Margaret Nangsinla Tandap was born in Ndu on the 03rd of November 1951 to Reverend Solomon S. and Mrs. Helina Museng Baah. She was the first child of the family. And her father was called to Belo Baptist Church. She attended Saker Baptist College and later moved to Saint Bede’s College where she finished her secondary education.

During one weekend while she was at Saker young Lucas Tata Tandap met and fell in love with her and the process for eventual marriage was engaged. When she left Saint Bede’s College they got married shortly after in1973 when Dr. Tandap was Lecturer at the University of Yaoundé 1. In 1979 her husband who is now an Associate Professor of Geography, received a job as an Environment Program Officer with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was at this point, the family relocated from Yaoundé to Ethiopia, into the community of international civil servants. During this time, she remained busy as a stay at home mom, and also as an entrepreneur. Her entrepreneurial endeavors included her sewing and design business, which was a success and highly solicited within international circles. With her husband’s career he often traveled, and she spent much of her time caring for the family. 

The location of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which hosted the Organization of African Unity (OAU), now known as the African Union, as well as several diplomatic missions of all its member States, reflected a diverse community, and also helped her to leverage her design business. As a member of the diplomatic community as well as a designer, she enveloped very close relations with the Ambassadors’ wives and during the summits of Heads of States her home was often visited by First Ladies, who saw her designs on Ambassadors wives and wanted similar patterns. The name Mme Tandap became a household name among them. Her presence was further enhanced when the Cameroon Embassy moved the hosting of New Year’s Eve to her home. This increased her interaction with the African diplomatic community and their friends. Some of her friends even became First Ladies of nations, which was the case of the late President of Malawi, to whose wife’s funeral she was invited. She and her husband were also invited to the late President of Malawi wedding.

Her husband was transferred to head the Environment Program of the ECA Multinational Programming and Operational Center’s (MULPOC) in Niamey, Niger. During her stay in Addis Ababa and Niamey she belonged to the United Nations women’s groups which resulted in a lot of volunteer and charity work. She was also very active in the Baptist Church. 

Since their retirement in 2000, she remained very active with work in the Nkwen Baptist Church and was very instrumental in the finishing of the frontage of the building and the brick cladding, that can be seen till date. She also decorated the church with the flowers she grew in her compound since she did not succeed in having the church premises landscaped to grow those flowers. She was also a member of Emmanuel Choir, the National Combined English Choir (NACOMEC), Deacon Board and Women’s Fellowship Nkwen CBC. In a manner of historical reference, her father was one of the founding members of the church, and also served as the church’s pastor for 10 years. This church was an integral part of her young days, and it is for this reason that she saw helping in the development of the church as a way to thank God for his goodness. 

As a loving mother she raised her children to have Christian values, and often visited them while they studied in England. She was also a supportive wife, sister, and daughter, who did her best to support loved ones in her family and community. She leaves behind three children and two grandchildren.