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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

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.

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

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

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

15, September 2025

Decades’ old Bello Bouba/Tchiroma distrust hampering opposition unity ⁰

The campaign of NUDP leader, Bello Bouba Maigari on 14 September rejected the declaration on 13 September that his northern rival, Issa Tchiroma, has been chosen as the opposition consensual candidate, mainly by Ekane Anicet and Djeukam Tchameni. That came as little surprise to anyone who has been following Cameroon’s contemporary political history. The two men distrust each other and had fallen out acrimoniously in 1992.

Below is a fact sheet timeline of the Bello/Tchiroma saga. Let’s take it from 1982:

– When Paul Biya succeeded Ahmadou Ahidjo as second president of Cameroon in November 1982, he appointed Bello Bouba Maigari as his Prime Minister. Bello was 35 years old. He had earlier held a couple of government positions including that of Minister of the Economy. It looked then like Bello was in line to be the third president. Under the constitutional provision at the time whereby the PM was the constitutional successor, Bello was in a position to succeed President Biya if the latter died in office or decided to quit power as his predecessor had done in his favour. It was said that Ahidjo recommended (or imposed Bello on) to Biya to maintain the north-south power balance.

– Less than a year into office, Bello left (or fled) into exile, abandoning or having resigned as PM, following accusations that he was involved in the first coup plot that was uncovered in August 1983 (before the bloody one of April 1984). He relocated to Kano in Nigeria. Little-known Issa Tchiroma then, a railway engineer, was a senior official at the railways company (Regifercam). In 1984, he had been arrested in connection with the failed bloody coup attempt of April 6, 1984. He was tried and found to be innocent, spared execution like many others but still held in detention at the Yoko prison.

– Fast forward to 1991. With the official relaunch of multiparty politics following the December 1990 Liberty Laws, NUDP (National Union for Democracy and Progress) was created with essentially a northern base and former Ahidjo regime men as its leaders. Samuel Eboua, former Secretary General at the Presidency under Ahidjo was its founding President. Though Bello was still in exile, it was widely reported that he would be the Presidential Candidate for NUDP. Hamadou Moustapha who was also a young minister under Ahidjo, was a Vice President and Issa Tchiroma, released from jail under the Amnesty Laws that also rehabilitated the image of those who, like Um Nyobe, Ahidjo etc, were considered political outlaws, became Political Secretary of the nascent NUDP.

– Ahead of the Tripartite Conference that took place in Yaounde in October-November 1991 to bring the CPDM government, the opposition and civil society actors to talk around the table, Bello returned from exile and within weeks, pulled his weight within NUDP and convened an extraordinary congress of the party in Garoua which Samuel Eboua boycotted in protest and where Bello emerged as new President of the party.

– In March 1992, NUDP emerged second with 68 seats behind CPDM’s 88 in the parliamentary (legislative) elections of March 1992 boycotted by SDF and CDU. Bello, Tchiroma and Moustapha were among NUDP parliamentarians. Later that year, Biya appointed Tchiroma and Moustapha into his government. It was reported that the two NUDP men accepted the appointment without the knowledge of Bello, their party leader. Tchiroma was minister of Transport. Moustapha returned to the Housing and Town Planning ministry he had held under Ahidjo.

– When in a 1994 cabinet reshuffle Tchiroma.and Moustapha were maintained in government against Bello’s wish that they be sacked, he said they had thus excluded themselves from NUDP. Furious, Tchiroma was seen on TV threatening that they would “teach Bello a lesson!” He and Moustapha declared they had taken over as leaders of what they called “Authentic” NUDP but later registered a new party, National Alliance for Democracy and Progress (ANDP) in 1995. Both men were eventually dropped from the government in 1996.

– In 1997, Bello was appointed into government as Minister of State for Post and Telecommunications.

– In 2002, Tchiroma returned to NUDP. Unknown whether he was mandated by the party, but obviously unlikely, he played a key role in the quest for an opposition consensual candidate for the 2004 presidential election, which picked the late Adamou Ndam Njoya. NUDP was not officially part of the process.

