Cameroon

14, August 2025

Rome: Philémon Yang meets Pope Leo XIV ⁰

Pope Leo XIV received Philémon Yang, the president of the UN General Assembly, on August 11, as his one-year presidential term nears its completion. Neither the Vatican nor the United Nations issued a statement on the topics of the conversation.

The president of the UN General Assembly, elected by his peers, chairs the meetings of the body. Shortly after Pope Francis’s death, Yang, a Cameroonian diplomat, paid tribute to the late Pontiff as “a moral voice and a global conscience. With humility and courage, he championed the dignity of the marginalized, the poor and the voiceless.”

Source: Catholic World News

12, August 2025

Macron admits France’s ‘repressive violence’ in Cameroon during decolonisation ⁰

Macron has acknowledged that France waged a “war” in Cameroon during and after the African country’s decolonisation in the late 1950s, marked by “repressive violence”, in a letter published Tuesday.

The letter, sent to his Cameroonian counterpart last month, follows an officially commissioned report, published in January, which said that France implemented mass forced displacement, pushed hundreds of thousands of Cameroonians into internment camps and supported brutal militias to squash the central African country’s push for sovereignty.

The historical commission, the creation of which had been announced by Macron during a 2022 trip to Yaounde, examined France’s role leading up to when Cameroon gained independence from France on January 1, 1960, but also during the subsequent years.

“The historians of the commission made it very clear that there was a war in Cameroon, during which the colonial authorities and the French army carried out repressive violence of several kinds in certain parts of the country in a war that continued after 1960 when France supported the actions carried out by the independent Cameroon authorities,” Macron said in the letter to Cameroonian President Paul Biya, published by the French presidency.

“It is incumbent on me today to accept France’s role and responsibility in these events,” he said.

Source: AFP

11, August 2025

Nyene Mawn: Key takeaways and talking points from Paris 2025 ⁰

The Manyu Women’s International Organisation (Nyene Mawn) members gathered in Paris over the weekend for the association’s second annual residential convention. Chi Prudence and Soter Agbaw-Ebai report

The sun in Paris was shining, the good weather added to a sense of optimism for a Manyu women’s group that was clearly on the brink of collapse.

Despite social media negativity orchestrated by some rogue elements against Nyene Mawn, the mood in the French capital was du jamais vu indicating that Nyene Mawn queens had move away from the nasty past and the embarrassing so-called conference of presidents’ scandal which had attempted to destroy the Nyene Mawn brand.

Here are the key talking points from the Nyene Mawn Residential Convention

The President-General Dr Mrs Patience Abangma promised the Nyene Mawn queens that she was going to step down and usher in the new generation. This is after she repaired the financial damage caused by the disgraced suspended seven.

Dr Patience Abangma did not need to put a positive spin on her speech to get the Nyene Mawn queens smiling and sharing tears of joy as much as she was.

Delegates from all over the world were in great spirit at the respective meetings that started on Friday and ended Sunday evening.

Nyene Mawn is riding high with their favourite slogan: Nyene Mawn leads, others follow.

This time last year, Nyene Mawn queens crammed into a dour, stuffy hall in the middle of the afternoon in Brussels to discuss their progress and their plans for the future. The atmosphere among Nyene Mawn queens in Brussels that day might be described as quietly confident. If the sense that day was of a Manyu women association on the rise, then Paris 2025, in its glitzier environs, was that of a Nyene Mawn whose time had come.

When the convention started in Paris Noisy Le Sec, Nyene Mawn announced a new interim body headed by Queen Maureen Tabe as President-General, which aims to speed up development deep within the association while Dr Patience Abangma used her speech to promise the women of her complete and total support for the new governing body.

Nyene Mawn queens thanked their out gone President-General Dr Patience Abangma for sustaining the Nyene Mawn cause, the association, the argument against a vicious campaign of blackmail. “Mami Abangma didn’t just win for herself, she won for all the Nyene Mawn queens”, Chief Stella Ntui Arhewoh from the Federal Republic of Nigeria who also moonlights as Second Vice President said, describing how Dr Patience Abangma had challenged attempts aimed at destroying the image of the Manyu Women’s International Association.

Speaking exclusively to Cameroon Concord News, Nyene Mawn’s new strong woman Lady Maureen Tabe said “We’re not going to screw Mami Abangma’s legacy up; we’re going to make sure that we use her leadership style and use our majority following to transform Nyene Mawn and attract quality membership not quantity.”

