President Biya signed two decrees on Monday, August 8, 2016 appointing administrators to the Kribi International sea port and the National Football Academy (ANAFOOT), created six years ago by him but which is yet to go operational.

For the Kribi port, Biya appointed eleven CPDM loyalists for a three term which is renewable once. The president of the republic however failed to announce the Chairman of the Board.

The same was true with the so-called ANAFOOT. The decree appointed ten pro Biya comedians for a three years term renewable once.

By Ebong Kingsley

President Paul Biya has signed various decrees indicating a change in the format of most official identification documents in Cameroon.

According to the decrees, National Identity Cards, Residence Permits, Refugee Cards, Entry Visas and Retirement Cards for officials of the National Security will all have a single identification number and not multiple numbers as has been the case in the past.

The documents will also have a sim card allocated to them. The move is aimed at modernizing the system and ensuring security.

CRTV

Armed robbery is now rampant on the Douala-Yaoundé highway, Cameroon security sources have warned. The highway robbers operate between Edea and Pouma, two localities in the Department of Sanaga Maritime deep within the Littoral region.

Cameroon security services announced that the armed men usually plead with drivers of vehicles to stop pretending to be potential travellers who need assistance. Sometimes they are accompanied by women and children, revealed the gendarmerie company commander in Edea.

Once they commit the crime, they take refuge in a forest precisely at Ebombe village, cited as the most dangerous place along the Douala-Yaounde highway. Last weekend, road bandits robbed an entire bus and many personal vehicles.

By Rita Akana

The over 200 newly recruited holiday job seekers of the Buea council annual holiday jobs programme have been told to uphold high moral rectitude and civic responsibility in the execution of their duties. Mayor Ekema Patrick Esunge addressed the temporal council workers on Friday August 5^th, 2016 and urged them to be law abiding and respect the terms and specifications stated within the context of the 2016 Buea council annual holiday jobs. The forum provided a unique opportunity for the participants to have a one and one exchanges with the kingpin of the Buea municipality and examined possible ways to render the one month period less tedious.

The mayor of Buea called on the group who are predominantly students to be committed, respectful and above all improved on the sanitary state of the city. Ewily William, a UB student, on behalf of the group requested for rain coats so as to be able to cope with torrential down pour of rain. Another speaker was Njei Sandrine, a UB student of the Department of English, who requested the mayor to give her an insight into her job description.

Mola Ekema encouraged the holiday job seekers to demonstrate a high sense of punctuality and duty consciousness and reminded them that they were future leaders of the Buea municipality. The over one hour meeting was attended by deputy mayors and some staff of the Buea council.

By Cham Victor Bama

The South West Chiefs Conference has agreed to hold elections soonest to get a new leader to run the affairs of the association. The Bantu, semi Bantu and Tikar traditional authorities announced the decision on Wednesday August 3^rd 2016 following an executive committee meeting that held in Buea the capital of the South West region.

The men with divine power revealed that the chief who will succeed Nfon V.E.Mukete will be known on September the 16^th and 17^th 2016. Cameroon Concord News understand the custodians of tradition from across the South West region will converged in Buea not only to elect a new president but also renew the mandate of other members of the executive committee for the next two years.However, a hue and cry has erupted deep within the Fako Chiefs Conference on who to replace Chief V.E.Mukete.

The president of the Fako Chiefs Conference, HRH Mokoto Njie, told newsmen in Buea that all was now set for SWECC to get a new leadership. Chief Mokoto Njie hinted that whatever happens in September, the winner will be a Fako citizen. Correspondingly, Chief David Molinge of Muea-Buea was quoted as saying the choice of Chief Njombe Johnson Njoke would weaken the credibility of the chiefs as he is unfit and low profile for the witty SWECC presidency. Chief Molinge even suggested that another candidate could well represent Fako in order to raise the reputation and credibility of the union to commendable standards.

We gathered that Chief Njombe Johnson also did launch a vicious attack on Chief Molinge describing him as being incompetent, not decent and an ordinary third class chief. The new SWECC management would have a daunting task to cleanse the chieftaincy sector off charlatans and restore the lost credibility and nobility deserved by royal institutions.