– In 2007, Tchiroma founded the National Front for the Salvation of Cameroon or FSNC in its French abbreviation.

– In 2008, Tchiroma supported the CPDM’s modification of the Constitution, removing the two-term limit in force since 1996, which would have barred President Biya from seeking re-election at the end of his second mandate under that law in 2011.

– In 2009, Tchiroma was appointed back into the government as Minister of Communication.

– Fast forward to this year. in June, both men resigned from the government. Tchiroma first. Followed by Bello. They both declared their candidacy for the 12 October presidential election. Both men have been pulling big rally crowds in their northern home base. Both men are evidently energizing their base. They are both from Garoua. Opinion polls by English Cameroon for a United Cameroon led by Dr Benjamin Akih, have been suggesting that Tchiroma has a wide lead over all other candidates including Bello.

– About two weeks ago, Bello paid an under-reported courtesy call on Tchiroma at his Garoua home. Little filtered out of the meeting but a video circulating on social media on the same day Tchiroma was presented as consensual opposition candidate, shows both men smiling, shaking hands and later embraced as Bello stepped out of his car and Tchiroma walked out of his house to his veranda.

– The turn-out numbers and anti-Biya energy in the northern regions around the candidacy of Bello and Tchiroma, not seen in previous elections and which gave the impression that Biya owned the massive northern votes, has triggered calls for unity between Bello and Tchiroma to ensure the northern votes are not split. Though both men have visited and held talks with disqualified candidate, Maurice Kamto in an effort towards what many describe as the ideal electoral coalition (KBTM adding Akere Muna), persistent signs of distrust between Bello and Tchiroma are unsettling opposition enthusiasts who hope for a unified opposition front, which many believe, would be the surest way to oust incumbent Biya.

By Franklin Sone Bayen

15, September 2025

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 1 killed, 4 injured in Batibo ⁰

At least one person was killed and four others injured on Sunday when an improvised explosive device detonated in a bar in Cameroon’s restive Anglophone Northwest region, security sources said, APA reports citing Xinhua.

The blast took place in Batibo, a locality of the region, with the bomb planted in a bar near a police station, according to officials.

“A group of terrorists targeted the bar because policemen frequently gather there,” a regional security officer told Xinhua. “However, no officers were present during the explosion. All victims were civilians enjoying time with friends and family.”

No group has claimed responsibility, but local authorities attributed the attack to separatist fighters active in the area.

On Monday, separatists initiated a month-long lockdown in Cameroon’s English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions to disrupt school reopenings and the October presidential election.

Separatists have been clashing with government forces in the regions since 2017 in a bid to create an independent nation.

Source: Xinhuanet

2, September 2025

Cameroon Road Network Crisis: 75% requiring rehabilitation ⁰

Three-quarters of Cameroon’s road network remains in a poor or mediocre state despite public investment, according to a September 2025 project review by the country’s Ministry of Public Works. The report reveals that 91,405 km of the nation’s 121,873 km road system are in disrepair, presenting a significant obstacle to economic activity.

Only 25% (30,468 km) of the network is rated as being in good or fair condition. The quality varies significantly by road type. While 100% of the country’s small stretch of motorways (109 km) are in good condition, only 18% of crucial municipal roads meet this standard. National roads fare better, with 69% rated as good or fair, but regional routes lag at just 35%.

The report indicates a marginal five-percentage-point improvement in overall network quality compared to 2024. Progress is being hampered by several systemic issues, including pavement degradation, the impacts of climate change, and a lack of discipline among road users.

A critical factor cited is the weakness of the domestic construction sector. The ministry noted that many local firms lack the financial, technical, and logistical capacity to execute projects effectively. This has led to the termination of 27 contracts between 2019 and 2024 and the closure of several other projects at the request of the struggling companies.

In response, the government is implementing structural reforms. A 2022 law aimed at protecting national road assets is being enforced to increase infrastructure durability. Furthermore, a decree from July 2025 has reorganized the national Road Fund to improve resource allocation for maintenance and rehabilitation.

As of December 31, 2024, Cameroon’s road network consisted of 10,576 km of paved roads and 111,297 km of dirt roads.

