Cameroon’s MET chief Gervais Didier dies during official trip to Eswatini ⁰

Gervais Didier Yontchang, director of Cameroon’s National Meteorology Department, died on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, in Manzini, Eswatini, while attending an international forum on satellite technology and climate forecasting. His death, confirmed by Cameroonian and Eswatini authorities, came less than two months after his appointment to lead the country’s national meteorological service.

Yontchang was attending the 17th African User Forum organized by the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), held from October 5 to 9. According to Eswatini authorities, he fell ill during the event and received medical attention from the team on site before being taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

In a statement issued that same day, Cameroon’s Minister of Transport, Jean Ernest Masséna Ngallè Bibéhè, confirmed his death and referred to a brief illness. Eswatini authorities said they were working with Yontchang’s family and the relevant Cameroonian authorities to arrange the repatriation of his remains.

Recently Appointed to Lead National Meteorology

Yontchang was appointed director of the National Meteorology Department under a decree signed by the prime minister on August 12, 2026, as part of a broader reshuffle of senior positions at the Ministry of Transport. He previously served as deputy director of Meteorological Applications, where his responsibilities included the production and distribution of weather information for economic sectors, particularly agriculture.

His appointment came at a time when Cameroon was strengthening its national weather forecasting and climate monitoring capabilities. The department’s priorities include modernizing observation equipment, improving early warning systems, and developing services that help government agencies, businesses, and communities anticipate weather events.

On September 17, 2026, Yontchang led a mission to Penda Mboko in Cameroon’s Littoral Region to identify a suitable location for an automatic weather station under the ClimSA program, which focuses on improving climate services.

His participation in the EUMETSAT forum was part of broader cooperation between African meteorological services and their international partners. Discussions at the event focused on the use of next-generation satellites, access to meteorological data, and stronger early warning systems for droughts, floods, and other climate-related risks. Yontchang’s death comes less than two months after he took charge of a public service whose role in climate risk prevention in Cameroon is expected to grow.

Source: Sbbc