Cameroon Passport

The Republic of Cameroon, La R é publique du Cameroon.

【 Area 】 475442 square kilometers.

Population: 28.61 million (2023). There are over 200 ethnic groups, mainly including the Fulbe, Bamilek, Equatorial Bantu (including Fang and Betty), Pygmy, and Northwest Bantu (including Douala). French and English are official languages. There are about 200 ethnic languages, but none of them have a script. 40% of the population believes in Catholicism and Protestantism, 20% believes in Islam, and 40% believes in traditional religions.

Yaounde, the capital, has a population of 2.538 million. The average annual temperature is 24.9 ℃, the rainfall is 1299 millimeters, and the rainfall period is 133 days.

[Head of State] President Paul Biya.

[Important Festival] National Day: May 20th; Independence Day: January 1st; Unification Day: October 1st.

【 Overview 】 Located in central Africa, it borders the Gulf of Guinea to the southwest, Nigeria to the west, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic and Congo (Brazzaville) to the east, and Gabon and Equatorial Guinea to the south. The coastline baseline is 360 kilometers long. The western coastal and southern regions have an equatorial rainforest climate, while the northern region has a tropical grassland climate. The annual average temperature is 24-28 ℃.

Since the 5th century AD, a large number of foreign tribes have migrated in and successively formed some tribal kingdoms and tribal alliances. In 1884, it became a "protectorate" of Germany. During World War I, the eastern and western regions of Kazan were respectively occupied by French and British armies. In 1922, the League of Nations divided Eastern and Western Cameroon into French and British "mandate rule". After World War II, the United Nations divided Eastern and Western Ukraine into French and British "trusteeship". On January 1, 1960, the French Mandate gained independence in accordance with a United Nations resolution and established the Republic of Cameroon, with Ahmadou Asijo serving as its president. In February 1961, referendums were held in the northern and southern parts of the Indochina region. On June 1st, the northern part merged with Nigeria, and on October 1st, the southern part merged with the Republic of Cameroon to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. On May 20, 1972, the Cameroonian people voted in favor of a new constitution, abolishing the federal system and establishing the centralized United Republic of Cameroon. In November 1982, Ashicho resigned and Paul Biya succeeded as president. In January 1984, the country's name was changed to the Republic of Cameroon.

Since President Biya took office, he has implemented the program of "national rejuvenation" and advocated for "democratization and ethnic integration", resulting in long-term political stability. Biya was re elected as president twice in 1984 and 1988. The multi-party system was implemented in December 1990. In 1992, multi-party legislative and presidential elections were held, and Biya was elected president, forming a multi-party coalition government led by the ruling party, the Cameroon People's Democratic Union (referred to as the People's Union). In October 1997 and October 2004, Biya was re elected twice. In April 2008, the National Assembly of Cameroon overwhelmingly passed a constitutional amendment to lift the limit on the number of presidential terms. In October 2011, Biya was re elected. On October 7, 2018, Qatar held presidential elections, and Biya was elected as president for the seventh time with 71.28% of the vote.

The current Constitution was passed by a referendum on May 20, 1972. Seven revisions were made in May 1975, November 1983, January 1984, March 1988, April 1991, January 1996, and April 2008. The Constitution stipulates that the President of the Republic is the head of state and the supreme commander of the armed forces, with the power to appoint and dismiss the Prime Minister and members of the government, promulgate laws and decrees, declare a state of emergency, and may hold early presidential elections if necessary. The president is elected directly for a term of 7 years and can be re elected. When the President is unable to perform his duties, the President of the Senate shall act on his behalf. The Prime Minister is the head of government, responsible for leading government work, enforcing laws, exercising the power to formulate regulations, and appointing administrative officials.

