Mobile customs agents in Ekok, a Cameroonian border town adjacent to Nigeria, recently seized 8,720 tablets and 900 milliliters of serum during an inspection of a public transport bus’s luggage compartment.

This latest operation suggests an increased vigilance by customs officials in the area. Just prior, on April 30, 2025, officers from the Southwest Customs Sector in Ekok, which borders Nigeria, conducted two significant seizures.

The first of these involved the Ekok mobile customs brigade. During a routine roadside inspection, officers stopped a public transport bus carrying various goods from neighboring Nigeria. A thorough inspection of the luggage hold revealed a consignment of 65,900 tablets of assorted pharmaceutical products. Authorities determined these products to be of questionable quality and lacking the necessary documentation, and they are slated for destruction in the coming days, sources said.

The second seizure was carried out by the Ekok commercial customs brigade. This operation intercepted 160 crates of “Guinness Nigeria” products, totaling 3,840 bottles, being smuggled into the country. According to the customs communication officer, “With this seizure, customs officers are thwarting attempts to fraudulently introduce sensitive products into the national territory, as well as combating the unfair competition posed by ‘Guinness Nigeria’ products against ‘Guinness Cameroon’ products in consumer markets.“

Notably, the border zone with Nigeria has become a significant target for traffickers and smugglers of all types since the onset of the Anglophone crisis. These individuals utilize the area to transit illicit goods, often to supply secessionist fighters. However, these consecutive seizures indicate that customs surveillance remains active at the borders and within Cameroon’s national territory, now more than ever.

Source: Business in Cameroon

Cameroon becomes 43rd member state of the Saudi-led coalition

The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition announced that Cameroon has officially joined, becoming the 43rd member state of the coalition, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The step underscores a growing commitment to combating terrorism and fostering regional and international security and stability, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday. 

The announcement was made during an official ceremony at the coalition’s headquarters in Riyadh, where the flag of Cameroon was raised alongside the flags of the 42 member states; a powerful symbol of unity and solidarity in the fight against terrorism.

The event was attended by Maj. Gen. Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Moghedi, acting secretary-general of the IMCTC, Iya Tidjani, Cameroon’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, the Cameroonian representative to the coalition, a delegation from Cameroon’s embassy, and representatives of member states.

Al-Moghedi welcomed Cameroon’s admission to the coalition, describing it as a significant step that strengthens joint efforts to combat terrorism and enhances coordination and integration in the intellectual, media, financial, and military fields.

Source: Arab News

Johnny Razack has been appointed chairman of Cameroon’s National Investment Company (SNI), following a presidential decree signed on April 25. The 52-year-old senior civil servant takes over from Geoffroy Désiré Mbock, who held the position for five years.

The SNI acts as the government’s main investment vehicle, holding stakes in companies and helping create new businesses. Razack’s nomination comes at a turning point for the institution, which was restructured last year to take on a stronger role in shaping the country’s economic and industrial strategy.

Before his appointment, Razack served as Secretary General at the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, a position he had held since December 22, 2015. Over his career, he also managed government correspondence at the Prime Minister’s Office and spent several years overseeing union matters. He began his career at the Ministry of Economy in 2005 as acting head of personnel services.

Razack brings with him a solid academic background. He is a graduate of ENA Paris, part of the 2002–2004 “Léopold Senghor” cohort, which also included French President Emmanuel Macron. He also graduated from Cameroon’s ENAM in Yaoundé, class of 1998–2000, the same year as Health Minister Malachie Manaouda. A committed member of the ruling RDPC party, he also serves as a mission officer at the party’s central committee. He hails from Bénoué in the North region.

A fellow RDPC member commented that Razack’s appointment “shows the President’s trust in loyal, capable profiles to manage key pillars of the national economy.”

His nomination follows the recent reshuffle of the SNI’s board of directors. Eleven members were appointed, including Gwendoline Abunaw, Managing Director of Ecobank Cameroon, and Célestin Tawamba, head of the country’s main business federation GECAM. They represent the banking and private sector, respectively.

This move is part of a broader overhaul of the SNI, initiated by President Paul Biya on July 10, 2024. The reform transformed the SNI into a public capital company with a sharper focus on investment planning. Under the new structure, SNI now plays a dual role: as a government investor and as a consulting and research body. It is fully owned by the state.

The company’s capital was raised to CFA200 billion, to be released gradually over four years. The goal is to turn the SNI into a true investment holding. Plans are already underway to open its subsidiaries to new public and private shareholders. The strategy aims to better manage the state’s holdings and help build strong national companies.

The SNI’s new responsibilities are extensive. It will now screen industrial projects from the private sector by issuing financial and economic viability clearances before the state can step in. It will also assess public companies by conducting audits, performance reviews, and diagnostics. In addition, it will help prepare and monitor performance contracts between the state and these firms.

On top of that, the SNI will now handle venture capital and private equity activities, as well as act as a stock market intermediary and asset manager.

Razack’s appointment comes with big expectations. While he is seen as a trusted and well-connected civil servant with political weight and administrative experience, some in the business community question whether he has the hands-on experience needed to run an institution now tasked with high-stakes investment operations. Others are confident that his background and network could serve him well in navigating this new chapter.

Source: Business in Cameroon

More than half of the World Bank–funded projects in Cameroon are now considered “at risk” due to poor execution, slow disbursements, and looming deadlines, government officials said during a recent review of the country’s World Bank portfolio.

