striving in the United States of America.

Since her election into the National Bureau of the WCPDM, (Central Committee), Yaah Patience Tamfu helped a great deal in transmitting President Biya’s policy in the Diasporas. Though she lives in the USA, she remains accessible to those in her Homeland community. She talks and acts with dogged friendliness reasons why she is loved and appreciated by all. Yet, it is these qualities that incalculably complement her multifarious roles in Uncle Sam’s America, Donga Mantung Division, North West and Cameroon as a whole. Her savoir-faire in politics and the way she interacts with others has earned several recognitions. It was not by an error that she was voted as “Woman of Year”

in 2012 by readers of The Eye newspaper and a few months ago she was honoured with The Lifetime Achievement Award for her leadership role in fostering development amongst the Wimbum community (at home and abroad) and Cameroonians in the USA. Besides, she was honoured with the most prestigious traditional title of Mbum land, Yaah. In the US where she lives, she was also recognized by her employer as well as the various communities due to her leadership skills.

In 2017 she was awarded the Knight of Merit Medal by President Paul Biya for her outstanding community service and leadership. This award was presented to her by, H.E. Henri Etoundi Essomba, Ambassador of The Republic of Cameroon To The United States of America.

Yaah Patience Tamfu is a bulk of talent, intelligence and a woman who lives in every other person’s problem. Hard work and efficiency have continued to be the qualities that define her. Whenever you meet her for the first time, you are taken by her mastery of issues. Take it as arrogance and you are right for this is positive arrogance that enables that job which she does is done correctly. It is this positive arrogance she reads widely and interacts with all the set of people in society.

Notwithstanding, she has the drive and dedication that defies any facile explanations. Born into the family of late Hon. SN. Tamfu was brought up in a close-knit family in the fear of God. In later life, she could not escape being a workaholic or becoming a politician par excellence reasons why her position in society as a role model continue to inspire many young girls and build society.