European Union sees Cameroon as a central partner in Africa ⁰

This month, the European Union marked 50 years of its delegation in Cameroon with a new book. Brussels calls Cameroon “a key player in European cooperation in Africa.” The statement highlights Yaoundé’s role in 1963, when it hosted the first free trade convention between the European Economic Community (EEC)-the EU’s predecessor–and 18 African states.

Walter Hallstein, the first President of the European Commission, praised this choice at the time. He said, “The fact that our friends from the Associated States have chosen Yaoundé is of symbolic value. In this city with its fraternal welcome, for which we too are deeply grateful, we understand and feel the difficult but peaceful and confident effort of an entire people to melt into the crucible of unity so many different races, religions and historical heritages – a fine symbol and fine example indeed for the whole of Africa”.

Hallstein’s words carry weight. Cameroon’s colonial past is complex. It was once a German protectorate and later governed by France and Great Britain. The country is often called “Africa in miniature” because it features all the continent’s geographical zones. It also hosts hundreds of tribes.

Beyond symbolism, Cameroon holds a strategic location. It sits at Africa’s center and the heart of the Gulf of Guinea. The book “50 years of the European Union delegation in Cameroon, a strategic partnership with Cameroon” explains: “Just independent since 1960, Cameroon was becoming a hub for trade and development in the region. Its location made it a natural link for cooperation between Europe and Africa.”

Source: Business in Cameroon