Out of 17 national projects backed by the World Bank, 9 have fallen behind schedule, according to Cameroon’s Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development (Minepat), which oversees coordination with the Bank. These include efforts to expand rural electricity, improve secondary education, support digital transformation, and respond to food insecurity.

Among the most critical cases is the country’s digital acceleration project, known as PATNUC, which has only used 15.4% of its CFA55 billion budget, even though it launched in 2023. “We have completed the midterm review and found good solutions to speed up delivery,” said Guy Ronel Guemaleu, deputy director of multilateral cooperation at Minepat.

Other struggling projects include the CFA87 billion rural electrification project (PERACE), which is nearing its deadline in just two months with only 45% of funds disbursed. The education-focused PADESCE project, worth CFA73 billion, is also behind, with just 42% of funds used and a closing date in December.

Cameroon’s emergency response to food insecurity (PULCCA), under the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, is moving slightly faster, at 53% disbursement, but it too is set to close later this year. Another major program, PROLOG, aimed at boosting local governance and resilience, was approved in 2023 with a CFA172 billion budget but was recently rated “moderately unsatisfactory.”

Despite these setbacks, a few projects are showing strong performance. These include initiatives focused on transport development, education reform, adaptive social protection, and regional economic development (PIDREC), Guemaleu noted.

Still, the broader picture is worrying. Many of these World Bank projects target essential sectors such as infrastructure, education, health, and agriculture. Delays and poor execution risk limiting their long-term impact.

Guemaleu explained that the main issues include unrealistic planning, late approval of work plans and budgets, a poor grasp of social and environmental procedures, and weak familiarity with the rules governing project management units. He also pointed to slow procurement processes, land access problems, and long wait times for required approvals.

The current World Bank portfolio in Cameroon includes 17 national projects, 15 of which are active, with a total budget of CFA2,429 billion. As of April 2025, the overall disbursement rate stands at just 32.76%, below the expected 38% for projects that are on average 3.8 years old. For the current fiscal year, the rate is even lower—just 16.36%—with hopes to reach 20% by June 30. The undisbursed committed balance is an estimated $3.014 billion (about CFA1,844.4 billion), according to Guemaleu.

The situation is just as concerning from the World Bank’s point of view. Cheick Fantamady Kanté, the Bank’s Country Director for Cameroon, confirmed that 69% of committed funds have not yet been used. “As of March 2025, the annualized disbursement rate is at 15%, far below the 20% target,” he said. “This has been a consistent problem since the 2018 fiscal year, when the rate stood at 17.9%.”

Source: Business in Cameroon

The Francophone dominated Yaoundé Military Tribunal has sentenced renowned Muslim scholar and activist Abdul Karim Ali to life in prison in a case considered by many international observers as politically motivated.

Abdul Karim has already spent more than two years in prison without being convicted.

He was found guilty of lame and ridiculous charges related to the Southern Cameroons uprising that started in 2016.

Karim denied the charges and in May 2024, he announced that he did not recognize the jurisdiction of the Yaoundé military court.  

Abdul Karim Ali was sentenced on Wednesday 16 April by the Yaoundé military tribunal in absentia.

The Abdul Karim-Cameroon government affair all started with a video he recorded on 9 July 2022, in which he accused a military official of torturing civilians.

Two of his friends are also being held because of their links with him. All three were officially remanded in custody on 2 February 2023 on charges of ‘hostility towards the homeland’, ‘failure to report’, “secession” and ‘rebellion’.

Karim Ali and two of his co-defendants had already appeared several times before the Yaoundé military court. At the third hearing, they were officially remanded in custody by the examining magistrate.

Karim Ali’s conviction has already provoked numerous reactions from the Southern Cameroons public including the diaspora.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

One of Anglophone Cameroon’s most celebrated road construction engineers and former Minister of Public Works Obi Eta Jerome died suddenly in Yaoundé after becoming ill.

Minister Victor Mengot who confirmed the sad news to the entire Manyu community at home and in the diaspora said “My dear brothers and sisters, once again Manyu has lost one of its remaining elephants. It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing into glory of H. E. OBI ETA Jerome. May his soul find solace at the bosom of the Almighty God. Victor MENGOT, Patron MECDA.”

The leader of the Manyu Solidarity Group UK Prince Julian Ebai has offered his sincere condolences following Minister Eta Jerome’s death.

In a statement, the Prince said: “My thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time. May his soul rest in peace.”

Alfred Bate Bawak who headed the North Sub-section of the ruling CPDM party in Great Britain before the Southern Cameroons crisis says Minister Eta Jerome was a “tour de force in Manyu and South West politics, who took Manyu close to first world development standard”.

Eta Jerome Obi joined the ruling CPDM party at a time of relative success in the 90s. He modernized the Tiko Sub Section after he was elected Sub Section President, ensuring its machinery was overhauled and its message was polished.

He retired from the public service, joined the private sector and served as technical director at the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) under the stewardship of Peter Mafany Musonge.

His decision to join the CDC marked his return to frontline politics and the completion of a Manyu road business that he started in the early 80s.

It is not every Manyu political veteran that receives a tribute from Manyu female associations upon news of their death.

That Eta Jerome’s devotion to Manyu development has been praised by Dr Mrs. Patience Abangma feels significant.

The President-General of the Manyu Women’s International Association (Nyene Mawn) Dr Mrs. Patience Abangma said in a statement: “Our thoughts are with his family, and those across Cameroon mourning the loss of former Public Works minister Eta Jeroma Obi. The South West region road dream he cherished so closely, and came so close to delivering, will never die.”

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai