Cameroon Embassy Riyadh - Mise en page 1...2 NEWSLETTER OF CAMEROON EMBASSY IN RIYADH • Vol IV....

2 NEWSLETTER OF CAMEROON EMBASSY IN RIYADH • Vol IV. Issue I

Retrospective 2015

A publication of

Cameroon Embassy in Riyadh

P.O Box 94 336 Riyadh 11693.

Tel: +966 11 488 0022/ +966 11 488 0203

Fax: +966 11 488 1463 / +966 11 482 3520

Web site: www.ambacamsaudi.org

Email: [email protected]

CHAIRMAN/ PUBLISHER:

H.E. IYA TIDJANI

Ambassador

EDITORS:

Mrs Inna DJEINABOU

Chief of Communication CenterMrs Suzanne NLEPNA EOG

Communication Attaché

CONCEPTION & REALISATION

Damien KIDAH

Tel: +237 694 84 83 28

E D I T O R I A L 3

Taking up the security challenge

P R E S I D E N C Y

- Facts, pictures and dates 4- Audiences at Unity Palace 5- First Lady Chantal Biya named Ambassador of UNAIDS 7

P O L I T I C S

- ELECAM: a new management 8

C O M M U N I C A T I O N

TNT: imminent transition for Cameroonian TV channels 9

C U L T U R E

- Manu Dibango: Ambassador of the Francophonie in Rio 12

E N V I R O N M E N T

COP21: President Paul Biya Voices out the position of Central Africa 11

D O C U M E N T

Law N°2013/004 of 18 April 2013 to lay down private investment incentives in the Republic of Cameroon 12

E C O N O M Y

- The major structuring projects underway 14

D I P L O M A C Y O N T H E M O V E

- Wishes to Saudi Crown Princes 17- IDB: Cameroon honored at Maputo 18

I N S I D E T H E M I S S I O N

The Ambassador supports Cameroonian workers in Kuwait 21

R E G I O N A L N E W S

ISESCO: Yaounde, capital of Islamic culture for 2022 22

H A J & O U M R A

Mecca Stampede: Special help assistance of the Head of State to families 23

T O U R I S M

New tourist areas 24

S P O R T S

- They make Cameroon proud: Issa Hayatou and Kalkaba Malboum 26- Football: 2016-2019 African cup of nations Schedules 27

I M A G E G A L L E R Y 28

S u m m a r y

3NEWSLETTER OF CAMEROON EMBASSY IN RIYADH • Vol IV. Issue I

Edi tor ia lRetrospective 2015

2015 was marked in Cameroonby the safeguarding of the integrityof the national territory.

Indeed, in spite of the numerousincursions of the Central AfricanRepublic rebels on our territory withthe intention to perpetrate acts ofviolence against the populationssuch as hostage-taking, despite the

repeated attacks of Boko Haram and the suicide attacksof its members, the populations and defence and securityforces have been able to deal with all kind of terroristattacks.

Cameroon's armed forces continued to bravely fightagainst foreign attackers in the Far-North and Eastregions, along the border with Nigeria and Central AfricaRepublic respectively. A determination that the Head ofState, His Excellency Paul Biya, welcome in his addressto the nation on 31 December 2015, I quote: “Thecourage and professionalism of our forces and thecommitment and courage of our people have helped topreserve our territorial integrity. Not one centimetre ofour territory has been ceded to the aggressors. Betterstill, we have, on several occasions, inflicted seriousmilitary setbacks on them.” End of quote.

The preservation and security of the nationalterritory as well as the protection of populations andtheir goods, were made possible thanks to the differentpresidential measures adopted to establish a securitymechanism in localities attacked by rebels, but alsothanks to an intense diplomatic activity of theGovernment of Cameroon.

On 16 February 2015, Yaounde hosted theConference of Heads of State and Government of theCouncil for Peace and Security in Central Africa (COPAX),which focused on the adoption of a sub-regionalstrategy for the fight against Boko Haram. Thisextraordinary session came after the consultation ofHeads of State and Government of the EconomicCommunity of Central African States (ECCAS) that tookplace in Addis Ababa on 31 January 2015, on thesideline of the 24th ordinary session of the Conferenceof Heads of State and Government of the African Union.

Two months after the Yaounde Summit, the Headsof State and Government of member countries of ECCASand those of the Economy Community of West AfricanStates (ECOWAS) met on 8 April 2015 in Malabo todebate on a joint policy for the fight against the Islamicsect. Two Central African countries notably Cameroonand Chad and two West African countries namely Nigerand Nigeria, were directly concerned with the waragainst Boko Haram.

A joint multinational force in which Cameroondeployed 2450 additional soldiers on 14 August 2015,was set up and this included all countries of the LakeChad Basin Commission in conflict against Boko Haram.

At the regional level, the Chadian President, IdrissDeby expressed his solidarity with the people ofCameroon on 17 January 2015 through the deploymentof 1500 men alongside the Cameroon Armed forces.

As for the Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari,he paid an official visit to Yaounde on 29 July 2015 tomeet his Cameroonian Counterpart in order to build astrong regional alliance to fight against the Islamicgroup.

All through the year 2015, the support of theInternational Community was demonstrated throughfriendly countries like France, China, the United-States,Russia and Germany.

On 14 October 2015, the American President, BarackObama, decided to send 300 American Soldiers toCameroon to conduct military intelligence, monitoringand aerial surveillance activities within the frameworkof the fight against the Islamic Sect.

Russia also promised to provide Cameroon withmodern military equipment for the fight against BokoHaram. The announcement was made during anaudience granted by the Head of State, Paul Biya to H.E.Nikolay Ratsiborinskiy, Russian Ambassador to Yaounde,

In 2015, the defence of our territory and thepreservation of our sovereignty therefore resulted to abroad support by the international community and themobilisation of all the active forces in the fight againstBoko Haram.

Taking up the security challenge

By H.E. IYA TIDJANIAmbassador


Pres idencyRetrospective 2015

2015 will be remembered for Cameroon andCameroonians as a year of national securitychallenges with the scourge of terrorism towardspopulations and the exemplary stand of security

forces to wipe out those violent extremist groups.But also the just ended year could be markedas an active year, as Cameroon won vividdiplomatic victories.

Facts, pictures and dates

NOVEMBER 16 ,

The Head of State, His Excellency Paul Biya andMadam attended the 38th Unesco GeneralConference in Paris France. Cameroon scored many victories at this session.Professor Njoh Mouelle was elected as a memberof the Executive Board of UNESCO and theMinister of Basic Education Madam YoussoufHadidja Alim, representative of Cameroon atUNESCO, was chosen to head the committee onSocial and Human Sciences. Cameroon was alsoelected into the International InformationDevelopment Program of the Committee forBioethics and will continue to sit on the SocialTransformation Management Program.

NOVEMBER 30 ,

at the invitation of French President FrançoisHOLLANDE and UN Secretary General Ban KI-MOON, The Head of State His Excellency PaulBIYA attended the 21st UN conference on Climatechange in Paris. With high level delegation hejoined others world leaders to make Cameroon’sposition clear on this serious matter. The targetset by our country is to reduce our toxic gasemissions by 32% by 2035.

JULY 29 ,

At the invitation of His Excellency Paul Biya, thePresident of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, HisExcellency Muhammadu Buhari visitedCameroon from July 29-30 on an official visit.That important visit occurred in the preoccupyingcontext marked by the increase of suicideattacks perpetrated by the terrorist group, BokoHaram at both countries borders.For this security issues, both leaders expressedtheir common resolve and commitment toeliminate Boko haram within the regionalMultinational Joint Task Force of 8700 soldiersfrom Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Benin and Cameroon. Accompanied by a delegation of top Governmentofficials, the presidential visit was also anoccasion to strengthen historic and friendshipbrotherly ties between the two countriesthrough the Joint Commission for Cooperation,which covers all socio-economic anddevelopment sectors.His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari invited hisCameroonian counterpart His Excellency PaulBiya to pay a friendly and working visit toNigeria. The invitation was accepted withpleasure.

JULY 3 ,

At the invitation of His Excellency Paul Biya, HisExcellency François Hollande President of theFrench Republic paid a state visit to Cameroon

on 03 July 2015. The relationship betweenCameroon and France is special, and evensingular and deeply rooted in time. But it isalmost fifteen years since a President of theFrench Republic paid an official visit toCameroon.In his statement, President Hollande hailed

Cameroon as the symbol of Africa, with bothofficial languages (English and French) spokenand with all religions represented that enablesor should enable people to live in peace. He alsoconfirmed France’s cooperation with Cameroonto end Boko Haram’s threats in the country andin the region as well.

APRIL 13 , At the invitation of the President of the RepublicHis Excellency Paul BIYA, Mrs. Michaëlle Jean,

and Secretary General of the InternationalOrganization of La Francophonie paid an officialvisit to Cameroon. During her four day stay inCameroon (from 13-16 April 2015), the SecretaryGeneral of the International Organization of laFrancophonie had a very busy schedule. Amongother activities, she held meetings withCameroonian youths and women and also withbusiness persons. She also visited theFrancophonie University Agency and the IRIC(International Relations Institute of Cameroon).Mrs Michaelle Jean had been distinguished bythe award of a Doctorate Honoris Causa degreeby the University of Yaounde1. Also, the Headof State award her of the medal of Grand Officerof the Order of Valour, which was given to herat the end of the audience he granted her at theUnity palace. French language is the main linkbetween member countries of the InternationalOrganization of La Francophonie.

Source: www.prc.cm

Trips of the headof State abroad

Visit by top-Ranking personalities to Cameroon

NOVEMBER 13: The Director General of the External Security ofFrance received at Unity palace

Bernard Bajolet was received by the President of the Republic H.E. PaulBiya. France always affirmed its support to Cameroon in its war against BokoHaram with logical support training among others.

NOVEMBER 05: More intense cooperation with the United States of AmericaThe President of the Republic, H.E. Paul Biya granted audience to the

United States Ambassador to Cameroon, Michael Stephen Hoza, duringwhich they discussed security issues especially the mobilization of the 300American soldiers, sent to Garoua in the northern part to defendCameroonian territory.

NOVEMBER 02: Annick Girardin hails Cameroonians hospitalityThe visting French Secretary of State for Development and la

Francophonie was granted audience by the President of the Republic duringwhich she hails the hospitality of Cameroonian people towards nearly300.000 refugees from the Central African Republic. A very good exampleof “south-south” solidarity which deserves the support of the internationalcommunity. She also handed to the Head of State the invitation to the Cop21Climate summit to be held from 27to 30 November in Paris, France.

OCTOBER 16: Usafricom Commander at Unity palaceAudience to advance the partnership between Cameroon and the United

States of America in the fight against Boko Haram has been granted by thePresident of the Republic to General David Rodriguez, Commander of theUS-Africa Command. The audience was also attende by the US Ambassadorto Cameroon Michael Hoza.

OCTOBER 09: Chadian envoy at the Unity palaceThe President of the Republic granted audience to Mangaral Bante, the

director of Cabinet of President Idriss Deby Itno. The special envoy wasdispatched to hand over a sealed message to H.E. Paul Biya. Cameroon andChad are engaged on war with the terrorist group Boko Haram at theircommon border.

OCTOBER 07: Special Envoy from Equatorial Guinea received atUnity palace

The President of the Republic, H.E. Paul Biya granted audience toAgapito Mba Mokuy, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation ofEquatorial Guinea and Special of the president Teodoro Obiang NguemaMbasogo. The Special envoy who did not disclose the content of themessage he brought hail the highly cordial relation between Yaoundé andMalabo.

Source:www.prc.cm



Annick Girardin

General David Rodriguez

Audiences at Unity Palace

From February 15 to february16,Cameroon hosted the Extraordinary Summitof the Conference of heads of State andGovernment of the Council for Peace andSecurity in Central Africa (COPAX), devotedon the fight against terrorism, especiallyagainst Boko Haram terrorist group. Headsof state and several delegations attendedthe summit. The Heads of State whopersonally took part at the summit include,the host Cameroonian President, Paul Biya,the interim leader of the Central AfricanRepublic, Catherine Samba Panza, thePresident of Chad, Idriss Deby Itno, the Headof State of Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso,the President of Gabon, Ali Ben Bongo andleader of Equatorial Guinea, TheodoroObiang Nguema Mbazogo.

Important organizations like the AfricanUnion and the United Nations were allrepresented at the Yaoundé extraordinary

summit.The high level meeting which is

increasingly becoming a tradition in the subregion has been described by bothparticipants as historic and ground-breaking.

Whereas member states pledged the

sum of 50 billion CFA as support toCameroon and Chad in the ongoing fightagainst Boko Haram and called on allcountries, even those that are not affectedby terrorism, to come on board if the waragainst Boko Haram must be won.

Extraordinary COPAX Summit in Yaounde

- His Excellency Merzak BEDJAOUI,Algeria’s new Ambassador to Cameroon.

- H. E. Jalel SNOUSSI, theAmbassador of Tunisia to Cameroon

- H.E. Kunio OKAMURA, theAmbassador of Japan to Cameroon

- H.E. Jorge DE ORUETAPEMARTIN, the Ambassador of Spain to

Cameroon.The elaborate diplomatic ceremonies

confer full powers on the newAmbassadors to carry out their missions in

Cameroon. The ceremonies are also atestimony of the very friendly cooperationties between Cameroon and Algeria,Tunisia, Japan and Spain.

The new German Ambassador toCameroon, H.E. Holger MAHNICKE,before his appointment to Cameroon, wasa Head of Division at the German Ministryof Foreign Affairs.

Germany and Cameroon have strongcooperation ties that have lasted over 40years. Since independence, Germany hasalways supported the development effortsof Cameroon with contributions thatestimated at more than 906 million Euros,which is 595 billion Francs CFA. Cameroonis one of the 50 countries in the worldaround which German developmentcooperation is centred.

H.E. Vincent BADJI, Senegalese

Ambassador to Cameroon. Both countriesenjoy close friendly cooperation ties asthere is mutual respect and trust on bothsides. Though their embassy in Cameroonwas closed in 1994, it was re-opened inJuly 2007 and has been fully functionalsince then.

H.E. Hüsnü Murat ÜLKÜ, the newAmbassador to Turkey to Cameroon,served in Africa as the TurkishAmbassador to Burkina-Faso in 2013.

Diplomatic relations between the twocountries have been strong since theexchange of high level visits. It should berecalled that President Abdullah GÜL paidan official visit to Cameroon in 2010. Onhis part, President Paul BIYA went on aState visit to Turkey from 25 to 28 March2013. During these visits, Cameroon andTurkey signed several cooperationagreements in the domains of theeconomy, defence, communication anddiplomacy.



LETTERS OF CREDENCE

The Head of State HisExcellency Paul BIYAreceived letters ofaccreditation from theAmbassadors ofGermany, Senegal andTurkey.

November 12,

New Ambassadors fromAlgeria, Tunisia, Japanand Spain presented theirletters of accreditation tothe Head of State HisExcellency Paul BIYA,during four solemndiplomatic ceremonies atUnity Palace.

November 11,



Last June, First Lady Madam ChantalBiya was brilliantly appointed asSpecial Ambassador of UNAIDS. This

distinction was awarded on 1st June 2015in Yaoundé by the Executive Director of theUN Agency in the presence of the Presidentof the Republic, H.E. Paul Biya, during aceremony at the Unity Palace.

This was done in recognition of herwork of over twenty years in the fightagainst HIV/AIDS, especially with theestablishment of her non governmentalorganisation, African Synergies. Anotheraward that bears witness to theinternational recognition of herhumanitarian actions in favour of theunderprivileged, mothers and children.Unquestionably, this award will serve as acatalyst for the International ReferenceCentre Chantal Biya (IRCCB), that isspecialised in scientific research for thefight against HIV. Madam Chantal Biya, in

her new position, will contribute in raisingpublic awareness of the programmes aimedat preventing new HIV infections in children

and will promote access to antiretroviraltreatment for women and children livingwith HIV.

DISTINCTION

First Lady Chantal Biya Designated AppointedAmbassador of UNAIDS

LETTERS OF CREDENCE

The Head of State HisExcellency Paul BIYAreceived the Ambassadorsof Korea and China and theHigh Commissioner ofCanada to Cameroonduring separate elaborateceremonies at Unity Palace.The colourful diplomaticceremonies mark the officialbeginning of duties for theHeads of Diplomatic Missionaccredited to Yaoundé.

xxxxx

January 06,

- H.E. LIM JAE-HOON received militaryhonors in the courtyard of Unity Palace beforemeeting the Head of State to whom hehanded the letters appointing him as Korea’sAmbassador to Cameroon.

- H.E. Rene CREMONESE, the Canadian

High Commissioner to Cameroon was next inturn, and the same pomp and pageantrydisplayed by the band of the PresidentialGuard was also accorded to him the handingof his credentials to President Paul BIYA.

- H.E. WEI WENHUA the new Chinese

Ambassador to Cameroon, who arrived thecountry the same day, then finalized theaccreditation ceremonies by accomplishingthe same rituals that his colleagues wentthrough.

On 21 July, the Head of State, H.E. PaulBiya, appointed Abdoulaye Babale atthe helm of the General Management

of Elections Cameroon (Elecam). ElectionsCameroon is the body in charge of themanagement of elections in Cameroon.

The newly appointed Manager whoreplaces Mr Mohaman Sani Tanimou, hasbeen working in ELECAM since 2008 asmember of the electoral Council.

Abdoulaye Babale is a native of Maroua,in the Far-North Region of Cameroon. He isa Muslim of 73. He is also an administratorof posts and telecommunications. His termof office in Elecam is set at five years.

The term of office of six members of theElecam electoral Council were renewed bythe President of the Republic during theprevious year. These include: His LordshipWatio Dieudonné, Mrs Tsanga Delphine,Messrs Titi Nwel Pierre, Tiku TambeChristopher, Nsangou Issofa, MohamadouBoubakar.

On 29 September, upon proposal of thenew Managing Director of Elections

Cameroon, The Chairperson of theElecam electoral Council, SamuelFonkam Azu'u, proceeded with theappointment of some regionaldelegates, officials of supportstructures of the Elecam GeneralManagement and heads ofdivisional agencies.

In 2015, Elecam opted to scale-up voter registration campaign onelectoral rolls by choosing to reachout to citizens.

A charm offensive thatinvolves the organisation oftravelling caravans throughout thecountry, especially, in markets,churches, football stadia and anyother place likely to mobilise agood number of people to registeron electoral rolls before closing ofregistration because in accordancewith the law, registration runsfrom 1st January to 31st Augustevery year, whether there areelections or not.


