Breaking News

Dollar Bonds: The biggest risk is what Cameroon looks like post Biya

27, January 2026

Dollar Bonds: The biggest risk is what Cameroon looks like post Biya 0

Cameroon became the second African nation in less than a week to sell dollar bonds, as frontier markets take advantage of risk-on sentiment to raise funds.

The central African nation priced a $750 million five-year bond at a yield of 10.125%, according to a person familiar with the matter. That compares with a yield of 10.75% on a seven-year dollar note it issued in 2024, when the country last went to market.

Cameroon is rated B-, six levels into junk, by S&P Global Ratings — the same as Nigeria, Pakistan and Angola.

Emerging markets are benefiting from investors shunning the US as geopolitical tensions rise and the independence of the Federal Reserve remains a concern. Risk premia of African frontier markets from Mozambique to Gabon have narrowed to levels below 1,000 basis points over US Treasuries in recent days, prompting nations on the continent and elsewhere to raise foreign-currency-denominated debt.

With conditions having shifted since the last time it came to market, Cameroon should have been in a “position to issue in the single digits,” according to Leo Morawiecki, an emerging-markets analyst at Abrdn Investments in London.

“The biggest risk is what Cameroon looks like post Biya,” he said in reference to the nation’s 92-year-old leader Paul Biya, who won an eighth term in October. “And its very difficult to price that into the bonds as getting a grip on Cameroonian politics is extremely difficult.”

The nation’s $550 million dollar bond due 2031 added 0.27 cents on the dollar Tuesday to 100.80 cents, pushing the yield lower by 6 basis points to 9.31%.

Benin last week sold a $500 million seven-year note at a yield of about 6.2% and an inaugural dollar-denominated sukuk. Ecuador sold $4 billion of bonds on Monday, its largest-ever issuance, in a return to global credit markets after restructuring its debt in 2020. The Democratic Republic of Congo plans a debut $750 million offering in April, the country’s finance minister told Bloomberg last week.

Seasoned eurobond issuers in Africa, such as Ivory Coast and Benin, are unlikely to care that other countries are coming to market given their years of experience, Morawiecki said. “But it likely does have a bigger impact on inaugural issuers such as DRC that look for signs of investor confidence in Africa.”

The continent’s average sovereign-risk premium over US Treasuries fell to the lowest since 2018 this month, and stood at 326 basis points on a closing basis on Monday, according to a a JPMorgan Chase & Co. index.

Source: Bloomberg

US: Trump’s plane returns to air base after ‘minor’ electrical issue

21, January 2026

US: Trump’s plane returns to air base after ‘minor’ electrical issue 0

US President Donald Trump’s plane was forced to return to an air base late Tuesday due to a “minor electrical issue” shortly after departing for Switzerland, the White House said.

US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews on January 20, 2026
US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews on January 20, 2026 © Mandel NGAN / AFP

Air Force One returned to Joint Base Andrews out of an abundance of caution, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. It landed shortly after 11:00 pm (0400 GMT).

Journalists traveling with Trump reported that lights in the cabin went out briefly after takeoff.

Trump and his entourage will switch to another plane and continue the trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, where the US president was expected to face off with European leaders over his bid to seize Greenland.

With its classic blue and white livery, Air Force One is arguably the world’s most iconic plane and an instantly recognizable symbol of the US presidency.

Trump has long been unhappy with the current Air Force One jets — two highly customized Boeing 747-200B series aircraft that entered service in 1990 under president George H.W. Bush.

Last year, Trump said his administration was “looking at alternatives” to Boeing following delays in the delivery of two new 747-8 aircraft.

In May, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth accepted a Boeing 747 that the Gulf emirate of Qatar offered to Trump for use as Air Force One.

The jet — worth hundreds of millions of dollars — has raised huge constitutional and ethical questions, as well as security concerns about using an aircraft donated by a foreign power for use as the ultra-sensitive presidential plane.

Source: AFP

Yaoundé: Dying season finally arrives

16, January 2026

Yaoundé: Dying season finally arrives 0

Cameroon’s Speaker of the House, Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, has been rushed out of the country to South Africa for medical treatment as death showed up in his Yaoundé residence a few days ago to snatch the miserable and dirty life of the Speaker of the House who has made liquor his water of choice.

According to our source in Yaoundé, a medical plane landed in Cameroon from Switzerland then continued to South Africa with Mr. Cavaye as the human cargo where the desperate Speaker of the House is expected to receive treatment for multiple health issues.

Mr. Cavaye has been a colony of diseases for decades. His recklessness is finally catching up with him. A heavy smoker and alcohol addict, Mr. Cavaye currently suffers  from a chronic heart problem, failing lungs, high blood pressure, diabetes and an enlarged and painful prostrate which is rubbing  him of a good night’s sleep.