The Constitution stipulates that legislative power is exercised by a bicameral parliament consisting of the National Assembly and the Senate. Members of parliament are elected by direct universal suffrage for a term of 5 years. The current National Assembly was elected in February 2020, with a total of 180 seats from 8 political parties, including 152 seats for the People's Alliance, 7 seats for the National Democratic Progressive Alliance, and 5 seats for the Social Democratic Front. Speaker: Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, member of the People's League. The current Senate will be elected in March 2023, with 70 senators elected by municipal councilors and 30 senators appointed by the President. 100 senators come from 7 political parties, with 94 seats held by the People's Alliance, and 1 seat each held by the National Democratic Progressive Union, the Cameroon People's Alliance, the Cameroon National Salvation Front, the Democratic Movement for the Defense of the Republic, and the Social Democratic Front. The Senate has one Speaker and five Vice Presidents. Senate President: Marcel NJIFNJI NIAT, member of the People's Alliance.

The current government was formed in January 2019, including 1 Prime Minister, 4 State Ministers, 35 Ministers, 8 Ministerial level Representatives, and 10 State Secretaries. The main members are as follows: Prime Minister Dion Ngute Joseph, Minister of Tourism and Entertainment Bello Bouba Maigari, Minister of Justice Esso Laurent, Minister of Higher Education Fam Ndongo Jacques, Minister of State and Secretary General of the Presidential Office Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, Ministerial Representative of the Presidential Office for Defense Affairs Beti Assomo Joseph, and Ministerial Representative of the Presidential Office for the highest supervisory affairs of the country Mbah Achah Forman Dang Rose Engwari. Acha n é e Fomundam Rose Ngwari, female, Talba Malla Ibrahim, the ministerial representative in charge of public procurement at the Presidential Office, Wakata Bolvine, Minister of Relations with Parliament, Atanga Nji Paul, Minister of Territorial Administration, Ngu é n é e Kendeck Pauline Ir è ne, Minister of Social Affairs, Mbairob é Gabriel, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Bidoung Mkpatt Pierre Isma ë l, Minister of Arts and Culture, Mbarga Atangana Luc Mag, Minister of Commerce. Loire), Minister of Information Sadi R é n é Emmanuel, Minister of Decentralization and Local Development Elanga Obam Georges, Minister of Real Estate, Land Registry and Land Affairs Eyeb é Ayissi Henri, Minister of Water Resources and Energy Elondou Essomba Gaston, Minister of Economy, Planning and Territorial Development Alamine Ousmane Mey, Minister of Basic Education Etondi Ngoa Laurent Serge, Minister of Livestock, Fisheries and Livestock Industry Minister Taiga, Minister of Employment and Vocational Training Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Minister of Secondary Education Nalova Lyonga Pauline Egbe, Minister of Environment, Nature Conservation and Sustainable Development H é l é Pierre, Minister of Finance Motaze Louis Paul, Minister of Public Service and Administrative Reform Joseph Le Anderson, Minister of Forestry and Animal Resources Ndongo Jules Doret, Minister of Housing and Urban Development Court è s n é e Keutcha C é lestine, Minister of Youth and Civic Education Mounouna Foutsche Minister of Mines, Industry and Technology Development Dodo Ndok Gabriel, Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts Bassilekin III Achille, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Libom Li Likeng n é e Mendomo Minette, Minister of Women and Family Promotion Abena Ondoa n é e Obama Marie Th é r è se, Minister of Research and Innovation Tchuinte Madeleine, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mbella Mbella Lejeune, Minister of Public Health Manaouda Lejeune Manaouda Malachie, Minister of Sports and Physical Education Mouelle Kombi Narcisse, Minister of Transport Ngall Bibe é Jean Ernest Massena Bibrehe Jean Ernest Mass é na, Minister of Labour and Social Security Owona Gr é goire, and Minister of Public Works Nganou Djoumessi Emmanuel.

The country is divided into 10 major regions (Far North, North, Adamawa, East, Central, South, Coastal, West, Southwest, Northwest), 58 provinces, and 360 municipalities.

Judicial power is exercised by the Supreme Court, appellate courts, and various levels of courts. The President appoints judges. The Supreme Judicial Council assists the President in his work. Supreme Court President MEKOBE SONE Daniel and Attorney General NDJODO Luc.