Whether Nyene Mawn achieves its goals for the female child in Manyu Division in Cameroon remains to be seen. But what’s clear from Paris 2025 is that Nyene Mawn queens are now strong and growing in confidence.

At the gala night on Saturday evening animated by renowned Manyu artist Etando Moh Manyu, Soter Agbaw-Ebai caught up with the President General Maureen Tabe and pressed the new leader on a range of Nyene Mawn matters, including plans to recover the embezzled funds, the indefinite suspension of the dodgy seven and also the key issue of developmental projects back home.

According to Soter Agbaw-Ebai, Nyene Mawn’s new leader was able to provide strong assurance on the issues, and a discussion with our editor showed that Nyene Mawn finally emerged stronger and united than expected.

“I’ll put my hands up any day, any time and say I was one of the Nyene Mawn queens who fought tooth and nail to preserve the image of the Manyu Women’s International Association,” Queen Regina AyukEtah, First Vice President from the Kingdom of Belgium said, explaining that Paris 2025 has given birth to a new spirit in Nyene Mawn.

Inside business day at the Nyene Mawn Residential Convention

Lady Collect Tambeagbor, Nyene Mawn’s Communication Secretary predictably, spoke about getting Nyene Mawn building bridges with other Manyu women groups both at home and abroad.

Another issue that did not receive a clear answer from delegates was why Nyene Mawn decided to suspend the seven members indefinitely instead of the agreed dismissal as recommended by the general assembly.

Lady Priscillia Morand, the new Secretary General of Nyene Mawn spoke in strong terms about the importance of moving the association forward, explaining that Nyene Mawn should not be over reliant on its members in Europe but needed to tap into the Nyene Mawn worldwide diversity.

Support for the girl child in Manyu was also a theme in the residential convention discourse during the AGM, which saw a huge number of Nyene Mawn queens come together. Speaker after speaker gave barnstorming speeches at the AGM.

Many in Paris called for Nyene Mawn to empower its chapters in Cameroon if it wanted to fulfil its pledge to ensure growth across Manyu Division, and recognise this would not happen without transformative investment on the girl child project.

Conveniently, Nyene Mawn is currently trying to rebuild again on its image and finances.

11, August 2025

Cameroon concludes AI training for indigenous people ⁰

Cameroon on Saturday concluded a weeklong training for indigenous people in artificial intelligence (AI) as part of activities to mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

Minister of Social Affairs Pauline Irene Nguene said the Central African nation is working to ensure that indigenous people benefit from the opportunities provided by the advent of AI.

“Indigenous people should not be left out in the changing world. It is their right to learn and apply AI. That is why this training contributes to the fight against social exclusion,” Nguene said in Yaoundé, the country’s capital, while awarding certificates at the end of the training.

Efforts are underway to establish a tiered AI education system to guide indigenous people in rural areas from foundational cognitive awareness to practical technological innovation, according to Cameroonian officials.

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is commemorated annually on Aug. 9, with this year’s theme being “Indigenous Peoples and AI: Defending Rights, Shaping Futures.”

By Miriam Metchane Ewang

9, August 2025

Biya regime seeks extradition of protesters after embassy demonstrations ⁰

Several people were arrested during protests outside Cameroonian embassies in Belgium and France. The demonstrations were a response to the Constitutional Council’s rejection of Maurice Kamto’s appeal.

In an August 5 statement, Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji said that “in accordance with current judicial cooperation agreements, these individuals will be brought before local courts or extradited to face justice in Cameroon with the full force of the law.”

In Belgium, police intervened to disperse protesters who tried to enter the Cameroonian embassy. They arrested several people suspected of belonging to the Anti-Sardinards Brigade.

On July 31, Minister of External Relations Lejeune Mbella Mbella had already reminded ambassadors in Yaoundé of the international obligation to protect diplomatic missions before the presidential election. He stressed “the strict enforcement of protection measures for personnel and diplomatic and consular buildings.”

This initiative aimed to prevent a repeat of the violence that occurred after the 2018 presidential election. At that time, members of the Cameroonian diaspora attacked several embassies, including the one in Paris, and assaulted the Cameroonian ambassador in Belgium.

In his statement, the minister of territorial administration reaffirmed “the unwavering commitment of public authorities to uphold the laws of the Republic in all places and under all circumstances.”