The man who has been in parliament for more than half a century was not seen during New Year wishes at the Presidency and in parliament due to health reasons.

A source close to Mr. Cavaye has informed the Cameroon Concord News Group that it will take a miracle for Mr. Cavaye to return to Cameroon alive. He added that it was as if the dying season had arrived in Cameroon as the country’s Senate President, Niat Njifenji, and his second vice president, Chief George Tabetando, are fighting for their lives.

Another source close to Chief Tabetando also informed our sister publication Cameroon Intelligence Report that Chief Tabetando is now a shadow of his former self, adding that he constantly runs out of oxygen. The source adds that Mr. Tabetando has been strapped to an oxygen canister which helps him to breathe in Turkey.

By Rita Akana in Yaoundé

Issa Tchiroma Bakary is Cameroon Concord Person of the Year

30, December 2025

Issa Tchiroma Bakary is Cameroon Concord Person of the Year 0

For forty-two years, the people of Cameroon have been fed stories that political change was an illusion. Many political commentators opined that the Unity Palace was fixed in place and the country resigned to its fate. Then came a man Issa Tchiroma in the October 12, 2025 presidential election and the whole narrative changed forever.

Issa Tchiroma Bakary (to use his three names) stepped out of a system he once served to confront the very power structure that made him.  Tchiroma organized a campaign that became an unexpected rallying point for the entire nation with sell-out crowds, igniting debates, and awakening a people long numbed by routine elections with predictable outcomes.

Tchiroma, a long standing cabinet minister under Biya, broke with the governing body to run as a leading candidate, energizing Cameroonians with promises of change after decades of entrenched rule by the ruling CPDM crime syndicate.

The Tchiroma campaign drew large crowds and the former Biya acolyte stated that the will of the Cameroonian people was on his side.

On October 14, less than 48 hours after polls closed, Issa Tchiroma Bakary declared victory in the presidential election and urged President Biya to concede defeat and honour the truth of the ballot box.

Tchiroma’s majority following mobilized in all the nooks and crannies of the country following his electoral victory, with protests and demonstrations pressing for recognition of what they said was a great win for the Northern Cameroon political elite. These demonstrations underlined both the deep dissatisfaction among many Cameroonians and the intensity of political tensions.

However, officially and according to the Constitutional Council — the only body authorized to proclaim election results in Biya’s Cameroon —92-year-old President Biya was declared the winner, securing approximately 53.66 % of the vote as concocted by the ruling crime syndicate, compared with 35.19 % for Issa Tchiroma Bakary. Biya’s so-called victory guaranteed his continued stay in power and extended his decades-long rule.

The opposition rejected the Constitutional Council’s outcome with its leader Issa Tchiroma asserting that state institutions manipulated the results to deny him victory. From his base in Garoua, Tchiroma pressed his supporters and political allies to resist what he described as an illegitimate outcome and he framed his challenge as part of a broader struggle for democratic accountability in Cameroon.

There are moments in a nation’s life when the truth does not wait for official stamps or ceremonial announcements. Issa Tchiroma gave Cameroon that moment in October 2025.

Whether Cameroonians and their partners accept the Constitutional Council’s figures or Issa Tchiroma’s own declaration, one fact is undeniable: Tchiroma achieved what no challenger had managed in decades- he shattered the aura of inevitability that surrounded Biya’s 42-year rule.

Cameroon Concord Group readers in their thousands watched Tchiroma when he declared victory — whether or not the corrupt security and judicial establishments endorsed it — Tchiroma accomplished something historic: he forced the Cameroonian nation to imagine the end of the nasty Biya era. He destroyed the psychological monopoly of one man, one party and one narrative. He made the possibility of transition feel real, tangible and of course reachable.

In that sense, Issa Tchiroma Bakary defeated not just a corrupt, vicious and malicious political figure but a paralysis of hope.

The so called official results may have returned Biya to office. But the story Cameroonians will always remember is not simply about numbers; it is about a perfectly bilingual Cameroonian who stood against a decades-old machine and convinced a nation that change could be claimed, spoken aloud and above all demanded.

Cameroon Concord News People have voted!! Issa Tchiroma Bakary, you are the Cameroon Concord News Person of the Year!!