Pol i t icsRetrospective 2015

ELECAM

A new management team in 2015

Abdoulaye Babale, General Management of Elections Cameroon (Elecam).

On 27 July 2015, H.E. Paul Biya, theNational President of the CameroonPeople's Democratic Movement

(CPDM), the ruling party, signed a circularrelating to the renewal the executives of theparty's basic organs and its specialisedorganisations.

These operations took place from 1stAugust to 10 December 2015 throughout thenational territory and abroad. It was intendedto enhance the ownership of democracy bymilitants, as well as to enable basic structuresto benefit from new and innovative energiesnecessary for the essential optimisation oftheir functioning.

It is against this backdrop that the NationalPresident of this political party instructed thatcandidates to executive position should "fulfilconditions relating to residence, activism,commitment, efficiency, competency, morality,

patriotism, experience, seniority, civic-mindedness and discipline".

In fact, the CPDM needs faithful and loyalmen, women and youths of convictionselflessly committed to the service of the Partyin the interest of the Nation and officialssuitable to foster and promote the freshimpetus and dynamism given to the party bythe Third Ordinary Congress held from 15 to 16

September 2011.CPDM was created on 24 March 1985. Its

militants are at the head of the major Stateinstitutions. It enjoys a large majority in boththe Senate (82 out of 100) and the NationalAssembly (153 out of 180). It also controls mostof the municipal Councils out of the 360municipalities of the country.

CPDM congress.

CPDM

New-lookbasic organs

Faced with thecompetition ofinternational channelsthat have « cornered »Cameroonian TV viewers,national channels expectto regain the local publicthanks to the offer of apackage of variedchannels.

In this respect, a consultation was held forthe establishment of the first package ofchannels via the TNT and the

development of a national guide for theproduction of heritage contents took placein Yaounde, from 04 to 06 August 2015. TheCameroon Digital Television Project(CAM-DTV), which is the committee responsible forthe implementation of digital television inCameroon, initiated this event.

During the consultation meetings, theCAM-DTV Chairman, Louis-Paul MOTAZE,recommended the participants made up of

civil society representatives and operatorsof the audiovisual sector, responsible fordefining eligibility criteria of TV channels,their contents and their specialities, to strivefor a digital migration that comply with therequirements of the InternationalTelecommunication Union, but mostespecially that focus on the development ofaudio-visual content compatibles with the

Cameroonian culture. In April 2015, during the establishment

of an adequate legal framework for theproduction of audiovisual contents, theGovernment of Cameroon set this number at30, the minimum number of channels to offerin the first package, so that at least 75% ofthe population could have access to basicTNT services.


Communicat ionRetrospective 2015

TNT

Imminent transition for Cameroonian TV channels

The Minister of Communication, Issa Tchiroma Bakary during a press conference.

Public chanelCameroun RadioTelevision (CRTV)

Privates chanels- Canal 2

International - Canal 2 Infos

- Canal 2 Musique- Camer movies- STV- Boom TV- Ariane TV- Equinoxe TV- TV Max- DBS

- Vision 4- New TV- Africa TV- L.T.M TV- canal2 zebra- SAMBA TV- T.L- Afrique Média

A flourishing audiovisual landscape The Cameroonian televisual landscape, mostly intended for a general public,basically offers talk-shows, magazines and TV news. Some of these channelsare present over the Internet. Created in 1985, CRTV is the only Camerooniangovernment general TV channel and for a long time, was the only TV channel inthe country.

The CameroonianMusician will be a "GrandTémoin de laFrancophonie" during thenext olympic games.

Madam Michaelle Jean hasassigned Manu Dibango withthe mission of "Grand Témoin

de la Francophonie" for the Olympic andParalympics Games of Rio in Brazil in2016.

Manu Dibango whose real name isEmmanuel N'Djoke Dibango, is atalented Cameroonian saxophonist,author of the renown song “SOULMAKOSSA” repeated by the Americanssingers Micheal Jackson and Rihana.

The Francophonie Secretary Generalbacked-up this choice by the immensecreativity potential of the Cameroonianartist and also by his great listening

quality and his commitment in theservice of the dialogue of cultures.

The role of Manu Dibango during theforthcoming olympic games shall consist

in ensure conformity with rule 23 of theOlympic Charter, which stipulated thatEnglish and French are the officiallanguages of the Olympic Games.

The Great Manu will also be incharge of establishing high levelcontacts with Brazilian authorities, theInternational Olympic Committee (IOC),the Rio 2016 Organising Committee forthe Olympic Games (RJOCOG);Representatives of State andgovernment members of laFrancophonie, of its operators and theFrench Speaking countries olympicmovement.

During the sporting event, ManuDibango will make sure that thelinguistic services offered to athletes,officials, journalists and the generalpublic will actually be in French.

He will also support culturalinitiatives and special events thatpromote sporting talents and thefrancophone cultural diversity.

The Cameroonian musician is the 7thGrand Témoin de la Francophonie. Hesucceeds the Permanent Secretary of theFrench Academy, Hélène Carrèred'Encausse (Sotchi Games).

The Cameroonian was elected to theExecutive Board of UNESCO duringthe 38th session of the General

Conference of this Agency held lastNovember in Paris, France. ProfessorEbenezer Njoh Mouelle had earlier servedin this institution between 1995 and 1999.At 77, Prof. had retired from theCameroonian civil service where he heldhigh offices among which the functions of:Director of the Yaounde Higher Teacher'sTraining College; Technical Adviser at thePresidency of the Republic and Minister ofCommunication. The Executive Board ofUNESCO is composed of 58 memberselected amongst member states for a 4-year-term.

CULTURE

Prof. Ebenezer Njoh Mouelle electedto the Executive Board of UNESCO

Manu Dibango with Michaelle Jean


CultureRetrospective 2015

MANU DIBANGO

Ambassador of the Francophonie in Rio


Envi ronmentRetrospective 2015

Africa emits only 4% of allthe greenhouse gases ofthe planet, yet she is themain victim of the effectsof global warming.

In his speech at the rostrum of the 21stsession of the Paris Conference on ClimateChange on 30 November 2015, President

Paul Biya sounded the alarm and proposedsome concrete and sustainable solutions forthe future of the African continent. Acontribution that was structured through thefollowing major strands::

- the promotion of green energies, whichcurrent production stands only at 5%,through the sustainable management offorests.

- the restoration of Lake Chad, threatenedby desertification, which have reduced90% of its initial surface in only onedecade;

- and the emergency management of theCongo Basin Forests, which are the"second lung of the planet".

Cameroon, for its part, a lower emitter ofgreenhouse gases, plans to reduce carbonfootprint by 32% by 2035.

These special initiatives of the Presidentof the Republic perfectly coincided with themain issues discussed during the Mini-Summitentitled "Climate Change and AfricanSolutions", organised alongside the Summit byFrance.

At this rostrum, the Head of State ofCameroon and his Africans peers also drew theattention of the international community on thecorrelation between climate change and theemergence of terrorist groups. To evidence this

assertion, countries like Chad, Niger,Democratic Republic of Congo and CentralAfrican Republic are all found in areas amongthe most vulnerable to short-term climatechange.

In a nutshell, France pledged to disburse 2billions euros by 2020 to accompany namely:the African initiative project for renewableenergies, the development of the Niger riveras well as the resumption of the "Great GreenWall" aimed at limiting from East to West,between Djibouti and Senegal, the spread ofthe desert in sub-saharian Africa.

COP21

President Paul Biya Voices out the position ofCentral Africa

The Head of State pleads for Africa.

The speech of the Head of State. « The major problem is financing » said Paul Biya.

The Head of State during the mini-Summit. The Head of State congratulated by his peers.


documentRetrospective 2015

The National Assembly deliberated and adopted, the President of theRepublic hereby enacts the law set out below:

PART IGENERAL PROVISIONS

SECTION 1.- (1) This Law lays down private investment incentives in theRepublic of Cameroon, applicable to Cameroonian or foreign natural orlegal persons, whether or not established in Cameroon, conductingbusiness therein or holding shares in Cameroonian companies, with a viewto encouraging private investment and boosting national production. (2) This law seeks to facilitate, promote and attract productive investmentin order to develop activities geared towards strong, sustainable andshared economic growth as well as job creation.

SECTION 2.- (1) This Law shall apply to investment operations relatingto the creation, extension, renewal, asset re-structuring and/or conversionof businesses; (2) Any investor seeking to obtain the incentives provided for under thisLaw be bound to comply with all applicable laws and regulations. (3) This Law not be applicable to investments in sectors governed byspecial instruments, in particular the upstream oil, mining and gas sectors,as well as those under the general partnership contracts regime.

SECTION 3.- For the purposes of this Law and regulatory instrumentsarising there from, the following definitions shall apply: - “Force majeure”: any external, unpredictable event that is

beyond the control of the parties, whose occurrence makes itimpossible for the party under an obligation to fulfill such obligation;

- “Economic difficulties”: unpredictable circumstances which, whilenot rendering the implementation of the project impossible,significantly affects it;

- “Export”: transaction consisting in selling or dispatchingproducts, goods and services outside the national economic area;

- “Incentives”: special benefits granted resident or non-residentnatural or legal person, to promote and/or develop a given activity;

- “Input”: item used in producing a semi-finished or finished product(raw material, labour etc.)

- “Investment”: asset held and/or acquired by an investor (company,shares, equity, bonds, monetary claims, intellectual property rights,contractual rights, rights conferred by laws and regulations, any othertangible or intangible movable or immovable property, all relatedownership rights);

- “Investor”: resident or non-resident Cameroonian or foreign naturalor legal person that acquires assets in the conduct of business forprofit;

- “Establishment phase”: period not exceeding 5 (five) years duringwith the infrastructure and facilities essential for setting up aproduction unit are built;

- “Operation phase”: period during which production activities areeffectively carried out, which starts to run;

(a) For new investors, automatically, upon or before the end of theestablishment phase, once marketing or sale of products begins, asascertained by a joint Order of the ministers in charge of privateinvestment, finance and trade; for enterprises already established inCameroon and caring out new investments, once the said investmentsbecome operational as ascertained by a joint Order of the ministersin charge of private investment, finance and trade;

(b) For enterprises already established in Cameroon and caring out newinvestments, once the said investments become operational asascertained by a joint order of the ministers in charge of privateinvestment, finance and trade;

(c) “Value added”: creation or increase in value of goods and servicesfrom other sources by an enterprise in carrying out day-to-dayprofessional activities. It is calculated as the difference between theproduction of the period plus the gross profit on goods, and theconsumption of goods and services supplied by others for suchproduction.

PART II COMMON INCENTIVES

SECTION 4.- Any investor whose activities are in compliance with thelaws and regulations in force and who meets one of the criteria belowmay enjoy the benefits provided for by this law: - Employ, during the operational phase and according to the size of the

enterprise and sector, at least a Cameroonian by tranche rangingbetween 5 000 000 (five million) CFA francs and 25 000 000 (twenty-five million) CFA francs of planned investments, as applicable:

- Annual exports of 10% of turnover, net of taxes; use local naturalresources of 10% to 25% of the value of inputs; contribution to valueadded of 10% to 30% of turnover, net of taxes.

CHAPTER 1 - TAX AND CUSTOMS INCENTIVES

SECTION 5.- Incentives shall be granted to investors during theestablishment and operation phases.

SECTION 6.- The investor shall enjoy the following benefits duringestablishment phase, which may not exceed 5 (five) years, with effect fromthe date of issuance of the approval: - Exemption from stamp duty on establishment or capital increase; - Exemption from stamp duty on the ease if immovable property used

exclusively for professional purposes that from an integral part of theinvestment programme;

- Exemption from transfer taxes on the acquisition of immovableproperty, land and

- Buildings essential for the implementation of the investmentprogramme;

- Exemption from stamp duty on contracts for the supply of equipmentand construction of buildings and installations essential for theimplementation of their investment programme;

- Full deduction of technical assistance fees in proportion to the amountof the investment made, calculated on the basis of the total amount ofthe investment;

- Exemption from VAT on the provision of services related to theexecution of the project and obtained from abroad,

- Exemption from stamp duty on concession contracts; - Exemption from business license tax; - Exemption from taxes and duties on all equipment and materials related

to the investment programme; - Exemption from VAT on the importation of equipment and materials; - Immediate removal of equipment and material related investment

programme during clearance operations.

SECTION 7.- (1) The investor may, during the operation phase, which maynot exceed 10 (ten) years, according to the scale of investment andexpected economic returns, as applicable, enjoy exemptions from orreductions of payment of the following taxes, duties and other fees: - Minimum Fee; - Corporate tax; - Tax on profit; - Stamp duty on loans, borrowings, overdrafts, guarantees: increase,

reduction, corporate capital repayment and liquidation, or any transferof activities, real profit Ownership or usufruct, leases or shares;

Law N°2013/004 of 18 April 2013 to lay down private investment incentives in the Republic of Cameroon


documentRetrospective 2015

- Tax on income from movable assets during the distribution of incomein the form of dividends or other from to be specified in the agreement;

- Special income tax (SIT) on sums paid to foreign companies for servicesrendered or used in Cameroon during the project design and executionphases, provided that they are billed at cost price;

- Taxes, registration and stamp duties on the transportation of processedproducts;

- Customs duties as well as all other fees and service taxes on theimportation of all types of equipment, building materials, tools, spareparts, intermediate products, supplies and consumables which do nothave locally manufactured equivalents, save for duties, taxes and othernon-tax fees deemed to be a service fee;

- Duties on the exportation of construction and processing plantequipment;

- Any tax, duty or charge of any kind that is calculated on the basis ofthe turnover realized by the processing company;

- Any tax on the transfer, purchase or sale of Foreign currency andany indirect consumer tax, including the special tax on petroleum products. (2) The investor may also enjoy the following benefits: - deferral of deficits after five years, with effect from that of their

occurrence; - exemption from duties, taxes, fees and fees on the importation of

capital goods intended and used for the investment programme. (3) After the expiry of the period referred to in Section 7 (1) above, theinvestor shall automatically be subject to ordinary law.

SECTION 8.- (1) Any investor may benefit from a tax credit provided heor she meets one of the following criteria employs at least 5 (five)graduates each year; - combats pollution; - develops public interest activities in rural areas.

SECTION 9.- Notwithstanding the benefits provided for in Section 7above, the investor shall be subject to the payment of fees, taxes, dutiesand any other fees for service rendered. Such service charges shall begenerally applicable and proportional to the cost of the service rendered.

SECTION 10.- The rules for the assessment an collection of company taxshall be those provided for, with regard to company tax, by the accountingand tax legislation en fore in the Republic of Cameroon, subject tocontractual provisions tat may contain special depreciation de provisionsrules.

SECTION 11.- On account of the duly assessed importance of the project,the state may, as a special measure, extend the benefit of some tax andcustoms exonerations to shareholders, promoters and the investor’s localco-contractions through contractual agreements.

CHAPTER II - FINANCIAL AND ADMINSTRATIVE INCENTIVES

SECTION 12.- (1) The investor shall subject to the exchange rate regimeof the Republic of Cameroon. (2) Subject to the fulfillment of the obligations incumbent on him, notablywith respect to the exchange rate regime and the tax legislation, theinvestor may enjoy the following benefits: - the right to open in Cameroon and abroad local and foreign currency

accounts and to carry out transactions on such accounts; - the right to freely each and keep abroad funds acquired or borrowed

abroad, and to freely use such; - the right to freely cash keep abroad income their transaction dividends

and proceeds of any kind from capital invested, as well as proceedsfrom the liquidation or sale of their assets;

- the right to directly pay abroad non-resident suppliers of goods andservices essential for conduct of business;

- free transfer of dividends and proceeds from the sale of shares in caseof disinvestment.

(3) With respect to foreign staff employed by the investor and resident inthe Republic of Cameroon, they shall enjoy free conversion and free

transfer to their country of origin of all or part of amounts due them, subjectto prior payment of various taxes and social security contributions to whichthey are liable in compliance with the regulations in force.

SECTION 13.- The Government shall institute facilities necessary for: - the establishment of a specific visa and a reception counter at all

airports throughout the national territory for investors, subject to theirpresentation of a formal invitation from the body in charge ofinvestment promotion of Small and Medium sized Enterprise (SMEs);

- the issuance of the above-mentioned specific visa in all of Cameroon’sdiplomatic or consular representations;

- the issuance of residence and work permits to expatriate staff involvedin any investment project and holding a contract of employment for aperiod exceeding two years;

- the issuance of environmental compliance certificates with respect tothe investment projects concerned;

- the issuance of land tiles and long-tem leases.

PART IIISPECIFIC INCENTIVES

CHAPTER 1 - PRIORITY SECTORS

SECTION 14.- In addition to the above-mentioned incentives, specificincentives may be provided to enterprises which carry out investmentsthat contribute to the attainment of the following priority objectives; - Development of agriculture, fisheries, livestock, and plant, animal or

fishery product packaging activities; - Development of tourism and leisure facilities, social economy and

handicraft; - Development of housing, including social housing; - Promotion of agro-industry, manufacturing industries, industry,

construction materials, iron and steel industry, construction, maritimeand navigation activities;

- Development of energy and water supply; encouragement of regionaldevelopment and decentralization;

- The fight against pollution and environmental protection; - Promotion and transfer of innovative technologies and research and

development; - Promotion of exports; - Promotion of employment and vocational training.

SECTION 15.- Any enterprise intending to carry out investments thatcontribute to the achievement of the above mentioned priority objectivesmay, as appropriate, benefit from the following common incentives: - Exemption from VAT on investment programme loans; - Exemption from land tax on built-on and non-built-on estates on the

site dedicated to the processing plant and of all immovable propertyextensions by use thereof;

- Direct goods clearance at the request of the investor; fixed registrationfee;

- Special temporary admission of industrial equipment and materialslikely to be reexported.

SECTION 16.- Enterprises engaging in export operations shall, in theconduct of their business, benefit from: - Exemption from export duties on locally manufactures products; - The inward-processing regime provided for by the Customs Code.

CHAP II - DEVELOPMENT OF EXISTING ENTERPRISES

SECTION 17.- Any existing and operating enterprise carrying out aninvestment programme aimed at production capacity extension, assetsrenewal or performance enhancement may, for a period not exceeding 5(five) years, benefits from the common incentives referred to in Section 7of this law, where such investment programme ensures increase inproduction of goods and services or in Cameroonian staff strength by atleast 20%.

