1 in 4 cameroonian doesn`t have enough to eat after 28 years of Biya`s rule

Paul Biya has decided to bring back alive an old policy idea in order to attract more and more voters for the next presidential election. He wants Cameroon to become an agricultural bounty for the Central African countries and for the whole Africa and even for the rest of the world.

Last week in Ebolowa, Southern capital city of Cameroon, in front of some happy farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs and most of them members of his political party,

he said that a food secure and prosperous Cameroon will not only provide new opportunities for its people, but for the rest of the region, the Central Africa region..He met with with selected farmers and their product.

He took his courage to look back over the past double decade. He saw what has worked for the farmers and his own agricultural policy and also the failure of that policy and what has not worked and has decided with his entire government to work on a plan of action for the coming 5 years. One thing is clear, the government budget bill has allocated more billion francs cfa to the ministry of defence rather than to the agricultural one...

For this year bill, CFA 2571 billion  adopted by the Parliament, the government has allocated  CFA 230.378 billion for the defense and policing and only CFA 71.424 billion  for the development of the agriculture.

That is less than 2.72% for the entire budget and and the army has 8.96% of the budget. The agriculture budget represent only 32% of the defense budget. This is a sign that in Cameroon, Biya is doing everything to keep grip on the power and hand more financial power to the army.

The good news is that he can still make the real change and bring back the agriculture in the heart of his political reforms and agenda.

The bad news is, that there is no money available for that at the moment and even for the next coming 5 years as he will have to find that money to inject in the agricultural sector and improve the quality of his own agricultural reforms.

As every ambitious politician, he said and recognised that there are tools to make things work in that sector, because he came to power under the agricultural reform and benefits but all that benefit has been used for other purpose other than the agricultural and farmers are still suffering for that policy failure of the government.

Biya forgot about the fast spread of new agricultural technologies by giving away machetes to young farmers and advising and encouraging them to go back to the farm while in the other world it is a modernism and fast growing technology,

 with mechanism and industrialization of the agriculture.  Farmers in Cameroon have the know- how and just lack of resources to tackle the real and big problem.

To accelerate progress in the agricultural sector, the government need to redirect, funding and subventions and even create a global strategy for the agriculture.

Now the global picture on numbers of those who are hungry in Cameroon it is unknown and statistically speaking, it could be around 1 in 4 people in Cameroon who don`t have enough to eat according to the latest United Nations Development Programme report on Cameroon, about population undernourished, and that number is on the rise and nothing in reality is being done to alleviate that..

Will Camair-co be ready to take off on next April?

While the International Consolidated Airlines Group ( IAG ) has became the first wholly foreign incorporated firm ever to trade on the London Stock Exchange as a FTSE100 firm, following the merger of British Airways with Spanish carrier Iberia, Camair-co in Cameroon still struggling to find his own way to the sky. The newly created firm over the death body of the Camair is not even yet registered with the IATA and not associate members.

 The company before his political launch on April this year according to the CEO declaration to the medias in Cameroon must pass the IATA Operational safety audit ( IOSA)..Camair-co will be incorporated under Cameroonian law and pays taxes in Cameroon, yet with his headquarter will then be in Douala, economic capital city of Cameroon and will probably, probably list on the Douala stock Exchange..

At the moment there is no official news about the number of aircraft that will be flying and destinations. Everything is still secret or kept secret in Cameroon as the government opacity of the governance by Biya`s administration. Camair-co is still on the recruitment process and has to decide where to have his headquarter and when and where to buy the new aircraft for the company. They have at the moment according to sources, 2 B767 and 2 B737 and no ideas about the total cost of the purchase of that..

Obviously the Cameroonian airline should be opened to the globalisation and at the moment it is not doing that. Globalisation according to the Ernst and Young globalisation index, must be promoted by business and governments as a positive force for economic and social good and authorities must avoid any descent into protectionism.

Cameroon at the moment according to the Ernst and Young globalisation index is not listed as one of the globalised economy.  Camair-co still on the stage of the risk for  the government and it is time now to move to the stage of opportunity for growth and development for the country.

Media crackdown in Cameroon

The government in Cameroon is intent on controlling all sources of alternative knowledge and information ahead of the presidential election and the machiavelllian Biya`s administration machine is now in intensive action...

Cameroon`s vibrant independent media sector has been dealt a series of blows in the run up to the next year critical and important presidential election, with some Tv stations ordered to shut down, if they do not obey the rule and the law, Radio Television Siantou forced to review his editorial position,

Alex Azebaze, Snjc


Equinox in Douala has seen some journalists sanctioned and moved from one desk to another and even sent on special assignment, 

Magic Fm intimidated with his daily critic political and satirical program, Radio Reine has received strange visitors when one of his popular political analysis program was on air and the journalist forced to rewrite some questions to be asked to panelists,

Jean Baptiste Sipa, former columnist and newly editor responsible for  Le Messager had his mobile phone taped, Alex Gustave Azebaze, now acting as the first secretary of the leading journalists trade union in Cameroon has his mobile phone taped and also has been summoned to the police after taking part in a talkshow on radio.

