Cameroon

The Republic of Cameroon and the Kingdom of the Netherlands have historical relations which have been concretised at diplomatic level with the appointment of Ambassadors, since 1960.

IIt is in keeping with this long tradition that the Head of State of Cameroon, H.E. Paul Biya signed a Decree on 11 September 2020 appointing me as Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Ambassador of my country to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Through this act of sovereignty accepted by the highest Dutch

Authorities, I had the distinct honour to present credentials to His Royal Highness

Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand on 09 December 2020.

Delighted and honoured to serve my country through cooperation with the Kingdom of the

Netherlands, this beautiful country, home to a dynamic and very hospitable population, I intend to take full advantage of the multiple opportunities and assets of our respective countries, to infuse new and positive energy into our bilateral relations, in accordance with the vision of both respective leaders.

In this context, I would like to highlight the need to strengthen cooperation between

Cameroon and the Netherlands in the socioeconomic, political, and cultural fields.

This mission rightly ties in with Cameroon’s 2020-2030 development strategy (SND30), which drives the promotion of investments with specific focus on the North-West and

Southwest Regions to enhance the value of our raw materials, but also of other sectors (tourism, environment, energy, infrastructure, etc.). In this light, public and private partnerships, through direct foreign investment, joint ventures, or high-value collaborations, are necessary. Cameroon, a bilingual country with English and French as official languages, has a population of over 25 million, 65% of which are young. This pivotal state in Central Africa, also known as Africa in miniature, for the richness of its soil and subsoil, offers enormous opportunities in various sectors. With regard to these characteristics, the Embassy will work in conjunction with the Dutch counterpart to negotiate the Agreement on the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments. The organisation in Cameroon in February 2022 of an economic mission of about thirty Dutch companies could set the scene for this new take-off. In the same vein, it is important to ensure the development of decentralised cooperation, the acceleration of scientific and technical cooperation and the promotion of Win-Win strategies with the diaspora. We are already rejoicing at the convergence observed between Cameroon’s priority sectors and the key areas for the Netherlands, namely horticulture, digital technology, the port industry, the environment, etc. Additionally, we intend to work tirelessly to reposition Cameroon as a priority country for the Netherlands, which is the 3rd economic partner of our country. This is a major achievement that deserves to be preserved through a strong and strategic friendship between our two countries.

BY H.E. MS. MADELEINE LIGUEMOH ONDOUA