Cameroon envisages to increase the electricityproduction capacity of the Kribi gas-firedthermal power plant. This capacity increase

to 330MW should help reduce Cameroon's energydeficit.

The Kribi gas-fired thermal power plant, whichwas operational since March 2013 costed CFA 173billion francs for a current production capacity of216MW.

It includes amongst others the followingactivities: the development, construction andoperation of the natural gas-fired power plants,development and construction of 100 km of doublecircuit transmission line as well as relatedinfrastructures.

The Kribi gas-fired thermal power plant


EconomyRetrospective 2015

The major structuring projects underway

In its determination to become anemergent country in 2035, the CameroonGovernment for several years now has

implemented a growth and employmentstrategy by proposing an economicdevelopment based on several structuringprojects.

The Head of State, H.E. Paul Biya hasalways made known his determination tosolve the energy deficit by giving a

significant impetus to the construction ofhydroelectric dams.

The Memve’ele dam whose total coststands at CFA 420 billion francs is jointlyfinanced by the State of Cameroon, EximBank China and the African DevelopmentBank (ADB). This dam is going to increase by201 megawatts the energy offer inCameroon.

The Lom Pangar Storage Dam was

launched in August 2012 in the East Region.This gigantic project generated a total costof CFA 238 billion francs. Thanks to itsreservoir of six billion m3, this dam is goingto regulate the flow of river Sanaga and inmedium term, increase the productioncapacity downstream on the Edea andSongloulou power plants or those to be built.

The Memvele'e dam will becommissioned between 2016 and 2017.

The hydroelectric dams

The Memve’ele dam

Panoramic look at some of the said projects'structuring' initiates in Cameroon as part of

2035 vision to globally assess their level ofexecution.

The New highway that stretches ona distance of 215 km will linkYaounde, the political capital, to

Douala, the economic city. It will helpreduce the travelling time and enhanceinternational transit.

Given its geographical position,Cameroon is the favourite transit pointfor Central Africa landlocked countries.The important stretch of road isCameroon and Central Africa ever firsthighway. The conduct of this project willhelp improve the road alignment andquality, as well as road security.

The ongoing first phase of the workswill be restricted to the construction ofthe first 80 kilometres between Yaoundeand the locality of Bot Makak in theCentre Region and this will cost CFA 284billion francs.

The Yaounde-Douala Highwaythermal power plant

The Kribi Deep Sea Port is aninvestment of US 480 milliondollars (CFA 240 billion francs)

financed by China and the State ofCameroon. By 2040, this port envisagesthe development of a port infrastructureincluding 20 terminals over 6.5kilometres of quay length able to process100 million tonnes of goods per year.

In addition to general facilities, theport includes containers andmultipurpose terminals. Other terminalsfor aluminium, hydrocarbons andliquefied natural gas were constructedin 2015.

The first phase of the constructionworks of the Kribi Industrial-PortComplex, in a seaside city of the SouthRegion of Cameroon, is over 96%completed.

On the Mboro site, located at aboutthirty km away from Kribi, the quays areready. The first four gantries areinstalled. They can unload weightsranging from 25,000 to 61,000 tonnes.

Storage areas are available and theconstruction of administrative buildingsis being finalised.

On 8 July 2014, the "Val Paraiso"vessel having on board two tugs named

"Roi Madola" and "Roi Mayesse", cameto the Atlantic Ocean coastline atMboro, thus signifying compliance withthe project first phase activities'calendar.



The Kribi Deep Sea Port

The National Day for socialeconomic took place on 14October 2015 at theYaounde Conference Hallunder the patronage of thePrime Minister, Head ofGovernment, PhilemonYang.

Organised by the Minister of Small andMedium-Size Enterprises, SocialEconomy and Handicrafts, the second

edition of these days was holding under thetheme: "coaching and supporting policies forsocial economic organisations andenterprises".

After assessing the SME sector andestablishing a diagnostic of stakeholdercomplaints in 2013, the purpose of the 2015meeting was to review the policies and publicactions to support structures of the socialeconomic sector.

Thank to this activity, the Ministry of Smalland Medium-Size Enterprises, Social Economyand Handicrafts wanted to harmonisegovernmental interventions in a bit to ensure

a better support. The majority of stakeholdersfrom this sector come from the informal sector.

Social economic is a socio-economicconstruction that include organisations andenterprises that advocate a economy based onvalues and a method of collective anddemocratic governance. According to theMINPMEESA, organisations that fall withinthis sector are both true job creators andcatalysts of the use of available local resourcesas well as source of mobilisation of localstakeholders around projects in the service ofcommunity development.

Government efforts relating to theorganisation of social economic areperceptible. The following constitutes concreteillustrations: the Cameroon Bank for SME (BCPME S.A.) and SME's Promotion Agency(APME). Among other support measures, werethe award during 2015 of CFA 830 millionfrancs to social economic organisations ofdecentralised territorial units and thepreparation of a Law on Social Economy.

However, there is still a structuringproblem and therefore, that of thecompetitiveness of Cameroonian SME's. Thedifficulties to access financing, lack of legalframework and intervention of manyintermediaries are obstacles to the

development of this sector. Thus, theimportance for Laurent Serge Etoundi Ngoa,Minister of Small and Medium-SizeEnterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts,to develop a collaboration mechanismbetween administrations and partners indevelopment. The organisation of these dayshas once again enable administrations, socialeconomy stakeholders and SME's to learnabout the importance of migrating frominformal to formal sector and the supportinstruments to the private sector and the re-organisation of craft workers.

In the margin of this event backgrounddiscussion, the second edition of NationalDays for Social Economy was also anopportunity to showcase the CameroonianKnow-How.

The Yaounde Conference Hall became animprovised trade fair in which visitors couldsee for themselves the wideness of thenatural resources in Cameroon andopportunities to create wealth by visiting thestands of rice farmers from the North,producers of oil and creams derived fromforestry products, craft workers andfishermen.



The trade fair known as "Yaoundé en fête",abbreviated Ya-fé, organised every yearin the Capital City, finally left the 20th

May Boulevard to the lower part of theYaounde Conference Hall on December 2015.

The 20th May Boulevard, place thatharbours most public displays, became toonarrow for this trade fair as a result of multipleregistration applications recorded every year.According to members of the organisationcommittee, the trade fair attracts economicoperators who hope to carry out good dealsand sell their products before the end of theyear.

At least 200 companies apply for a standevery year. Unfortunately, some of them couldnot have a stand due to lack of space.

Generally, Ya-fé offers several types ofstands. These include a commercial space, aspace reserved for games and leisures, as wellas a stage for musical and artisticperformances. This trade fair has become anannual meeting for small and medium-sizeenterprise promoters and other small trade

proprietors who put in display food products,cosmetic, textile, handicraft, etc.

Ya-fé was organised for the first time in2006 by the Interprogress foundation in

collaboration with the Yaounde Urban Council.This trade fair overshadowed all the othertrade fairs that were organised within thesame period every year.

TRAIDE FAIR

A larger site for "Yaounde en fête"

EVENT

Social Economic Day


Diplomacy on the MoveRetrospective 2015

Ambassador Iya Tidjaniexpressed his goodwishes to the Crown

Prince Mohammed Bin Naïfand the Deputy Crown PrinceMohammed Bin Salman on 31May 2015 in Djedda during aceremony that included thediplomatic corps accredited inSaudi Arabia.

Wishes to SaudiCrownPrinces

Cameroon at the Saudi Fundfor Development

From 23 to 27 October 2015, MrMohamadou Lawam led a technicalmission of the Ministry of Economy,

Planning and Regional Development to theSaudi Fund for Development in Riyadh fornegotiations on a draft loan agreement

aimed at financing the construction worksof the Akwa Government Technical HighSchool, Douala (US $10 million) and theconstruction works of the Olama-Kribiroad, the Olama - Grandzambi stretch ofroad (US $ 12 million).

With the second Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Minister of Defence.

The Cameroonian delegation with officials of the Saudi Fund for developement.

OIC meeting ofIntergovernmental ExpertGroup was occured on 18March 2015 in Djeddah.

H.E. Iya Tidjani led the Camerooniandelegation to this meeting aimed atexamining the new OIC programme of

action, which is a prospective paper, a roadmap to adhere to for all member countries ofthe Organisation during the next decade.

The interim text of the "2025-OIC" draftProgramme of Action was examined in detail,but has not yet been validated, and on 06 and07 May 2015 during another meeting of theIntergovernmental Experts Group summonedby the Secretary General of OIC, a decisionwas taken to report back to the Council ofForeign Affairs Ministers on 30 May 2015 inKuwait City.

The meeting held by this council sent backthe paper to experts who once again gatheredon 30 November 2015 at the OIC Headquartersin Djeddah.

Cameroon took part to 2025OIC programme of action

The participation of theCameroonian delegationled by H.E. Mr Iya Tidjani,Ambassador of Cameroonin Saudi Arabia, andAlternate Governor ofCameroon with the IDBGroup at the 40th annualmeeting of the board ofgovernors of this institution,was a success.

The growing interest of the IslamicDevelopment Bank in Cameroon has onceagain been materialised by the many

laurels earned during the 40th meeting ofGovernors of the institution that held from 7 to11 June 2015 in Maputo, Mozambique.Cameroon obtained new financings, an Awardfor medical research and the participation ofthe Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and AnimalIndustries at an Exhibition.

In fact, the Board of Executive Directors ofthe Islamic Development Bank (IDB) grantedCameroon a combined loan of US $30.42million, for the financing of the 2nd phase ofthe integrated rural development project ofMont Mbappit.

The IDB also approved a donation of US $0.259 million for Cameroon, in order to coverpart of the feasibility study for thedevelopment of Inclusive GreenEntrepreneurship and Value Chains of ModelForests in Cameroon.

Moreover, Cameroon obtained an Award inthe field of science and technology, thanks tothe Filariasis and other Tropical DiseasesResearch Center (CRFilMT), awarded toprofessor Kamgno Joseph.

A project of the Cameroonian Ministry ofLivestocks, Fisheries and Animal Industries oninnovative techniques on fish breeding as wellas on caged breeding and intensive breedingwere selected by the IDB for an exhibition,which was holding alongside the works of theBoard of Governors.

Alongside the works of the 40th session,the Cameroonian delegation held a meetingwith some officials of the Moody credit ratingAgency, which initiated a analytical paper onthe competitiveness of the economy of ourcountry.

Ambassador Iya Tidjani and the membersof his suite also met with Mr Kamal Mahmoud,

the Director of Operations Department of theArab Bank for Economic Development in Africa(BADEA).

After discussing on the evolution of theconstruction works of the Bikoula - Djoum roadstretch, the two parties, together with theSaudi Fund for Development agreed on theneed to audit the selection process of thecompany that shall carry out the constructionworks.

The Cameroonian delegation finally had ameeting with officials of the InternationalIslamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC)

concerning the construction of a turret inYaounde initiated by the Electricity SectorRegulatory Agency. The project that hasactually slowdown will resume in the daysahead.

In short, the participation of Cameroonto the works of the 40th session of the IDBBoard of Governors has enabled itsdelegation to strengthen the excellentcooperation relationship that exist betweenthe IDB Group and Cameroon as well as withBADEA and the Saudi Fund for Development.

The 13th United NationsCongress on CrimePrevention and CriminalJustice was held from 12to 19 April 2015 in Doha,Qatar.

The Cameroonian delegation led by H.E.Iya Tidjani included Messrs HamadouSouley, Director of Criminal Affairs and

Pardons in the Ministry of Justice, Keeper ofthe Seals and Janvier Alima Atangana, SeniorOfficer in the Department of InternationalOrganisations and Decentralised Cooperationin the Ministry of External Relations.

The central theme of the Conferencefocused on “Integrating crime prevention andcriminal justice into the wider United Nationsagenda to address social and economicchallenges and to promote the rule of law atthe national and international levels, and publicparticipation”.

The final declaration recognised theimportance of strengthening crime preventionand criminal justice, and highlighting thecommitment and the political will of States toimplement strategies aimed at promoting therule of law. The paper also explains how theabsence of a social policy of crime preventionand the inefficiency of systems give leeway tocrimes, terrorism and violence, which are allobstacles to economic and social development.

IDB

Cameroon honoured at Maputo

MAPUTO - Board of Executive Directors of the IDB: With the President of Mozambique

Cameroon in favour of crime prevention and criminal justice


Diplomacy on the MoveRetrospective 2015


Ins ide the Miss ionRetrospective 2015

The Ambassador of Cameroon in SaudiArabia, H.E. Mr Iya Tidjani, received hisdiplomatic mission counterparts, all

Cameroonians living in the Saudi ArabiaCapital City as well as many guests last 21May 2015 to celebrate Cameroon's NationalDay.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia wasrepresented by Prince Faisal Bin Bandar,

Governor of the region of Riyadh. The reception ceremony began with the

singing of both the Cameroonian and SaudiArabian national anthems, followed by thewelcome speech of the Head of thediplomatic mission and the cutting of thecake, symbol of the friendly ties between thetwo countries. The ceremony ended with thesharing of Cameroonian dishes prepared for

this circumstance.A meal organised by Colonel Abba

Yagana, Defence Attaché of the MilitaryMission at the Embassy of Cameroon inRiyadh, was also offered on 24 May 2015 tothe Cameroonian community as well as tosome African Defence Attachés.

CELEBRATION

The national day in Riyad

The ambassador together with the Cameroonian community.

Few guests. Saudi authorities.

A mission of the Ministry of Financeled by Mrs Nguele Lucie and assisted byMessrs Bengono Moïse and NzekonNarcisse visited the Saudi Arabian capitalcity from 29 to 30 June 2015 to audit andcontrol the general pay office of theCameroon Embassy in Saudi Arabia. AfterRiyadh, the delegation of the Ministry ofFinance proceeded to the Consulate ofCameroon in Djedda.

They were accommodated in the embassy...The Ministry ofFinance

The General Manager of Camair-Co,Jean Paul Nana Sandjo, led a delegationto Riyadh from 03 to 05 August 2015 tonegotiate a partnership with Flynas, aSaudi company, to transport 4500Cameroonian pilgrims to the 2015 Hadj.

Camair Co

Mrs Dorothy Njeuma, member of theElecam electoral Board and her assistantMrs Endeley, made a working visit toRiyadh from 13 to 14 August 2015 withinthe framework of the follow-up of therevision of the electoral rolls.

Elections Cameroon



The members of the delegation of the Ministry of Finance with the Accountant of the Embassy.

The Ambassador with the delegation of ELECAM and members electoral committee of Riyadh

The ambassador with the delegation of Camair-Co

A mission conducted byH.E. Iya Tidjani reachedout to Cameroonians indifficulties in Kuwait.

Mr Ousmanou Koulagna, SecondSecretary in charge of ConsularAffairs at the General Consulate

of Cameroon in Djedda and Mr Issa AlhadjiAoudou, in charge of Consular Affairs inthe Embassy of Cameroon in Riyadh, wentfrom the 15 to 18 September in KuwaitCity to investigate the situation ofCameroonian Workers in Kuwait.

During their stay in Kuwait, the twoemissaries of the Embassy of Cameroonhad a working session with theCameroonian Association Office of Kuwaitas well as a meeting with theCameroonian community living in thiscountry.

The delegation later visitedCameroonians women detained in PoliceStations in the Kuwaiti capital. They alsomet those who seek refuge in the CentralAfrican Republic Embassy afterencountering various challenges in theirjob site. The representatives of theembassy also visited the Social centre ofthe Ministry of Labour and Social Affairsof Kuwait, which accommodates thirtydistress Cameroonian women. They finallymade a visit with the Kuwaiti police in therecruitment agencies accused of thesequestration of domestic workers.

The dispatch of a mission to Kuwait bythe Ambassador of Cameroon in SaudiArabia was in reaction to the differentcomplaints of Cameroonian women inKuwait as well as questionings via thepress, friendly foreign embassies or NGO'sestablished in Kuwait. The goal of thisbasically exploratory mission is to assessthe situation of these Cameroonians andto reflect together on strategies to improveon the recruitment procedures ofCameroonian women in Kuwait anddismantle mafia networks that exploit thisprocedure for undesirable purposes.

H.E. Iya Tidjani expressed the gratitudeand acknowledgement of the Governmentof Cameroon to Kuwaiti authorities fortheir collaboration. He contacted hisKuwaiti counterpart for the preparation ofa meeting to discuss this deplorable

situation and to reach an agreement toimprove on the working conditions ofCameroonian workers.

VISIT

The Ambassador supports Cameroonian workers in Kuwait

Workers on a construction site in Kuwait.

CONFERENCE

Cameroon at the renewable energies meetingH.E. Iya Tidjani, Ambassador of

Cameroon in Saudi Arabia, representedCameroon at the General Assembly ofIRENA on 18 January 2015 in AbuDhabi.

During the meeting, theInternational Renewable EnergyAgency (IRENA) announced togetherwith the Abu Dhabi Fund forDevelopment (ADFD) a soft loan of US$57 million for five clean energyprojects in different countries, amongstwhich, Argentina, Cuba, Iran, Mauritiusand Saint-Vincent-et-les-Grenadines.

This amount is the second part of

loans intended for financing projects inthe sector of « solar, hydraulic, hybrid(wind and solar) and geothermal energy». In the past, countries like Equator,Mali, Mauritius, Samoan islands andSierra Leone benefited from theseloans.

The ADFD had earlier pledged toprovide, in partnership with Irena, lowinterest loans with a total value of US$350 million over seven years tofinance renewable energy projects indeveloping countries.



The Camerooniandelegation led by theMinister Delegate at theMinistry of ExternalRelations in charge ofRelations with the IslamicWorld, Adoum Gargoummade some promisingencounters at the worksof the Council of ForeignAffairs Ministers of the OICmember countries from27 to 28 May 2015.

Cameroon took part to the works of theCouncil of Foreign Affairs Ministers(CFAM) of OIC member countries in

Kuwait City under the leadership of MinisterAdoum Gargoum, Minister Delegate at theMinistry of External Relations in charge ofRelations with the Islamic World, assistedby Messrs Iya Tidjani and MohamadouMoustafa, Ambassador of Cameroon inSaudi Arabia and Director of Asian Affairsand Relations with the OIC at MINREX.

Alongside the works of CFAM, MinisterAdoum Gargoum was received by H.E. MrKhaled Bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah, Minister ofForeign Affairs. During that meeting, the twocounterparts spoke of strengthening thecooperation that exist between Cameroonand Qatar since the establishment ofdiplomatic relations in 1975.