Jean Bosco Talla, editor of Germinal, was refused visa to attend an award ceremony in Geneva recently by the Switzerland Ambassy in cameroon,

critical talk shows hauled off air, outspoken columnists and editors forced out of their jobs and bribed to stay away for a while, and above all, a new regulations in secret talks between the communication minister Issa Tchiroma, and the security council chief executive Atanga Nji, will see bringing mass text messaging and live broadcasts firmly under state control.

Jean Bosco Talla, Germinal editor, recently released from prison after paying millions of Cfa francs, denied exit from Cameroon last month


  Live broadcasting will see a new regulations adopted and implemented straight away as a signal to those who use more and more international critical correspondents during their on live program..

Despite government assurances that in Cameroon with over 600 registered newspapers ( from the press for the freedom of expression in late 1990 entrance and move to the democracy period...) and 250 published yearly, hundreds of private radio station, freedom of expression will not be restricted as the country prepares to enter a 10 critical months period of intense political uncertainty.

In a damning report on government repression, Amnesty International said: " The pattern being established is one that is already familiar from previous elections, which were carried out amid serious human rights violations....." 

The  biggest journalists trade union and human rights activists and groups have already criticised that the so called climate of terror  created by the state. 

In this political uncertainty and social environment of terror, dissidents voices are going to be systematically excluded and silenced with all means by the state from public debate.

Will this new Anglo-French military accord boost the change of management in cameroon ?

On Tuesday, November 2 in Lancaster House, President Sarkozy and David Cameron signed an agreement under which France and Britain will pool their military capabilities.

From the political view, this new alliance is presented by both governments as a signal of the strength of the bilateral relationship. It is true that this agreement will have its immediate military impact in Cameroon also ahead of the next presidential election as both countries have huge economic and military interests.

 France has a military base in the Northern region of Cameroon and Britain has his military strategic advisors working closely under the supervision of  Israelis military advisors who especially monitor presidential security. This Anglo-French military co-operation can be read in a different way.

Cameroon might receive new military materials and equipment that will increase  the country military capacity security. But for what by this time of the year as the country is not engaged in any war with any country at the moment even there are news about an organized plot coming from the Northern region where France has his military base. With Nigeria there is no real movement at the moment.

 New contracts to be signed and renewal of old ones will be on the agenda of the next joint committee France-Cameroon. If the economy is partially stabilised in Cameroon for the moment according to new reports from the International Monetary Funds and the World Bank and needed some improvement, the military agreement between France and Britain could be interpreted as an attempt by old powers to prop each up in straitened times and diffuse their differences of view and interests in Cameroon and also boost the political environment and affairs.

 Both countries have huge impact on political affairs and how the actual government is conducting business in Cameroon. Interested in a different way in Cameroon, Washington is also being closely monitored the Anglo-French alliance as a sign of the hard economic choices.

The two countries have massive interests in Cameroon with different view on how the country deals with its internal affairs. Where Britain is watching closely the monitoring of efforts to fight corruption and reduce abuses on Human Rights issue, governance and accountability, France will focus only on business and exploitation of natural resources.

Both countries have different approach on political issues for an independent state in Cameroon and also act in what they see as their strategic interests. Britain is in favor of a real power sharing that suits people aspiration while, France is for the arrival of a new deal in Cameroon with new people to take over the old regime without losing their interests and destroy what they have achieved after a long period of struggle for democracy .

Could this new Anglo-French military treaty bring the change that is needed in Cameroon where the military totally is in support of Biya`s regime ? At this time it is not easy to speculate on how the new defence deal signed between France and Britain will have a direct impact on political affairs in Cameroon and how effectively both countries will act to boost that change of management so needed by those who love to see Cameroon becoming an emergent economic country in the region and around Africa and the world.

UK Government to act on human rights abuses in cameroon

The latest UK-Parliamentary Human Rights Group report on Cameroon found out that too many people are afraid to report crimes and corruption to authorities.


 Sadly this is the reality in Cameroon and less is done by those who are in total control of the power. As this report details, members of the parliamentary human rights group met with many people who described in their own words enforced disappearances, unlawful arrests and detention, organised beatings in police and military police cells and jails, house-burnings in the night and torture by specialised armed forces.

 An extreme culture of impunity has been installed in Cameroon ,especially for military police and armed forces. This is mean that most  people are too afraid to report crimes and even those with courage reported do not generally result in thorough investigation and prosecution.

