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The 2025 presidential election is just around the corner. While some are quietly gearing up for the continuity of power, coming up with increasingly sophisticated strategies to consolidate it day by day, others are wasting time fixating on wild theories about the health of Mr. Paul Biya. However, with or without him, the Cameroonian people need to move forward, doing their best to focus on the big challenge we all face: development.   The task is all the more immense and the stakes too high to pin the collective destiny of an entire people on the fate of just one man, no matter how significant he may be at the end of his career. It should also be noted that decency would dictate that, in these difficult circumstances, we show restraint and empathy for the very person who, whether we like it or not, has led Cameroon and left his mark on it in his own way. Instead of nitpicking about the fate of one individual, even if he holds some importance, the opposition should remember the people and rise to meet the desire for change that is deeply felt by the population, in order to create a new order that fosters peace and happiness for all. To achieve this, all political actors should come together, united in purpose, to present a strong front in the electoral process, through a presidential election that is clean, fair, and consensual, capable of delivering the tangible results that the suffering people are counting on. This process should be monitored and overseen as much as possible by patriotic forces from all sides, especially those of the opposition, eager to bring a fresh impetus to the rebuilding of our country, driven by integrity, solidarity, and an unstoppable desire for progress. To make this happen, we really need to embrace a genuine desire to break free from the stagnation that the people are currently living in. A people suffocated by years of inaction, where time has come to a standstill, trapping the population in a sort of regression in their lives, more reminiscent of the Nile region than of modern times. A disillusioned people burdened by various economic crimes that have largely gone unpunished, and which still weigh down development today, due to the enormous damage suffered, from moral, economic, social, cultural, and environmental perspectives. A people that continues to bear the yoke of misery and poverty for the majority. One might have thought that in the face of such an urgent situation, the so-called opposition politicians would tone down their oversized egos and focus on ways to bring about real change by promoting a single opposition candidate. Not at all!!! The old demons of personal glory-seeking persist. They jeopardize genuine hopes and threaten the only real opportunities available for the people to finally free themselves from the burdens of history. Old disputes resurface, undermining the conclusion of change in an environment more competitive than ever, even within the opposition camp. It must be said that in this crocodile-infested swamp, the other side isn’t easily fooled. Maneuvering in the shadows, they promote a slew of sham political parties, trying to overshadow the real ones and will rely, as in 2018, on coalitions of parties that are just as murky and nonexistent on the ground. Ghost parties, which are actually utopian, unreal on the political chessboard. Administrative parties, which only exist in the reality of a Minister in charge, skilled in the art of manipulation. As always, and for a long time now, opposition protests are being stifled, meetings are banned, while shadowy figures are secretly trying to undermine any idea of unity. But in the blazing furnace that lies ahead, the people shouldn't be fooled. Used to electoral games and the tricks put in place since independence, they should be wiser. It must be said that the ruling party is a long-established organization, seasoned in battles, including the most intricate ones. In fact, the RDPC was preceded by the UNC, which itself came from the UC. All these names actually refer to a single entity. It may renew itself, but it retains its initial constitutional DNA, which is the perpetual hold on power. This means that the people need to be extra vigilant if they want to put an end to more than sixty years of a history filled with betrayals, renunciations, political deceit, large-scale sabotage, and any avant-garde actions for progress and social peace. Under these circumstances, it goes without saying that those in power cannot suddenly change their unfair methods to regain political holiness overnight. This means that the people must stay calm and bear the responsibility for their political future during the upcoming elections. To achieve this, opposition leaders should silence their egos and serve a single cause: change. The population should learn to steer clear of empty electoral promises. Such an attitude means not jeopardizing the future of an entire nation for a handful of rice. The youth, who are the most affected by the current regime's management, should refuse to get caught up in electoral fraud for a few banknotes. We believe that rather than being cursed, Cameroon is a proud and dignified country that will sooner or later catch up with the course of history, waiting for the necessary spark to regain its vitality. The upcoming presidential election could, in this regard, serve as a true wake-up call.   Maurice TIENTCHEU KAMENI