Your stolen victory will forever remain symbolic, moral and political because you successfully made Cameroonians to believe again. And once a people begin to believe, no regime, no matter how entrenched, sleeps comfortably.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Chairman/Editor-In-Chief

Cameroon Concord News Group

Football: Panthère du Ndé Wins Cameroon Cup 2025

16, December 2025

Football: Panthère du Ndé Wins Cameroon Cup 2025 0

Panthère sportive du Ndé won the 2025 Cameroon Cup after a penalty shootout victory, prevailing 3–1 following a 1–1 draw in regulation time against Colombe sportive du Dja-et-Lobo. Colombe entered the final as the defending champion after winning the 2024 edition. The match took place at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaoundé. Panthère fielded a compact and disciplined side, while Colombe displayed ambition and determination to retain its title.

As the tightly contested final progressed, composure created the difference. Panthère du Ndé demonstrated greater control and calm during the penalty shootout. Consequently, the club secured the trophy and confirmed its ability to manage pressure during decisive moments of a national final.

Panthère du Ndé had previously lifted the Cameroon Cup in 1988 and 2009. The West Region club therefore claimed the third Cameroon Cup title in its history. This victory ended a 16-year wait for silverware and marked the return of a historic club to the recent honors list of Cameroonian football.

Officials celebrated the victory in the presence of Célestine Ketcha Courtès, Minister of Housing and Urban Development and honorary president of the Ndé club. Her attendance gave official recognition to what observers described as a historic moment for the West Region side. This high-level political presence increased the symbolic significance of the triumph beyond its sporting dimension.

Panthère midfielder Brandon Fopa, aged 22, earned the man-of-the-match award. He received a CFA2 million check in recognition of his influence throughout the match. He controlled midfield play and managed key phases of the contest.

By defeating the defending champion, Panthère du Ndé delivered a victory with strong symbolic value. The club confirmed its return among Cameroon’s leading teams. The third national trophy strengthened the club’s historical record and could enhance its sporting appeal, political support, commercial partnerships, and supporter loyalty.

Source: Business in Cameroon

South Africa will ‘take a break’ from G20 after US ban

4, December 2025

South Africa will ‘take a break’ from G20 after US ban 0

South Africa said Thursday it was prepared to wait out next year’s G20 after being barred by the United States and did not expect other countries to lobby for its inclusion.

The United States this month took over the year-long presidency of the group of leading economies after largely boycotting South Africa’s tenure, including the November summit, in an escalation of its attacks on Pretoria.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio repeated Wednesday that South Africa would not be invited to the US-run G20, repeating complaints including unfounded claims that the government deliberately discriminated against the white Afrikaner minority.

Presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya said in response that South Africa would sit out the 2026 series of meetings and resume participation when the G20 is handed to Britain in a year’s time.

“For now, we will take a commercial break until we resume normal programming,” Magwenya said on social media.

The G20 group of nations includes the world’s top economies as well as the European Union and the African Union regional blocs. It accounts for 85 percent of the world’s GDP and two-thirds of its population.

The Johannesburg summit, the first in Africa, was attended by a host of world leaders, including from countries not in the G20, but boycotted by US President Donald Trump.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesman said South Africa did not expect other G20 nations to boycott the US presidency or lobby for its inclusion.

“In fact it would be unhelpful if the entire year goes to waste and the G20 is collapsed,” Magwenya said in an interview with the Sunday Times newspaper published late Wednesday.

South Africa would however expect that other members “register their displeasure with the US in defence of multilateralism and the spirit and purpose of the G20,” he said.

The Trump administration has lashed out at South Africa over a range of policies, expelling its ambassador in March and imposing 30 percent trade tariffs, which Pretoria is still seeking to overturn.

Source: AFP

Petit Pays is “Forever”

12, November 2025

Petit Pays is “Forever” 0

Petit Pays – Rabba Rabbi, long-awaited Album titled “Forever” is out for production and will be marketed on all digital platforms from November 20th, 2025.

This is a product from his high-definition studio in Bomono-Douala, Cameroon. The album, comprising 13 songs, is a diverse mix of genres, including Makossa, Afrobeat, Zouk, and Rumba.

The album is a nostalgic reflection on his career debut, a blend of tradition and modernity, featuring complex, sophisticated instruments and rich orchestrations that showcase the singer’s artistic merits. He promised his fans the best, and he delivered.

Parts of Cameroon deserted as Tchiroma calls for a lockdown to protest election results

5, November 2025

Parts of Cameroon deserted as Tchiroma calls for a lockdown to protest election results 0

Some cities in Cameroon were deserted Tuesday after the main opposition leader asked citizens to stay at home to protest the recent election win of 92-year-old President Paul Biya.

The three-day lockdown, which began Monday, was mainly in key opposition strongholds including the economic hub of Douala and in northern cities like Maroua and Garoua, where deadly protests have taken place in recent days. There was partial compliance in the capital of Yaoundé on Tuesday as some businesses continued as usual.