There are a total of 298 legal political parties, and the main political parties are as follows:

(1) The Cameroon People's Democratic Union (RPDF), RDPC）： The ruling party. Formerly known as the Cameroon National Union, it was established on September 1, 1966 and renamed to its current name on March 24, 1985. Before December 1990, it was the only legal political party and the ruling party. The overall goal is to establish a 'collective liberal society' based on strictness, morality, freedom, democracy, and ensuring the full development of the people. The creed we adhere to is' unity, progress, and democracy '. The current task is to promote national unity and solidarity, develop the economy and culture, and oppose tribalism and religious privilege. In September 1984, President Biya was elected as the Chairman of the Cameroon National Union. In 1985, after the Cameroon National Union was renamed the Cameroon People's Democratic Union, he was elected as the Chairman of the People's Union Party. In June 1990, December 1996, and September 2011, the People's League held its first, second, and third national congresses respectively, and Biya was elected as the party chairman. The party holds 152 seats in the National Assembly and 94 seats in the Senate.

(2) Social Democratic Front (SDF): The main opposition party. Established on May 26, 1990. Became a legal political party on March 1, 1991. Under the slogan of "democracy, justice, and development", the party claims that achieving political transition through peaceful means is its responsibility and obligation, and advocates for the restoration of federalism. He boycotted the 1992 legislative election and the 1997 presidential election, which had a significant impact on the English speaking West and the Bamilek people. In October 2004, party chairman John Fru NDI ran for president and received 17.40% of the vote. In October 2011, Endy participated in the presidential election again and received 10.71% of the vote, ranking second. In October 2018, the party's first vice chairman, OSIH Joshua NAMBANGI, ran in the presidential election and received 3.35% of the vote, ranking fourth. The party holds 16 seats in the National Assembly and 1 seat in the Senate.

(3) The Mouvement pour la Renaissance du Cameroon (MRC) is the main opposition party in Cameroon. Established in August 2012, advocating for the initiation of extensive political discussions and the creation of a more open and democratic political atmosphere. Maurice Kamto, the chairman, has served as a member of the United Nations International Law Commission and a ministerial level representative of the Ministry of Justice. In October 2018, he participated in the presidential election and received 14.23% of the vote, ranking second. The party holds one seat in the National Assembly and no seat in the Senate.

(4) Union D é mocratique du Cameroon, UDC）： opposition party. Established in March 1991 and obtained legal status in April of the same year. Seeking to build a peaceful, tolerant, free, and just society, advocating for peace based on justice, equality, and opposition to tribalism. It has a certain impact in the western region. Ndam NJOYA, the Chairman, has served as the Dean of the School of International Relations, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of National Education. In October 2004, he participated in the presidential election as a unified candidate of the opposition alliance "National Reconciliation and National Reconstruction Alliance" and received 4.47% of the vote, ranking third. In October 2011, he participated in the presidential election again and received 1.73% of the vote, ranking fourth. In October 2018, he participated in the presidential election again and received 1.73% of the vote, ranking fifth. The party holds 6 seats in the National Assembly and no seats in the Senate.

(5) Union Nationale pour la D é mocratie et le Progr è s, UNDP）： Political parties. Established in May 1990, it was approved as a legal political party on March 25, 1991. The party has a significant influence in Muslim populated areas in the north, with many supporters of former President Ashijo in the leadership. Emphasize that Kazakhstan is a country of citizens, support ethnic unity and solidarity, and oppose separatism. Advocate for economic liberalization and decentralization, and support strict implementation of economic structural adjustment plans. In 1997, he joined forces with the Social Democratic Front to boycott the presidential election. After reaching a "Government Common Program" with the People's League in January 1998, he joined the government and became a participating party. The party holds 4 seats in the National Assembly and 1 seat in the Senate. Party Chairman Bello Buba MAIGARI is currently the Minister of State for Tourism.