The second audience concerns themeeting between the Cameroonian Ministerand Mr Iyad Amin Madani, SecretaryGeneral of OIC. Their discussion focused onsecurity and terrorism in the world in generaland Central Africa in particular.

Minister Adoum Gargoum presented tohis counterpart the devastating effects ofBoko Haram's actions at the economical andsocial level in Cameroon. After a carefuldiscussion over the disaster caused by thissect, the Secretary General of OIC pledgedthat the Organisation will conduct animmediate action at the humanitarian leveland will act in medium term at theinfrastructure construction level through its

micro-finance programme.Upon his demand, the last meeting was

held with Dr Hossein Amir Abdollahian,Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab andAfrican Affairs. This discussion focused onthe holding of a Non-Aligned Movementmeeting that took place from 23 to 26 July2015.

Concerning the 42nd session of CFAMentitled the common vision session topromote tolerance and reject terrorism,participating countries tackled securityissues encountered in the Muslim world andraise the need to adopt a collective actionagainst these problems.


Regional NewsRetrospective 2015

SUMMIT

Solicitations of Cameroon in Kuwait

The Minister Adoum Gargoum.

Yaounde, capital of islamicculture for 2022

Yaounde was chosen as the capitalof islamic culture for the AfricanRegion in 2022. This designation

took place at the 9th Islamic Conferenceof Ministers of Culture that held from 2to 4 November 2015 in Mascat, theOmani's Capital, under the theme " Fora balanced culture in favour of thedevelopment of islamic societies".

The Minister of Culture, MrNarcisse MOUELLE KOMBI, wasrepresented at these works by theAmbassador of Cameroon, H.E. IYATIDJANI.

In his address, the Head of theDiplomatic Mission of Cameroon in

Riyad gave a brief presentation on theDialogue among the followers ofreligions and cultures before dwellingat length on the cultural policy ofCameroon as well as the culturalmediation.

H.E. IYA TIDJANI expressed thewillingness of Cameroon to share itsexperience on this matter with otherOIC member-states. The representativeof the Minister of Culture also thankedDr Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, GeneralManager of the Islamic Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization(ISESCO), for its fruitful cooperationwith Cameroon.

Mina 24 September hugestampede made more thana hundred victims amongCameroonian pilgrims. TheHead of State, H.E. Paul Biyadispatched a special envoyto comfort them.

For the 2015 pilgrimage in the HolyLand, 4515 Cameroonians made thetrip.

The Mina stampede that occurred on 24September 2015 led to the death of manypilgrims and the Cameroonian delegationwas exempted. Unfortunately, someCameroonian pilgrims were at the heart ofthe stampede that occurred in Street 204and that led to the death of 106 Muslimfaithful. This dead toll both includeidentified and buried victims as well asthose missing. Beside the 78 bodies thatwere formally identified and buried in SaudiArabia in accordance with the Islamictradition, 26 pilgrims are still "missing".Unfortunately, as time goes by, the missingpersons are deemed dead given that manyunidentified bodies were buried in urgencyby the Saudi authorities, after collectingtheir DNA and fingerprints.

A crisis unit was immediately set up theday after the tragedy by His Excellency IyaTidjani, Ambassador of Cameroon in theKingdom of Saudi Arabia, in order tofacilitate search and identificationoperations. The possibility to find thesemissing persons is almost null. Members ofthe said Crisis unit included personnel of theGeneral Consulate of Cameroon in Djeddah,members of the National Hadj Commission,the Medical Mission and pilgrimssupervisors amongst others, who werevested with the mission of going to all themortuaries and hospitals of Mina, Meccaand even Djeddah to look for victims andreview the search progress every eveningduring a 2-to-3 hours meeting at Mecca.

Conducted in collaboration with Saudiauthorities, the different investigations ofthese teams formally identify 78 bodies thatwere later buried in Saudi Arabian inaccordance with the Muslim tradition.Given that the final death toll of this tragedy

has not yet been published by the SaudiArabian authorities, the General Consulateof Cameroon in Djeddah however continueson a daily basis with the search of missingpersons.

The 2015 Hadj appears to be the mostdeadly ever for the Camerooniandelegation.

HAJJ 2015

Cameroonians pilgrims among victims of Mecca stampede

The Secretary of State of the Ministry of Public Health, Alim Hayatou comforting the pilgrims on behalf of the Head of State.

Special help and assistance of the Head of State to families

The President of the Republic, H.E. Paul Biya,expressed his condolences to the grievingfamilies and declared a one-day national

mourning. On 16 October, all flags were at half-staff in all government offices while a moment ofsilence was observed throughout the nationalterritory. Throughout the day, Muslim faithfulmade special prayers in various mosques.

The Head of State also dispatched an officialmission to Mecca, led by His Majesty, the Lamidoof Garoua, Alim Hayatou, Secretary of State forHealth, as the special envoy to Cameroonianpilgrims.

He arrived Mecca on 05 October 2015 for athree-day visit. This special emissary met all thepilgrims to convey the message of sympathy ofthe President of the Republic and that of theCameroonian people. Together with thediplomatic staff, he made some on-the-spot visitsand went to hospitals, on the one hand to takepart to the identification process of bodies inmortuaries and on the other comfort his injuredcompatriots. To assess the extend of this tragedy,the special envoy went to street 204, the place of

the tragedy for recollection.In addition to the psychological assistance,

the bereaved families also received a specialmaterial assistance from President Paul Biya whodecided to release in their favour, a specialassistance fund, once the final list of victims willbe made public.

Irrespective of their religion, Cameroonianstook part to the memorial service of this tragicevent through an inter-religious prayer toremember the dead. The prayer that took placeafter the one-day national mourning was made inthe presence of the Minister of TerritorialAdministration and Decentralisation, Chairman ofthe National Hadj Commission, René EmmanuelSadi and of virtually all government members.This was a fundamental symbol of solidarity thatthe nation wanted to express to their Muslimbrothers.

It is worth noting that, during this Hadj, 7other pilgrims died as a result of disease ornatural cause. Thirty others pilgrims completedthe Hadj as guests of King Salman.


Regional NewsRetrospective 2015


Tour ismRetrospective 2015

The Ministry of Tourism is actuallyworking to develop andpromote other tourist region likethe Littoral, Centre, South andWest regions of Cameroon.Focus on these new destinations.

The littoral region offers several advantages withregard to tourism. It is a coastal region conducivefor seaside tourism.

The Littoral also offers beautiful fine sand beachesthat stretch across the skyline, especially that of Yoyoand Manoka.

Located at the sea coastline, on the left bank of riverWouri, Douala is the economic capital of Cameroon andremains the main entrance to the country.

Apart of business tourism that benefit from qualityhotel facilities, which are actually in full bloom, the maintourist attractions of Douala are monuments inheritedfrom the colonial era as well as its several markets.

The secondary cities of Edea and Nkongsamba alsoconstitute poles of attractions that pull many touristswho are travelling to Yaounde, Kribi or in the West andNorth-West Regions.

Similar to Cameroon as a whole, the SouthRegion is a full destination. The tropicalforest is an ideal environment for agro-

tourism and ecotourism. It offers the tourists aunique opportunity to meet the first inhabitantsof the forest; namely the pygmies.

A visit in the South Region, is synonymous tothe discovery of remnants and monuments thatsymbolise the settlement of the firstmissionaries, and the colonisation history of ourcountry, especially in Kribi and Campo. It is allabout enjoying the splendour of the natural forestof the Dja reserve, declared World Heritage Siteby UNESCO.

Several rivers contribute in stepping up thewet climate of this region, with occasionallysome spectacular falls and cascades, like thoseof Lobé and Memve’ele. The Opening towardsthe Atlantic Ocean with one hundred and fiftykilometres of coastline covered with fine sandfosters the development of seaside tourism.

The Centre Region has an outstanding wetclimate, a luxuriant vegetation and an irresistiblefolklore. It is a rugged region, the property of the

equatorial forest and large rivers. It is suitable forexcursions, picnics, ecotourism, agro-tourism andadventures. The greatest tourist attraction of theregion is the Ebogo site, located at sixty kilometrefrom Yaounde, close to Mbalmayo.

Yaounde, the head-town of the CentreRegion is also the Capital City of Cameroon.

Yaoundé is built on numerous hills, it offersscenic hillsides and a climate relatively coolerthan those of coastal regions.

With its world-class hotel facilities, Yaoundeis the headquarters of institutions and is also oneof the favourite destinations for tourists, businessmen, diplomats, congress participants and scholars.

DESTINATION

New Tourist Areas

Centre and South Regions

Littoral region


Tour ismRetrospective 2015

Wonderfully blessed by Mother nature,the West is a hilly region that iscleaved with beautiful rivers

punctuated by waterfalls. It offers a series ofrounded mountain, legacy ofancient volcanoes.

The West Region enjoys a temperateclimate, and some localities like the DschangClimatic Station record annual averagetemperatures of 20° C.

The West and North-West Regions aredepositories of a rich cultural heritage. Theycount more than one hundred traditionalchiefdoms and have an active craft industry.

In fact, custody of traditions and cultures,The West Region is characterised by thewealth of its craft industry structured in a widevariety of expression. These include pipes,burned clay utensils, brass figurines andmasks, stools decorated with cowries, notforgetting the bamilékés' dancers with theirscenic costumes.

The Foumban City is the headquarters ofCraft industry in Cameroon.