Biya, the world’s oldest president at 92, won the Oct. 12 vote and secured his eighth term, according to official results. Main opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary, however, claims to have won and has called on Cameroonians to reject the official results.

In his call for a lockdown, Tchiroma said: “Let us keep our shops closed, suspend our activities, remain at home in silence, to demonstrate our solidarity.”

The lockdown in cities where people decided to stay indoors has resulted in economic hardship with businesses and offices closed while some transport services including along intercity routes are grounded.

Amadou Adji, a resident of Garoua whose niece was among those killed during the protests, expressed support for the lockdown. “The lockdown is also a form of solidarity which we are showing to Tchiroma,” said Amadou.

In the economic hub of Douala, food seller Caroline Akuh said it’s been difficult to make ends meet for her family since the lockdown started.

“We are afraid to step out … we are tired of this,” she said.

In Yaoundé, the cost of a 5 liter bucket of potatoes has jumped to $8.78 from $3.50 less than a week ago.

“Prices have gone up in ways no one anticipated,” said Celestin Mimba, a resident in the capital.

The lockdown follows pockets of protests by opposition supporters and clashes with security forces in the aftermath. Authorities confirmed the killing of four persons during protests in the north while the Stand Up For Cameroon civil society group has said at least 23 people were killed during recent protests.

Cameroonian authorities have condemned the protests and accused the opposition of trying to instigate a breakdown of law and order.

Source: ABC News

Paul Biya, world’s oldest president, declared election winner

27, October 2025

Paul Biya, world’s oldest president, declared election winner 0

Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, 92, the world’s oldest president, was declared the country’s presidential election with 53.66% of the vote, according to official results announced on Monday by the Constitutional Council.

Rival candidate and former government minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary came second with 35.2%, the council said. Tchiroma had claimed victory against the incumbent two days after the October 12 election.

Biya has led the central African nation since 1982. With his re-election, he can now govern until 2032.

The results were announced a day after four protesters were shot dead in Douala, the economic capital, while more than 100 were arrested as hundreds of people stormed streets in several cities.

Tchiroma had claimed victory days before the election, citing results he said were collated by his party. Biya dismissed the claim.

According to Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, governor of the Littoral Region that includes Douala, several members of the security forces were also injured in Douala by the protesters. He said at least 105 protesters were arrested.

Videos online showed protesters clashing with security forces, who fired tear gas and tried to disperse people barricading major roads in Douala and other cities, including Garoua and Maroua in the north.

Dozens of opposition supporters, activists and leaders were arrested in recent days. Cameroon’s Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji told reporters on Saturday that the government arrested several people plotting violent attacks.

Tensions built ahead of the election in Cameroon, a country of nearly 30 million people. The decision by Biya, who has been in power for nearly half his life, to seek reelection angered youth and the opposition.

Source: Reuters

Kupe-Muanenguba: Maiden Upper Balong Youth Festival Revives Culture, Boosts Sports

21, September 2025

Kupe-Muanenguba: Maiden Upper Balong Youth Festival Revives Culture, Boosts Sports 0

The first edition of the Upper Balong Youth Festival ran from 20 July to 17 August in Manyemen. It was organized with funds donated by Upper Balong elites in the country and abroad.

The organizing committee co-chaired by Ta Ndumbe Martin Ayuk of Talangaye and Ta Ebune Philip Ayuk of Baro, included representatives of the eight Upper Balong villages, that is Ayong, Baro, Betock, Ebanga, Manyemen, Oserayip, Sikam and Talangaye. The General Coordination and Chief Operations Officer of the youth festival was Ta Sone Bayen, a notable of Manyemen, who conceived the idea for the festival.

Activities included football for boys and girls, marathon, Miss Upper Balong, teaching youths how to cook traditional meals, speak the local language and sing and dance traditional songs.

Music by Upper Balong pop musicians Ebeny Amstrong in the United States and Tina Tong in Germany was played abundantly during the festival and Chu Bikeng Lato who is resident in the country, performed live during major activities of the festival.

The football tournament of the festival was won by Manyemen for the boys and Ebanga for the girls.

Free Calculators and Math Sets donated by Upper Balong elites were distributed to school children by the President of Upper Balong Teachers’ Association (UBTA), Dr Basua A.A.  Emmanuel.

Another high point of the Upper Balong Youth Festival was the Presentation of Ekatih Eyong-Etok, a new book on how to speak and write Kitchui, the Upper Balong language authored by Dr Tabi Elias Mbi, a director at the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency in Yaounde.

By Franklin Sone Bayen

1 2 3 4 5 >»
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.