(6) Union des Peoples du Cameroon (UPC): a political party. Established in April 1948, it has made contributions to the independence of Kazakhstan. Due to engaging in anti colonial struggles, it was banned by the French colonial authorities in 1955. After independence, Kacha became a legal political party on February 25, 1960. In 1966, after former President Ashigo announced the implementation of a one party system, the alliance was dissolved and most of its leaders went into exile abroad. After implementing a multi-party system, the alliance resumed its activities and obtained legal status in February 1991. The alliance advocates accelerating national democratic change, encouraging political liberalization, promoting democracy, decentralizing economic management, reducing state intervention, improving people's living standards, and establishing a society based on unity and mutual complementarity. The party has experienced multiple splits, forming three factions led by General Secretary Augustin KODOCK, Chairman Ndeh NTUMAZAH, and Henri HOGBENLEND. In January 2000, the two factions announced a reconciliation. The party holds one seat each in the National Assembly and the Senate.

Paul Biya: President of the Republic, Head of State, Supreme Commander of the National Armed Forces, and Chairman of the People's League. Born on February 13, 1933 in Jiaelobo County, Southern Region. From 1956 to 1962, he studied law and political science at Louis Le Bon Public High School in France, the University of Paris, and the Institute of Advanced Studies Abroad. In 1960, he obtained a Bachelor's degree in International Public Law. After returning to China, he served as a special envoy of the Presidential Office, Director and Secretary General of the Office of the Minister of National Education, Youth and Culture, Director of the Civil Affairs Office of the Presidential Office, Secretary General and Director of the Civil Affairs Office of the Presidential Office, and Minister of State and Secretary General of the Presidential Office. Appointed as the Prime Minister of the government in June 1975. He has been the President of the Republic since November 1982. Elected as Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Cameroon National Union in February 1975, and appointed as National Chairman in September 1983. He has been serving as the National President of the Cameroon People's Democratic Union since March 1985.

【 Economy 】 Kacha has superior geographical location and natural conditions, and abundant resources. Agriculture and animal husbandry are the main pillars of the national economy. Industry has a certain foundation. After independence, economic policies such as "planned liberalism", "independent and balanced development", and "green revolution" were implemented, and the national economy developed rapidly. In the early 1980s, the economic growth rate reached double digits, and the per capita GDP once reached $1200. After 1985, due to the impact of the international economic crisis, the economy fell into difficulties. The government has taken some measures, but with little effect, and the four phase structural adjustment plan signed with the International Monetary Fund has not been completed. After the depreciation of the African franc in 1994, the economic situation in Cameroon began to improve, inflation was controlled, foreign trade structure improved, industrial and agricultural production increased, and fiscal revenue increased significantly. The Qatari government has increased its efforts in economic structural adjustment, strengthened fiscal management, promoted privatization, and maintained continuous growth in gross domestic product. In 2000, Ka successfully completed the fifth phase of the restructuring plan and was approved to join the "heavily indebted poor countries" debt reduction program. From 2000 to 2003, Kazakhstan implemented its second "Poverty Reduction and Growth Promotion" program with funding from the International Monetary Fund. In 2006, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund confirmed that Cameroon had reached the completion point of the "heavily indebted poor countries" debt reduction plan, and its external debt had been significantly reduced. In 2008, due to the impact of the international financial crisis, the fiscal tariffs and export product revenue of Kazakhstan sharply decreased, external investment and credit tightened, and the number of unemployed people increased. In 2009, the government of Cameroon successively released the "2035 Vision Plan" and the Economic Growth and Employment Strategy Development Plan (2010-2020), with a focus on developing agriculture, expanding energy production, increasing infrastructure investment, and striving to improve the export-oriented economic structure that relies on raw materials. The goal is to build Cameroon into a "democratic, unified, and diverse emerging country" by 2035. The estimated main economic indicators for 2023 are as follows:

Gross Domestic Product: 48.96 billion US dollars

Per capita Gross Domestic Product: 1710 US dollars

Economic growth rate: 4%

Currency Name: Central African Financial Cooperation Franc (FCFA, abbreviated as CFA Franc)