Tuesday, June 18, 2024 was all about discussing the bill No. 2056/PJL/AN allowing the President to approve Cameroon's joining of the United Nations conventions on stateless persons' status and reducing statelessness cases. These conventions were adopted on September 28, 1954, and August 30, 1961, in New York, USA. The text describes the bill authorizing the President of the Republic to ratify the Protocol amending the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the World Trade Organization by including the fisheries subsidies agreement in the annex of 1A of June 17, 2022, and the bill authorizing the President to ratify the partnership agreement between the European Union and its Member States of the Organization of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS-EU) signed on November 15, 2023, in Samoa. The discussions were led by the Honorable BANMI Emmanuel, President of the Foreign Affairs Committee. The bills on the agenda were respectively defended by the Minister of Justice, Laurent ESSO, for bill No. 2056/PJL/AN, the Minister of Commerce, Luc Magloire MBARGA ATANGANA, for bill No. 2057/PJL/AN, and the Minister of Economy, Planning, and Regional Development, Alamine OUSMANE MEY, for bill No. 2055/PJL/AN. They were all assisted by the Minister of External Relations, Lejeune MBELLA MBELLA. Reaction Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, Mincommerce « This is about the bill authorizing the President of the Republic to ratify the WTO agreement on fisheries subsidies from June 17, 2022. The agreement is the result of extensive work by the WTO DG, who, upon taking office, saw that the organization was stuck. It's about taking step by step and finalizing specific agreements. It's about supporting developing countries and the least developed countries with specific measures that highlight the principle of special and differential treatment because not all member states are in the same boat. It's about putting an end to the overexploitation of our coastal and fishing resources due to foreign vessels and those engaging in illegal fishing in territorial waters. It's a significant and essential step forward from the meeting that our country will host the 14th Ministerial Conference in 2026. ». Alamine Ousmane Mey, Minepat « After rich and intense discussions in which Cameroon participated, we can say that this agreement gives us the opportunity to look ahead to the next 20 years with serenity and determination in pooling efforts of the European Union, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific to address the priorities of security, governance, democracy, rule of law, inclusion in development, mobility, and climate change. The issues that require much more solidarity, multilateralism, and greater involvement of countries on the continent. One exclusivity of this agreement is that it advocates for three protocols for Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. This shows that the specificities of these regions are taken into account in resolving their problems. Lastly, the funding that will be mobilized will allow our country to continue the SND30, to pursue its development towards the SDGs, and also to achieve the African Union's Agenda 2063. We will ensure that Cameroon's interests are preserved and represent the expectations of our people who want to be involved in this development process. ». Clément NOUMSI

Minepia and CBC sign a partnership agreement for the implementation of the funds. The ceremony took place at the Hilton Hotel in Yaoundé on Tuesday June 18, 2024. It took place in the presence of officials from the African Development Bank and the African Development Fund. The purpose of the agreement signed between the Commercial Bank of Cameroon (CBC) and the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries (Minepia) is to manage the refinancing facility for the livestock and fish farming value chain compartment of the fund to facilitate the supply of credit for the development of agricultural, livestock and fish farming value chains (2FC-CVAEP). This agreement addresses the problem of access to financing for SMEs and Cameroonian POs in general, and the livestock and fish farming value chains in particular, which represent an important economic breeding ground for growth, entrepreneurship, the fight against poverty and youth unemployment. The aim is to modernize the entire value chain by specializing the various links. Dr Taïga, Minister of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries (Minepia), and Jean EliséGouater, Deputy Managing Director of the Commercial Bank of Cameroon (CBC), initialled the document. Reaction Dr Taïga, Minepia « The main aim of this agreement is to find resources to finance productive investment activities. As you know, banks finance school loans, but we're looking for a paradigm shift by proposing that they take an interest in the livestock sector (poultry, small ruminants, pork, etc.). We want to see banks and MFIs financing the entire livestock and fish farming production value chain. This is what justifies the agreement we have just signed with the CBC, which has a central role to play with our financial partners.». Clément Noumsi