Source: Sbbc

9, August 2025

Hearing in Alice Nkom’s case postponed again ⁰

The Douala-Bonanjo Court of First Instance firmly adjourned the case against attorney Alice Nkom, Maximilienne Ngo Mbe, and the Central Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (Redhac) on August 5, 2025. This was the third hearing in a sensitive case being closely followed by human rights advocates.

The latest postponement was due to the absence of the Wouri senior divisional officer, Sylyac Marie Mvogo, whose presence is considered essential for the proceedings to begin. According to defense lawyer Charlotte Tchakounté, a firm adjournment means no further postponements will be granted at the next hearing, which is scheduled for October 6, 2025. “The senior divisional officer will have to appear, as he is the only one who can justify the charges brought against the two defendants,” she said.

Alice Nkom, who is the chair of Redhac’s board of directors, welcomed the decision. She believes her legal team’s arguments exposed inconsistencies in the public prosecutor’s case.

Redhac was suspended in December 2024 by Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji, who cited “illicit financing” and other unspecified allegations. The organization’s offices were sealed for three months, a move Nkom called “arbitrary.” In response, the human rights lawyer broke the seals, which led to a series of administrative and judicial summonses against her.

Source: Sbbc

4, August 2025

Cameroon is developing its road network ⁰

Cameroon’s paved road network is expanding fast, with over 1,000km being surfaced during this year. The investment in road development is having positive benefits for transport and the economy and at the end of December 2024, Cameroon had 10,575 km of paved roads, according to the Ministry of Public Works. Meanwhile, Cameroon’s road network has grown from 55,000km in 1984 to 121,873km at the end of 2024, reflecting the strong growth for transport.

Work for the road linking Ngaoundéré and Garoua will commence before the close of 2025. And a contractor has won the package of works to build the new link road into Douala, the country’s largest city, economic centre and key port. Specific dates for the commencement of these works have still to be announced.

Timelines for road contracts can vary according to the Ministry of Works, with the rainy season causing work to halt periodically.

New road links between Cameroon and neighbouring nations such as Nigeria, Chad and Gabon are further boosting the country’s trade and economic development. Nigeria’s coastal highway project linking Calabar with Lagos and the highway linking Lagos with Ivory Coast capital Abidjan, passing through Ghana, Benin and Togo, will further develop transport between Central Africa and West Africa.

Culled from globalhighways.com

30, July 2025

Cameroon’s natural wealth worth $222 billion ⁰

Cameroon’s natural capital is valued at $222.3 billion, or about 130,000 billion CFA francs, according to a recent African Development Bank (AfDB) report focusing on the country. This represents 39% of Cameroon’s national wealth and a 4.5% rise from the $212 billion estimated previously.

The World Bank’s 2025 report on Cameroon’s economic situation previously stated that national wealth consists of human, physical, produced, and natural capital. It assessed Cameroon’s natural wealth at 331,800 billion CFA francs.

The AfDB notes Cameroon’s natural capital includes renewable resources such as biodiversity-rich forests that are crucial for climate regulation and carbon sequestration. The country also has an estimated 12,000 megawatts of unexploited hydroelectric potential and significant solar potential, with an average insolation of 5.8 kWh per square meter per day, which favors clean energy production. Non-renewable natural capital comprises oil, natural gas, and mineral resources.

Despite this “significant potential, which constitutes a strategic lever for economic transformation and the achievement of sustainable development goals” in Cameroon, the AfDB observed that “the contribution of natural capital to the Cameroonian economy remains moderate, as its potential is underexploited.” The financial institution cited a decline in natural capital’s contribution to gross domestic product as proof. Natural capital rents fell from 6.5% of GDP in 2018 to 4.7% in 2020, reflecting a decline in the effective economic valuation of these resources, the AfDB reported.

The AfDB noted that the 4.5% increase in natural capital over 25 years conceals a marked relative degradation. Natural capital per capita sharply decreased by 47.9%, falling from $16,105 in 1995 to $8,392 in 2020, the AfDB reported. This decline primarily stems from increasing demographic pressure and unsustainable resource exploitation.