The same is true for the North West Fon’s Union that has been unable to replace its current leadership over claims of constitutional amendment. Fon Teche Njei who also moonlights as a Senator, is still the strongman at the helm of NOWEFU.

By Cham Victor Bama

North West Governor, Adolphe Lele Lafrique, Senator Simon Achidi Achu, North West Fons, SDF faithful, friends and relatives were on July 31, 2016 part of special prayers for God’s grace and protection for the SDF National Chairman, Ni John Fru Ndi at 75 .The event at Presbyterian church, Baba II, home of the leading opposition party leader, inspired Fru Ndi to continue to work towards the betterment of Cameroon.

The thanksgiving event honoured and glorified God for Fru Ndi, whom speaker after speaker cheered as a rare statesman. Family Head and Son, Ni Thomas Ndi and Benjamin Fru Ndi thanked all who have supported and criticized the Chairman to be a better nation builder. Fru Ndi summed it himself when he said ”I will continue  to be who I am when Cameroon is the subject, though I stretched my hand  and the President did not take it the way I like”.

Twenty four hours earlier, Fru Ndi presided over a National Executive Committee (NEC) session of the SDF at his Ntarinkon residence where crucial decisions were endorsed to move forward the reorganization of SDF party structures in some regions that have so far, suffered speed brakes.

Cameroon Tribune

Two years after Samuel Eto’o committed an act that remains today the biggest humiliation ever to a highly placed Cameroon government official, the former Cameroon skipper has apologize to Prime Minister Philemon Yang. The incident occurred during the final phase of the FIFA World Cup 2014 that held in Brazil. The Prime Minister and Head of Government, Philemon Yang, descended on that fateful Saturday, June 7, 2014 at the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium at the end of a friendly farewell encounter against Moldova to hand over the national flag to the team before their departure for Brazil. The captain, supported by his teammates, refused to leave the dressing room to receive the flag. They wanted their bonuses to be paid first.

The disgrace was complete and total and a beaming Prime Minister Yang Philemon eventually handed the flag to the German technician Volker Finke, then head coach of the Indomitable Lions. Two years later, Samuel Eto’o Fils says he regrets his behavior. Said the Cameroon football legend, “There is someone who has been deeply offended, which is His Excellency the Prime Minister to whom I apologize.  I have never had the opportunity to explain myself before him and to our people”. Samuel Eto’o made this statement during an interview broadcast last Friday, July 29, 2016 on the antennas of the Vox Africa TV channel in an interview conducted by Martin Camus Mimb and moderated by Laura Dave.

Reacting to the Eto’o apology late on Saturday, the Chairman and CEO of Cameroon Concord News Group, Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai observed that it was too little too late. Our chairman added that Eto’o was merely playing the Francophone game “because he understands that an apology to a senior citizen is not made via a foreign television channel.” Mr Soter Agbaw-Ebai blamed President Biya for the invitation he accorded Samuel Eto’o and his wife during the visit of French president Hollande when Eto’o had not apologized to the Prime Minister and the Cameroonian people for such a costly mistake.

Sama Ernest (Cameroon Concord News Group)

An important Cabinet Meeting was chaired Philemon Yang, Prime Minister, Head of Government, on Thursday 28 July 2016 in the Main Building of the Prime Minister’s Office. In attendance, apart from his close aides, were the Vice-Prime Minister, Ministers of State, Ministers, Ministers-Delegate and Secretaries of State.

Three items featured on the agenda, namely:

1. a statement of the Minister for Scientific Research and Innovation on ‘the achievements and challenges of innovation in Cameroon’;
2. a statement of the Minister for Mines, Industry and Technological Development on ‘Government’s technological development strategy’;
3. a statement of the Minister for Post and Telecommunication on ‘the guidelines of the digital economy development plan in Cameroon’.

Taking the floor after the introductory remarks of the Head of Government, the Minister for Scientific Research and Innovation indicated that over the last few years, the National Research and Innovation System has achieved much at the policy, institutional, scientific and technological levels in terms of the development and dissemination of research results and innovation.