Lord Frank Judd, one of the writer of the Parliamentary Human Rights Group finding mission report , and president of Africa Inequality and Millennium Development Goals campaign


There have been in recent months a small change of tactic after the international community complaint to the United Nations meeting about human rights abuses committed in Cameroon by military police and armed forces. Few of them have been sent in prison and other are still walking free on the streets.

 There is no real Parliamentary scrutiny or transparency over what President Biya  and his Government are doing, not helped by the fact that 75%  of the National Assembly is on the hands of the ruling party, the Cameroon people democratic movement ( CPDM) where all members belong to the same party (CPDM). Cameroonian`s own Human Rights Ombudsman is hostile to the concept of independent NGOs holding the Government to account.

One Ntarikon`s villager told us: "Biya  laws do not protect me"." You cannot take a police officer who verbally abuse you and even torture you to court and face a simple trial, just because they think that they are above the law and they can do to you whatever they want to..This is what it is happening in the North-West of Cameroon even there is a little change of that behaviour..But for how long?". .

Turning a blind eye to human rights abuses under the misplaced assumption that Cameroon  is stable under Paul Biya and his armed forces general council 's iron regime only stores up problems for the future.

Cameroon still and remain a < highly corrupt > country

The 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index  released today shows that Cameroon despite government < efforts> of creating by degree and putting in place untrustworthy mechanism and general policy of fighting against corruption, in the Index scores 2.2, which means a highly corrupt country.

This new release report damaged once more Paul Biya`s administration on their own way of fighting against corruption. Far too much of the debate about the size of corruption is being conducted in Cameroon where officials are trying to justify efforts that have been done since 2000.

Me Akere Muna,Cameroon- TI, vice- chair...


Yet there is far too little focus on what other countries are doing to fight against corruption. There is a growing consensus that growth among Biya entourage won`t revert the fight against corruption.

 There is much nonsense around about how Cameroon is about to fight against corruption .

Transparency and accountability are critical to restoring trust and turning back the tide of corruption according to, Me Akere Muna, vice-chair of Transparency International, cameroon branch. Speaking on the phone, Me Akere Muna said that < What this report is saying is there are still much more to do than what the government is trying to do by just creating bureaucratic and administrative holes of corruption, and in cameroon here it is very difficult to read and even to know what  is the general policy or the mechanism to fight against corruption. Apart from seeing and learning that some government ministers, from Paul Biya political party, the Cameroon People Democratic Movement ( CPDM)  have been arrested, detained and sent to  jail for embezzlement and corruption could sound as a good thing but it does not tell exactly how the government operate in the fight against corruption.
The political environment itself it like payback time where those in power show the rest that they have an unconstitutional power to arrest and detain whosoever they want and send the person in prison even without charges.
In Africa they will say that Paul Biya by sending his own people in jail in doing a good job. This is the way they do in cameroon and also the 66 article from the constitution that oblige people to declare their possession and belongings before taking an elective office is not yet implemented. That one should be the one that will open the country a new  way of dealing with corruption. Biya can arrest who he likes and all are members of his own political party and not from the opposition. The today`s report just confirm the reality of what is happening in cameroon...>.

 Cameroon needs to bolster his good governance mechanism said Muna before concluding that the system in place in cameroon does not allow and even permit the country to bolster the good governance.

Corruption and poverty remain an obstacle in cameroon to achieve much needed progress. When Biya was re-elected in 2007 he said that corruption and poverty were going to be his fight and more that 3 years after that and nearly 14 years on, cameroon still and remain a highly corrupted country in the world and today now far behind Zimbabwe.

To address corruption and poverty, Paul Biya administration  needs to integrate anti-corruption measures in all spheres,  to eradicate poverty and corruption. These measures are there in place in cameroon but do not work as expected. and why? Right this is  the question millions are asking themselves without answers. Cameroon this year scores 2.2 and is 146 of 178 countries.

Huguette Labelle, TI Chair..


According to Huguette Labelle, chair of Transparency International, Transparency International (TI) defines corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. This definition encompasses corrupt practices in both the public and private sectors. The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranks countries according to perception of corruption in the public sector. The CPI is an aggregate indicator that combines different sources of information about corruption, making it possible to compare countries.

And this is what she said when she was in cameroon, <in governmental department programs such as in customs and state enterprises would go a long way to prevent corruption and establish mechanisms for early detection of misappropriations, fraud and major losses of essentials resources. In all organizations there are numerous ways of defrauding the organization. Corruption risk assessment .

Neglect in this regard can be very costly and bring down the reputation of and enterprise, something very difficult to rebuild. The most fundamental element of a Good Governance Doctrine is for all countries to have a well performing justice system with an independent, professional and properly resourced judiciary and with a professional and ethical police force....>  Unfortunately, cameroon just show that it  is not yet ready for it and that it is a long long way to go...