Tiko, originally called ‘Keka’ by the Bakweris, is a town and important port in the southwest region of

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

. The settlement grew as a market town for

Duala Duala or Douala can refer to: Relating to Cameroon * Duala people, an ethnic group in Cameroon * Duala language, part of the Bantu languages * Douala, the largest city in Cameroon, founded by the Duala people * Rudolf Duala Manga Bell (1873–1914), ...

(or Douala) fishermen, Bakweri ( Kpwe people) farmers, and hunters from Molyko, Bwenga, Bulu, and Bokova. The core quarters in Tiko include Streets 1 to 7, Motombolombo, Down Beach, New Quarter, P&T quarters, New Layout, Long Street, Likomba, Golf Club, Mutengene, and Ombe. As of 2010, the town is estimated to have a population of 55,914.

Economy And Transport

Tiko is a popular destination for tourists visiting Cameroon. The town is also an industrial area which is mostly occupied by the CDC (Cameroon Development Co-operation), which produces rubber, banana, and

palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 36% of global oils produced from o ...

. Tiko hosts the Tiko Golf Club, which is a popular destination for golf lovers. The Likomba Golf Course is located in Likomba which has 18 holes. During the dry season, major golf tournaments are held there, as it is one of only 2 golf courses in Cameroon. The town is served by the one active Tiko International Airport, which served West Kamerun (

Southern Cameroons The Southern Cameroons was the southern part of the British League of Nations mandate territory of the British Cameroons in West Africa. Since 1961, it has been part of the Republic of Cameroon, where it makes up the Northwest Region and Southw ...

) before its closure under the Yaounde Government. It was under the ownership of the Cameroon Air Transport (CAT), which was headquartered in Bota, Victoria (Southern Cameroons). It is one of the

Anglophone The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the largest language ...

airport that went into disuse after federation with, and later annexation by Cameroon, the others being:

Bali Airport Bali Airport is a public use airport located northeast of Bali, Nord-Ouest, Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the ...

Limbe Airport Limbe Airport was a public use airport located southeast of Limbe, Sud-Ouest, Cameroon. See also *List of airports in Cameroon This is a list of airports in Cameroon, sorted by location. Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon (), i ...

, Besongabang Airport, and Nguti Airport. Though the government's plans are underway to redevelop and rehabilitate both the Airport and the Tiko Port, delays have put the project into uncertainty. There are two major hotels. Airport Hotel, which derived its name from the

Tiko Airport Tiko Airport is an airport that served Tiko, a town in the Southwest Region (Cameroon), Southwest Region of Cameroon. The Tiko non-directional beacon (Ident: TI) is located on the field. Tiko Airport was closed under the 1961 British Cameroons ...

, is located on Long Street. This hotel was built in the early 70s. It used to have a very popular nightclub which attracted folks and musicians not only from within but also from out of Cameroon. 3813 is the second of the two hotels. It was built around the year 2002 and is located along the Tiko-Douala road. It has a supermarket, a swimming pool, and a nightclub for dancing. Internet access is also available. Tiko is well known for its

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

n (

Igbo people The Igbo people ( , ; also spelled Ibo" and historically also ''Iboe'', ''Ebo'', ''Eboe'', / / ''Eboans'', ''Heebo''; natively ) are an ethnic group found in Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea. Their primary origin is fo ...

) population, as well as its organized marketplace. The Tiko Market is one of the most renowned markets in West Africa. People traveled from surrounding villages, cities, and countries to shop or conduct business in Tiko. The market is currently being rebuilt after a fire destroyed the shops on 2 March 2010. Tiko also hosts the special forces, which explains the peace and security enjoyed by the inhabitants. Mutengene, a small town west of Tiko, is a cross roads leading to

Buea Buea is the capital of the Southwest Region (Cameroon), Southwest Region of Cameroon. The city is located in Fako (department), Fako Division, on the eastern slopes of Mount Cameroon, and has a population of about 800.000 inhabitants as of 2 ...

and Limbe, Cameroon (Formerly called Victoria). The closest towns with coordinates: * Mutengene ( W) *

( W/NW) * Limbe, Cameroon ( W/SW) *

Muyuka Muyuka is a town in the Fako Division on the Southwest Province of Cameroon. It is originally home to members of the Balong tribe, but over the years Muyuka has expanded. It is the headquarters for sub villages and towns such as Owe, Ekata, Baf ...