Inflation rate: 7.2%

(Information)

【 Resources 】 Mineral resources are relatively abundant. The main proven mineral deposits include bauxite (with reserves of over 1.1 billion tons, bauxite grade of 43%, and silica grade of 3.4%), iron ore (about 5 billion tons), hematite (about 3 million tons, titanium content of 92% to 95%), and uranium ore (about 20000 tons). In addition, there are non-metallic minerals such as cassiterite, gold, diamonds, cobalt, nickel, as well as marble, limestone, mica, etc. The forest area is over 22.5 million hectares, accounting for approximately 46% of the total national area. The available mining area is about 17 million hectares, and the total timber volume is 4 billion cubic meters. Rich in hydraulic resources, the available hydraulic resources reach 208 billion cubic meters, accounting for 3% of the world's hydraulic resources. Hydroelectric power accounts for 72% of Cameroon's total electricity generation. The oil reserves are about 100 million tons, and the natural gas reserves are about 500 billion cubic meters.

The government of Cameroon promulgated the Mining Law in 2001 and revised some of its provisions on July 29, 2010, further clarifying the types of mineral certificates and the protection of mining rights and interests. At present, Cameroon's annual fiscal revenue from mineral resources is about 5 billion francs.

After independence, industrial development has been rapid, with a certain foundation and scale, and the industrial level ranks among the top in sub Saharan Africa. 15% of the national labor force is engaged in industry, with major industrial sectors including food, beverages, cigarettes, textiles, clothing, papermaking, building materials, chemicals, aluminum refining, electricity, petroleum extraction and processing, and wood extraction and processing. The policy of enterprise privatization has been implemented since 1990. In recent years, in order to promote industrial development, increase employment, and attract investment, the government of Cameroon has actively improved relevant laws and regulations and vigorously encouraged the development of small and medium-sized enterprises. However, Cameroon's industrial development still faces difficulties such as a lack of energy such as electricity, outdated infrastructure construction, and high processing and manufacturing costs.

Agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries are known as the "granary of Central Africa". The arable land has reached 7.2 million hectares, accounting for 15% of the national land area, and currently only over 1.8 million hectares have been developed. In 2018, the agricultural output value accounted for about 15% of the gross domestic product, 25% of the total export value, and provided employment for 60% of the labor force. The government of Cameroon attaches great importance to agricultural development, increases investment in agricultural development management institutions, builds rural grassroots cooperative organizations, strengthens the development of agricultural mechanization, provides assistance for young farmers' employment, and actively contacts international organizations to seek funding from the World Bank, European Union, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, African Development Bank, and Islamic Development Bank to improve Cameroon's agricultural production and competitiveness. The main grain crops include millet, sorghum, corn, rice, potatoes, bananas, etc. The main economic crops include cocoa, cotton, coffee, bananas, oil palm, etc. It is the fifth largest banana producing country in the world. At present, the annual production of coffee is 25000 tons, the annual production of cocoa beans is about 200000 tons, the production of bananas is 220000 tons, and the production of cotton is 350000 tons.

Forestry is one of the pillar industries of the national economy in Kazakhstan, with forest area accounting for 46% of the total land area. The Qatari government attaches great importance to forestry development and carried out forestry reforms in 1999, explicitly prohibiting the export of logs and conducting open bidding for forest land mining rights. In the same year, in response to the decline in export revenue caused by the ban on the export of logs, tree species were divided into traditional tree species and promoted tree species, with the latter type of logs allowed for export after taxation. The contribution rate of forestry to the gross domestic product is 6%.