Looking ahead, the government plans to launch 132 major new road projects starting in 2025. The initiative aims to pave 882 km of new roads, rehabilitate 661 km of existing paved roads, and perform maintenance on another 828 km by 2027, covering a total distance of 2,371 km.

Source: Business in Cameroon

26, August 2025

Southern Cameroons minerals: Elias Pungong, Colin Mukete at daggers-drawn positions ⁰

The Nkout (2.7 billion tons) and Ntem (98 million tons) iron ore deposits in southern Cameroon are at the heart of a legal and financial battle. At the center of the dispute is Cameroon Mining Exploration (Caminex), the local subsidiary of the bankrupt British group International Mining and Infrastructure Corporation (IMIC).

The control of Caminex is being contested by two parties: Libyan Foreign Bank (LFB), a subsidiary of the Libyan central bank and IMIC’s main creditor, represented in Cameroon by Elias Pungong; and Caisse Capital Ltd, an investment firm owned by Cameroonian billionaire Colin Mukete, who was also a financier of the British group.

At the heart of the dispute are the legality of LFB’s claim to IMIC’s shares in Caminex and the true amount of financing invested in the exploration of the Nkout and Ntem deposits.

According to Elias Pungong, LFB’s takeover of Caminex was a result of a London court decision. He asserts that after IMIC went bankrupt and could no longer repay its debts, LFB, as the main creditor, went to court in London. The court ruled in favor of LFB buying all of IMIC’s shares, making the Libyan bank the majority shareholder of Caminex.

This version is disputed by other creditors, including Caisse Capital. Its lawyer, Etah Akoh, claims that “the London court only went so far as to pronounce the liquidation of IMIC and appoint a liquidator.” He insists that by law, only a Cameroonian court could rule on the shares of a local company like Caminex. “In claiming otherwise, Mr. Pungong has lied, and we plan to sue him for false testimony,” the Caisse Capital lawyer said.

According to Etah Akoh, the London court could not have awarded the Caminex shares to LFB in any case, since the Libyan bank was only one of IMIC’s creditors. He stated that LFB was fully aware of Caisse Capital, which had injected $5 million into the project. “LFB made contact with us, and discussions took place,” he said. “How, under these conditions, can the bank now want to seize IMIC’s assets in Caminex for itself?“

In response, Elias Pungong said LFB’s $200 million claim against IMIC justified its status as a “senior debt,” or priority claim. “False,” Etah Akoh retorted. “From a legal standpoint, it’s not the amount that matters, but the structure and guarantees. A bank that lends $10 million with a mortgage takes precedence over one that lends $100 billion with no security.” In a Nov. 22, 2024, letter to the Minister of Mines, Industry, and Technological Development, Etah Akoh’s firm, Etah-Nan & Co, informed the mining authority that “LFB’s intrusion in Caminex’s affairs has no legal basis.”

Conflicting Claims Muddle Battle for Iron Ore Assets

The dispute also extends to investment figures. LFB claims that IMIC invested more than $400 million in exploration activities at Nkout and Ntem, financed by loans taken out by IMIC to fund Caminex’s activities. Sources say LFB claims the bulk of these investments in documents submitted to the Cameroonian government. LFB also acknowledges a $5 million debt owed to Caisse Capital by IMIC.

Contacted by Business in Cameroon, Elias Pungong claimed that LFB granted nearly $200 million in loans to IMIC and its subsidiary Affero Mining. He also stated that IMIC raised another $200 million on the London Stock Exchange to finance its activities in Cameroon, bringing the total invested in the country to over $400 million. He said the funds were used to acquire machinery, cover headquarters costs, and conduct exploration studies on the two mining sites.

However, these figures diverge from those advanced by Gordon Partnership, IMIC’s legal counsel. In a Feb. 21, 2018, letter to LFB, the London-based firm detailed its client’s debt situation. “In summary, IMIC owes LFB approximately $81 million and other creditors $70 million. Its subsidiary Affero owes LFB nearly $94 million,” the letter read. In other words, IMIC’s total debt would amount to $245 million, of which $175 million is owed to LFB. The law firm makes no mention of the $200 million IMIC allegedly raised on the stock exchange.