( N/NE) *

Bonabéri Bonabery is a district of Douala, the largest city and economic capital of Cameroon. It is located on the right bank of the Wouri River, opposite the districts of Akwa, Deido and Bonanjo. Bonabery is home to many industries, markets, and transpo ...

( E) *

Dibombari Dibombari is a town and commune in Cameroon. Located in the South-West. See also *Communes of Cameroon The Divisions of Cameroon are the third-level units of administration in Cameroon. They are organised by divisions and sub divisions of ea ...

( E/NE) *

Douala Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region (Cameroon), Littoral Region. It was home to Central Africa's largest port, now being replaced by Kribi port. It has the country ...

( E) * Idenao or

Idenau Idenau is a town and capital of the West Coast district in Cameroon, near Bibundi west of Mount Cameroon. The name was given to this place while Cameroon was a German colony. Today, Idenau has a small harbour and some oil palm plantations. Gal ...

( W/NW) * Mbanga or

Mabanga Mabanga is a town and commune in Cameroon, located near Dibombari See also *Communes of Cameroon The Divisions of Cameroon are the third-level units of administration in Cameroon. They are organised by divisions and sub divisions of each provi ...

( N/NE) *

Kumba Kumba is a city in the Southwest Region of Cameroon and the administrative capital of Meme Division. It is one of the largest and most economically significant cities in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon. Known for its vibrant commercial ac ...

( N) * West: By Limbe, Cameroon city Council up to the Ombe River bridge * North West: By

Council up to Dibanda * North East: By

Council * East: By

Council in

Mungo people The Mungo (Moungo) are an ethnic group of the Republic of Cameroon. Along with the other coastal peoples, they belong to the Sawa ethnic groups. The Mungo have historically been dominated by the Duala people, and the two groups share similar cu ...

Division * South: By Bonaberi

(or Douala) Sub Divisional Urban Council

Facilities

Tiko is home to many colleges, including Christ the King College, GBHS, Imperial Academy of Arts and Science (IMPASS), Sure Foundation Comprehensive College, and Plive College. Tiko United FC is Tiko's most famous football club. Tiko United is the first club west of the Mongo to have won the championship title since its inception some 50 years ago.

Plantation railways

Plantations in the Tiko area were originally served by

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

plantation railways.

Notable persons

Sofoklis Schortsanitis Sofoklis Schortsanitis ( Greek: Σοφοκλής Σχορτσανίτης; born 22 June 1985) is a Cameroonian-Greek former professional basketball player and Olympian. An All-EuroLeague First Team selection in 2011, Schortsanitis won the Eu ...

, basketball player for

Trikala Aries B.C. Aiolos Trikalon B.C. (alternate spellings: Aeolus, Trikala; Greek: Αίολος Τρικάλων), previously known for sponsorship reasons as Trikala Aries, was a Greek professional basketball club that is based in Trikala, Greece. The club is na ...

in Greece. *

Mbella Sonne Dipoko Mbella Sonne Dipoko (February 28, 1936, in Douala – December 5, 2009, in Tiko) was a novelist, poet and painter from Cameroon. He is widely considered to be one of the foremost writers of literature in English from Cameroon. Early life Mbell ...

Salatiel Salatiel Livenja Bessong (born December 26, 1987), better known as Salatiel or "High man general", is a Cameroonian Music executive, and the CEO of Alpha Better Records located in Buea, Cameroon. In 2019, he featured on Beyoncé’s The Lio ...

References

{{Coord, 4.075, N, 9.36, E, display=title Palm oil production in Cameroon Communes of Southwest Region (Cameroon)