The 12th National Tourism Board held on1st September 2015 in Yaounde underthe Chairmanship of Philemon Yang,

Prime Minister and Head of Government. The meeting's agenda mainly focused on

the implementation of incentives that couldfurther promote the tourist sector inCameroon and the advantages contained inLaw No.2013/0047 of 18 April 2013.

The General Manager of the InvestmentPromotion Agency, Marthe Angeline Minja,globally presented the incentives andadvantages offered by this law as well asthe issue of their implementation in thetourism and leisures sector.

In his opening statement, the Chairmanof the Board, Philemon Yang, rightlyunderscored the need to have incentives forinvestment in general and for the touristsector in particular.

The report of the permanent Secretary ofthe Board highlighted the progress made inthe execution of the previous sessionrecommendations.

It appears that the layout of tourist sitesby the State as well as hotel infrastructuresand leisure facilities is recording a good

progress as is the case with therehabilitation of the road leading to theMefou National Park, the ongoing creationof the wildlife reserve of Ma Mbed Mbed inthe Mayo-Kani Division, as well as theinstallation and/or equipment throughout thecountry of water sport resorts, holidayvillages and amusement parks. Moreover,within the framework of decentralisation,the transfer of funds to municipalities for the

renovation of sites is a reality.The discussions also focused on the

training conditions in hotel and tourismsector, the improvement of the quality ofairport facilities, the establishment of amonitoring team in charge of informationreported on Cameroon at the internationallevel as well as the requirements concerningthe certification of works of art likely to bepurchased by tourists.

Promotion of tourist investment

West region

The Mefou National Park.

Adream come true for many African,even if for only a short while, IssaHayatou, an African of Cameroonian

Origin, is acting since the 08 October 2015,as the Interim President of the FédérationInternationale de Football Association.

Following the suspension for 90 days ofSepp Blatter by the FIFA Ethics Committee,the Cameroonian will temporary occupy thehelm of the World Football governing bodyduring this period.

Issa Hayatou is 69 and he is the firstAfrican to occupy such a function. Thisprince of the royal family of Garoua in theNorth Region of Cameroon, had held severalhigh level responsibilities, which contributedto forge his personality as a prominent figurein the world football realm.

In fact, the current president of theConfederation of African Football (CAF) hasbeen present in the football top-levels forclose to 3 decades.

An examplary recordIssa Hayatou is a graduate of the

National Institute of Youths and Sports(NIYS) of Cameroon. Great sportsman in hisyouth, he played basketball with theCameroon national team. He entered thefootball realm in 1986 thanks to hisappointment at the presidency of FECAFOOT(Cameroon Football Federation) He held thisfunction up to 1988, the year he took overthe presidency of CAF (Confederation ofAfrican Football). In 1990, he joined the FIFAExecutive Committee of which he is amember till date.

Balance sheet that profits thecontinent

The Interim President of FIFA whohowever run for the presidency in 2002, isdetermined to restore serenity within theworld body, which is currently rocked by agovernance crisis.

On the African continent, he will beremembered as the person who enable thecontinent to obtain 5 qualifying places forWorld Cup Final Tournament. The award ofthe 2010 World Cup in South Africa could

also be put to his credit. With respect to his home country,

Cameroon will host the forthcoming 2016Women and 2019 Men African Cup ofNations (AFCON), his sincere desire is thatthe country of the indomitable lions shouldconveniently pick up the challenge oforganising and winning the twocompetitions.

THEY MAKE CAMEROON PROUD...

Issa Hayatou at the Helm of FIFA

The Cameroonian bornHamad KalkabaMalboum was appointedVice-President of theInternational Associationof Athletics Federations(IAAF) after been electedas President of theConfederation of AfricanAthletics (CAA) in March2015.

Kalkaba Malboum is the deputy of theBritish born Sébastien Coe, Presidentof IAAF, since 19 August 2015. Before

his election to one of the position of vice-president of the International Association ofAthletics Federations, Kalkaba Malboumwas unanimously re-elected for a four yearsterm as President of the Confederation ofAfrican Athletics at the Congress in AddisAbaba.

Thus, in March 2015, Hamad KalkabaMalboum started a new term of four yearsat the helm of CAA. He based this new era

on the performance and conduct of manyprojects amongst which the increase in thenumber of competitions on the continent.According to the new president, theConfederation must align to the worldagenda of athletics competitions.

To better prepare the new generation,Hamad Kalkaba Malboum also has greatambitions for the African Athletics. Heenvisages a better implementation ofathletics in schools, the early detection oftalents and the limitation of African talentoutflow to other countries.

At 65, Hamad Kalkaba Malboum, aretired senior officer of the CameroonianArmy, a Cameroonian born sport leader, isdetermined to improve the role played byAfrica in the management of world athletics.He is the President of the CameroonNational Olympic Committee (NOC), andmember of the board of directors of theInternational Association of AthleticsFederations (IAAF) since 2007 after being thePresident of the International Military SportCouncil up to 2014.

Kalkaba Malboum, Vice- President of IAAF


SportsRetrospective 2015

Cameroon is certainly associated to football,but the reality goes beyond caricature. Indeed, Roger Milla's and Samuel Eto'o Fils'

country are also earning laurels in all other sportsactivities. Thus, throughout 2015, Cameroon tookpart to several international competitions and didorganise some.

Weightlifting Cameroon emerged as the 2015 champion at

the junior weightlifting African championshipwhich took place from the 27th july to 03 augustin Kampala-Uganda. The national weightliftingselection bagged home a total of 54 medals; 26in gold, 18 silver and 10 bronze. WhereasCameroon took part with only 15 athletes at thecompetition which was reserved only for athletesin the cadet and junior categories. Eight countriestook part in the competition.

AthleticsFrom 07 to 09 August 2015, Cameroon

organised and won the 9th Central Africa AthleticsChampionship in Yaounde the Capital city ofCameroon. Cameroon headed the race with 64medals amongst which 19 in gold, 19 in silver and26 in bronze. Its therefore maintained its title ofChampion of Central Africa Athletics of region 3for the second consecutive year. Five countries,included Cameroon, took part to this competition:

Equatorial Guinea, Central Africa Republic, Chadand Congo. The latter was ranked second; whileChad held the third place of the generalclassification.

A total of 84 athletes finally took part to thisYaounde championship.

CyclingThe 15th edition of the Grand Prix Chantal

Biya took place from 16 to 18 October 2015 inCameroon. 13 teams from Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt,France, Gabon, Netherlands, Morocco, Rwanda,Slovakia, Switzerland and Cameroon the

organising country took part to this competitionnamed after the First Lady of Cameroon.Lahssaini Mohcine from Morocco won thisedition that stretched on a distance of 600 kmbetween Douala and Yaounde. The race took offfrom Douala, the economic capital of Cameroonto Yaounde the capital city on a distance of600km.

Created in 2001, the International CyclingGrand Prix Chantal Biya features since 2006 onthe "Africatour" schedule of the UCI (InternationalCycling Union).

2015: Shower of laurelson the Cameroonian Sport

The 2016 year promises tobe exciting for Sports inCameroon, with theorganisation andpreparation of two majorcompetitions.

In fact, Cameroon will organise and host the2016 Women and 2019 Men African Cup ofNations (AFCON).

The Women AFCON will take place from 18November 2016 to 03 December 2016 in thecities of Yaounde and Limbe. Women's footballis in full bloom in Cameroon. During the 2015edition of the African Games, the lionessesreached the final of the tournament that was wonby Nigeria.

In 2019, Cameroon will host the 2019 MenAFCON. A tournament that the country of IssaHayatou, President of the Confederation ofAfrican Football, had not organised since 1972.The matches will be played in the head-towns ofthe following regions: West (Bafoussam), Littoral(Douala), North (Garoua), South-West (Limbe) andCentre (Yaounde).

Moreover, Cameroon has obtained his ticket

to take part to the 4th edition of African NationsChampionships, which final phase is slated from16 January to 07 February 2016 in Rwanda.

With the organisation of the upcoming 2016and 2019 African Cups of Nations, the CameroonGovernment has decided to build new footballstadia in the cities of Yaounde, Douala,Bafoussam, Garoua and Limbe. The constructionproject of a new stadium with a capacity of 60

000 places in Yaounde, a new stadium of 50 000places in Douala together with their externallayouts and developments, the external layoutsand development of the Limbe and BafoussamStadia, the rehabilitation of the Yaounde, Douala,Bafoussam and Garoua omnisport stadia and theconstruction of access roads and other networkswill cost an estimated sum of CFA 550 billionfrancs and will be financed by China.

Football: 2016-2019 African cup of nations Schedules

Cycling: The First Lady, Chantal Biya congratulate Lahssaini Mohcine from Morocco.

Maquette of the future stadium of Douala.


SportsRetrospective 2015

visit of the Ambassador of South Africa S.E.M. Mogamat Sadick Jaffer Diner offered to the delegation of the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development


Image Gal ler yRetrospective 2015

H.E Iya Tidjani and Prince Faisal bin BANDAR governor Riyadh A view of the guests at the National Day of Cameroon

The special envoy of head of state to Mecca, Alim Hayatou The Cameroonian community at encounter with the Secretary of State, Alim Hayatou

Farewell to ambassadors of Mali and Nigeria Visit by a delegation of Turkish Military Mission at the Embassy of Cameroon

Cameroon Embassy Riyadh - Mise en page 1...2 NEWSLETTER OF CAMEROON EMBASSY IN RIYADH • Vol IV....

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