Source: Business in Cameroon

30, July 2025

Adamawa: How an American NGO is improving rural farmers’ access to modern agricultural technology ⁰

In an area where many families live off of small farms and as much as 30 percent of staples like fonio, maize, rice, sorghum, groundnuts, cowpea, cotton and yams rot before they get to market, a recent pilot in the Adamawa region has provided technical solution. As per MINADER’s May 2024 survey, fonio losses in Mayo‑Banyo averaged 28 percent; by July, 300 households in 15 rural farming areas reported a 25 percent cut back—some 1.2  tonnes of grain saved from rot.

At the heart of this improvement is AgriSafe, a non‑market Android forecasting tool born of collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the nonprofit Key Farmers Cameroon, and a small team of international volunteers. By combining daily inputs—such as grain moisture and ambient temperature—with Cameroon Meteorological Service forecasts, the app calculates spoilage risk and suggests the optimal window for drying, sealing or selling. Rather than high‑pressure marketing, farmers speak most of the outcomes: better timing for drying and sales that has already translated into steadier incomes.

Seventeen‑year‑old US volunteer Sid Mahajan spent more than 200 hours developing the mathematical engine of AgriSafe and leading hands‑on trainings. Local agronomist Marie‑Claire Tchatchoua then conducted field tests on groundnuts and cowpea, calibrating the models for dry‑season humidity surges.

Graduate of the University of Yaoundé I Grace Nche went village to village, taking feedback and simplifying menus so that women with low literacy levels could also follow preservation alerts. Data scientist Olivier Blackburn tuned the system’s machine‑learning module as real‑time readings flooded in, so that recommendations became increasingly reliable.

Tignère Cooperative Lead Pierre Tonzo reports that kind of knowledge revolutionized farmers’ interactions with the market. Surplus sorghum or maize used to rot unattended, for example; now villagers coordinate group sales during periods of minimal spoilage risk—and can compare prices from rival buyers. “Last month, our cowpea fetched 15 percent more than it usually does,” he reports.

Key Farmers Cameroon, established in 2004, supplied seed grants, solar chargers and French‑language guides but emphasizes that decision‑making is local. “We brought resources,” states Executive Director Christelle Ngassa, “but it’s farmers, extension agents and volunteers who determine the product’s future.” Logistics coordinator Jean‑Paul Mbuy managed device distribution and workshop scheduling.

To the future, then: MINADER’s Digital Innovation unit plans to introduce the product to 50 farming communities by early 2026, include localized voice prompts and bring in satellite‑based forecasting for rice and yams. For now, rural Adamawa citizens temper optimism with caution: data‑driven recommendations have saved thousands of kilograms of crops already, but long‑term success will come in transcending power and connectivity challenges to reach every farmer.

25, July 2025

7,000 Cameroonians face deportation as U.S. court backs Trump’s action ⁰

On Monday, a U.S. district judge lifted an earlier injunction that had blocked the administration from ending TPS protections for nationals of Cameroon and Afghanistan, effectively clearing the path for the implementation of Trump’s April directive to revoke their protected status.

According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, about 7,900 Cameroonians currently benefit from TPS. The court’s decision could compel them to return to a country still plagued by political unrest and violence, especially in the conflict-ridden Anglophone regions.

The ruling also affects approximately 14,600 Afghans, many of whom face similar risks amid ongoing insecurity in their home country.

In April, the Trump administration announced plans to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of Afghans and Cameroonians living in the United States, intensifying its sweeping immigration crackdown.

The Trump administration maintains that conditions in both Cameroon and Afghanistan have improved enough to justify ending the protections

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed the decision, which marks a significant shift in America’s humanitarian immigration policy.

TPS offers temporary legal status and protection from deportation to nationals of countries facing armed conflict or natural disasters. Cameroonians were granted this protection due to ongoing violence and a deepening humanitarian crisis in their country.

Following the announcement, more than 100 Democratic lawmakers urged top U.S. administration officials to reconsider, warning that ending TPS would force vulnerable immigrants back to “devastating humanitarian and economic conditions.”

Despite widespread opposition, the Trump administration maintains that conditions in both Cameroon and Afghanistan have improved enough to justify ending the protections, an assessment strongly contested by human rights groups and immigration advocates.

Critics argue the move not only endangers thousands of lives but also reflects a broader, hardline approach to immigration under President Trump’s renewed tenure.

Multiple advocacy groups have vowed to challenge the decision in court, raising concerns about safety, due process, and the erosion of the United States’ longstanding humanitarian commitments.

Source: Business Insider Africa