The difference of $155 million between the claimed investment and the debt figures fuels suspicions of fraud.

Caisse Capital alleges that the $400 million in investments put forward by LFB is fraudulent. According to its lawyer, no tangible proof has ever been provided for the financing LFB claims it provided through IMIC to Caminex. “A mining project that receives 224 billion CFA francs would inevitably leave visible traces. Yet at the time of IMIC’s bankruptcy, Caminex was buried under more than 2 billion CFA francs in tax debts, had 160 million in unpaid wages, had lost its offices, and was trying to sell a few vehicles to pay its employees. Its workforce was limited to a few workers abandoned in the bush due to lack of pay. Is that the face of a company that would have absorbed nearly $400 million? Certainly not,” Etah Akoh said.

Caisse Capital shares the position that only a small portion of the $175 million borrowed by IMIC and Affero Mining was actually used for the project. “Based on my experience as a lawyer in this sector, the monthly costs of such a company do not exceed 30 to 50 million CFA francs. Over three years, even including laboratory analyses in London or Canada, expenses could not have exceeded 15 billion CFA francs per permit. How then can you explain the 224 billion CFA francs announced by LFB? These figures are implausible.”

Despite the disagreements, LFB is claiming a central role in the management of the Cameroonian permits and is attempting to convince the government in Yaoundé to grant it a mining convention.

Caisse Capital argues that this is merely a maneuver to erase its own status as a creditor. Colin Mukete’s firm maintains that its $5 million loan to IMIC should entitle it to a stake in any future convention. It is firmly opposed to an agreement being signed for the sole benefit of Caminex and LFB, which it accuses of artificially inflating its contributions. “LFB is not a mining company. Its strategy is to deceive the Cameroonian government and then find a buyer who will acquire Caminex to recoup the $400 million it claims to have invested. This investment is fictitious,” Etah Akoh charged.

A Test for Cameroon’s Business Climate

The Ministry of Mines, however, seems favorable to resuming discussions with Caminex and LFB. This prospect alarms Caisse Capital, whose lawyer has threatened to go to Cameroonian and international courts to have any convention signed under these conditions annulled. “LFB and Mr. Pungong can try to obtain a mining convention with government support. I cannot prevent them from doing that. But I can, and I will, initiate legal proceedings to annul any convention signed on such a false basis. And once the proceedings begin, no serious lender will take the risk of financing this project,” said Caisse Capital through its legal counsel.

Beyond this standoff between creditors, the future of two of Cameroon’s most significant iron ore deposits remains uncertain. The government, having been solicited by LFB for a mining convention, will have to arbitrate a case that involves not only millions of dollars but also the credibility of the country’s business climate.

Source: Business in Cameroon

20, August 2025

Old CPDM Tricks: Sonara to audit staff as part of refinery restructuring plan ⁰

Cameroon’s state-owned oil refinery Sonara has launched an audit of its human resources and career management. The company has opened a CFA80 million tender, according to a call for bids signed by Managing Director Bako Harouna.

The goal is to give management “an effective and lasting match between its workforce and its jobs, in terms of staffing, qualifications, and profiles.”

The selected firm will be tasked with reviewing staff numbers, evaluating the quality of job profiles, and assessing the alignment between skills and roles. The audit will also include an evaluation of the monitoring and control systems for human resources to determine whether they are suited to Sonara’s responsibilities and workload.

The review will extend to career management, including promotions, identifying shortcomings, and recommending improvements to boost management efficiency. It will also highlight areas where new human resources policies and procedures are needed.

The initiative follows the board of directors’ approval of an ambitious restructuring plan known as the Acceleration Plan for Restructuring and Rehabilitation Measures for Refining Recovery within 24 Months (Parras 24). The program aims to restore the refinery’s capacity to pre-2019 levels, before a fire destroyed part of its facilities.

Sonara has been out of operation for six years, adding to its debt burden with traders, banks, and the tax authorities. In this context, the staff audit is seen as a key step to determine whether the refinery has the skills needed for its industrial revival.

Source: Business in Cameroon