They include inter alia, the creation of improved seeds which enabled the Institute of Agronomic Research for Development (IRAD) to acquire close to a score of patents, also recently winning four (4) innovation gold medals at the Geneva International Invention Fair in Switzerland; the creation by the Institute of Geological and Mining Research (IRGM) of improved fireplaces, and solar/hybrid driers; the development by the National Institute of Cartography of a software that can avoid overlapping land parcels of mining operators; the production of paving stones from plastic waters and the manufacture of tar based on pozzolan.

Other innovations also emanate from private Cameroonian inventors. These include the CARDlOPAD, the EGUSI Cracking Machine and the production of eco- friendly charcoal from organic wastes. With regard to the challenges of innovation in Cameroon, the Minister in charge of Research said they consist especially in continuing the diversification of the process of transferring research findings to the economic sectors; fostering the culture of innovation and establishing financing mechanisms of the National Research and Innovation System – all of which requires synergy between the research community, businesses and investors.

Speaking next on Government’s technological development strategy, the Minister for Mines, Industry and Technological Development pointed out that, shortly after independence, Cameroon had set up on an experimental basis industrial units in the basic subsectors of the economy. That experiment demonstrated that no industrialization can take place without technological development whose corollary is intellectual property.

So, Government’s technological development strategy consists in linking research results to industrial production in order satisfy the needs of the population. At the operational level, this strategy comes with the creation of Technology and Innovation Support Centres (TISC), seven of which have already been established. A programme to establish technoples was also launched in praticular in the ICT and Agro-industrial sectors. However, several challenges need to be addressed, especially systematizing technology-transfer mechanisms, financing innovative projects and attracting investors into the technological development sector.

Lastly, the Cabinet listened to the statement of the Minister for Post and Telecommunication who presented the guidelines of the Digital economy development plan in Cameroon. He pointed out that the plan hinges on eight thrusts, structured around three pillars: development of service supply; increase of demand by promoting the digital culture via the widespread use of ICTs ; and sector governance and regulation.

At the end of the ensuing discus sons, the Prime Minister asked the presenting Ministers to work in tandem to design thematic strategies covering the underlying issues of innovation, technological development and the digital economy considering the interactions among them. He also instructed the Minister in charge of Technological Development to systematically introduce obligatory technology-transfer clauses in contracts concluded with international providers. Proceedings were adjourned at 12:05 p.m. after consideration of various matters related to Government work.

Cameroon Tribune

The Special Criminal Court has invited the former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Essimi Menye, to appear before that body on the 1^st of August. Local media reports say his lawyers have been served with the convocation and the former CPDM baron is expected to meet prosecutors at the Special Criminal Court next Monday.

Cameroon Concord News understands the former minister is currently in the US for health concerns. However, cat calls had greeted his evacuation as he was already at the heart of some financial scandals. He was reportedly interrogated for approximately three hours by state prosecutors in the presence of Justice Minister, Laurent Esso.

The Special Criminal Court will question Essimi Menye in relation to the diversion of 9.025 billion FCFA for the restructuring of Amity Bank Cameroon when he was finance minister. Another issue hanging on his head is that of the Cameroon Tobacco Company. As Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in December 2011, he authorized the liquidator of the Cameroon Tobacco Company to sell it for a token fee of 50 million CFA francs.

Sacked from the Yang Philemon government for disrespecting the Prime Minister and Head of Government alongside Ama Tutu Muna in October 2015, Essimi Menye took ill and was then admitted at the National Social Insurance Fund hospital in Yaounde. After three weeks at the intensive unit, he left Cameroon in December “under the instructions of the head of state.

Chi Prudence Asong (Cameroon Concord News)

A fifteen years old boy fatally stabbed a man in Mbalmayo, some few miles from Yaoundé on Wednesday.  The crime took place at the New Town neighborhood precisely at the mango crossroads, between 10 and 10:40 am.

After a sharp but brief fight, the youth violently left his victim with multiple wounds who died on the spot. The deceased, an engineer leaves a wife and three children all in their infancy. The alleged murderer, a resident of Sakafom district, fled.

Ebong Kingsley (Cameroon Concord News)