The fishing in the Ka Ocean mainly relies on manual labor, and aquaculture is still in its infancy. The self-sufficiency of aquatic products is insufficient, and about 110000 tons of fish products need to be imported from abroad every year. The total area of pastures and grasslands in China is 14.3 million hectares. The livestock industry in the northern region is relatively developed and mainly operated in traditional ways. The annual output value of animal husbandry accounts for 14% of the agricultural output value. The government of Kazakhstan has started to formulate policies aimed at promoting the diversified development of industries such as fish farming, fishing, and beekeeping, establishing effective mechanisms for preventing and reducing animal epidemics, and formulating veterinary service industry standards that are in line with international standards.

The tourism industry is rich in tourism resources and is known as the 'micro Africa'. The government attaches great importance to the development of the tourism industry, has established the National Tourism Council chaired by the Prime Minister, opened tourism representative offices abroad, and encouraged private investment in the tourism industry. Joined the International Tourism Organization in 1975. Cameroon Tourism Company was established in 1985. The Ministry of Tourism was established in 1989. The National Tourism Promotion Committee was established in 1990. There are 381 tourist attractions and 45 protected areas across the country. The main tourist attractions include natural zoos such as Benue, Waza, and Bubanjida. In 2018, there were 1721 hotels and 837 tourist attractions in Kazakhstan, receiving a total of 812000 international tourists and 4.87 million domestic tourists.

A three-dimensional transportation network consisting of land, sea, and air has been formed. Highway transportation accounts for over 90% of the total transportation volume in the country.

Railway: put into use in 1911, with a total length of 1000 kilometers, distributed in some major cities, using single narrow gauge railways, but still unable to extend to all parts of the country. The government of Kazakhstan launched the "National Railway Guidance Plan" in 2012 as an important guide for railway development.

Highway: The total length is 122108 kilometers, including approximately 7000 kilometers of asphalt roads, 21490 kilometers of main roads, and 100243 kilometers of rural roads. According to the 2020-2035 Highway Development Guidance Plan, the focus of highway construction in the next 15 years will be on building roads connecting the district and provincial capital.

Water transportation: Cameroon currently has four ports: Douala, Limbe, Kribi, and Garoua Inland River Port. Douala Port is located at the mouth of the Wuli River, 50 kilometers away from the Atlantic Ocean. With a superior geographical location, it is an important port in the Central African region, where import and export goods from landlocked countries such as Central Africa and Chad are transshipped. The designed throughput is 10 million tons per year, and in recent years, the actual throughput has exceeded 10 million tons, accounting for more than 95% of the import and export commodities in Kazakhstan. In 2018, the freight volume was 11.6 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 4.5%. Linbei and Kribi ports are relatively small in scale. In December 2014, the first phase of the Kribi Deepwater Port project, funded by a loan from the Export Import Bank of China, was completed. The designed annual throughput of the terminal is 1.2 million tons of cargo and 300000 TEU containers. It was put into operation in March 2018, with a cargo volume of 6.4 million tons in 2018. Garua Port is a seasonal port, with a transportation period from August to September each year. In recent years, it has not undertaken any transportation volume.

Air freight: Currently, in addition to the three major international airports of Yaound é - Ensimaran, Douala, and Garoua, Cameroon also has five secondary airports, namely Malua Sarak, Engandere, Bertua, Bafusam Bamgum, and Bamenda Bafute. Currently, there are 20 commercial airlines and 3 cargo airlines operating in Qatar. Cameroon Airlines was established on the basis of the former state-owned airline of Cameroon, headquartered in Douala city. It currently operates three Boeing aircraft, two Xinzhou 60 aircraft, and one Bombardier aircraft, and operates international and domestic routes. Its maiden flight was completed on March 28, 2011. The main destination cities are Paris, Brussels, Addis Ababa, Istanbul, etc. In addition, there are three small airlines in Kazakhstan that only engage in charter flights.

In recent years, the telecommunications industry in Cameroon has shown a rapid development trend. In 2015, mobile communication services covered over 80% of the national territory, with 18.61 million users. At present, there are three operators in Cameroon's mobile communication and fixed telephone markets, and more than 50 enterprises providing Internet services.

The foreign exchange reserves and external debt situation from 2019 to 2022 are as follows (in billions of US dollars):