Cameroon-Commonwealth : Commemorating Fruitful Ties

Cameroon today March 14, 2022 joins other Commonwealth countries to celebrate the 2022 edition of the Commonwealth Day, under the theme, “Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming.” The commemoration serves as an opportunity to highlight contributions made by Cameroon to attaining shared principles and values of the organisation. Week-long activities organised have centred on countering violent extremism, enhancing good governance, promoting gender, empowering of young people and making known, economic and other opportunities in Cameroon and within the Commonwealth. In all, Cameroon has been working towards the realisation of the aspirations on the theme of this year’s edition and strengthening her presence within the Commonwealth. Read below the interview of the Minister Delegate to the Minister of External Relations in charge of Cooperation with the Commonwealth, Felix Mbayu on Cameroon’s cooperation with the organisation. 

54 countries across the world are today observing the Commonwealth Day on the theme, “Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming”.  What is the significance of this theme for Cameroon as a Commonwealth Member State?
The Republic of Cameroon has consistently joined Commonwealth Member States to mark the annual observance of Commonwealth Day under a given theme, underlining the aspirations of the Organisation. The 2022 Commonwealth theme offers unique avenues to demonstrate how Commonwealth Member States are working together, connecting, innovating, and transforming, to provide sustainable solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges like climate change and violent extremism, while achieving shared objectives like good governance and boosting intra-Commonwealth trade. This theme resonates in many ways with the vision that the Head of State, Paul Biya, has for our dear nation. As you would recall, President Paul Biya has systematically stressed on the importance of connecting across generations using ICT tools, innovating in entrepreneurship and business start-ups, and transformational leadership as key milestones in the social and political development of our nation. This is verifiable in the 2020-2030 National Development Strategy (SND30) and extolled in our ambition to emerge in 2035.

Is there any particular significance attached to the 2022 Commonwealth Day, in light of the theme and areas of focus that set it apart from other editions?
Usually the Commonwealth Day theme is pitched around the ambitions of the Organisation for the year. The theme of this year was first introduced in 2020 as an overarching guideline for deliberations of the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting that was initially scheduled to take place that year. While the meeting was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the theme has continued to inspire the work of the Commonwealth, its Member States, and accredited Organisations since then. The theme builds on the Organisation’s ambition to deliver a more prosperous, secure, sustainable and fair future for all its citizens, and focuses on its potential to respond to global challenges including climate change, sustainable development and international peace and security. One of the key areas of progress around the Commonwealth has been international security. As you would agree, the world has been challenged by the advent of the Coronavirus. In reaction to this health challenge, the Commonwealth created a Covid-19 Response Centre that has served as a data resource for Member States and others involved in responding to this global emergency across the world. Another area of progress registered around the Commonwealth in the domain of international security is in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE). In this regard, the Organisation created a CVE Unit that has engaged with Member countries affected by the phenomenon. In Cameroon, the Unit has helped design and deliver workshops on the Whole-of-Government Approach, Gender and Youth perspectives, Management of Violent Extremism Offenders, and building resilience in communities. As you would agree, these workshops came in handy- at a time when our community fellowship has been challenged by the activities of secessionist armed groups operating in the North West and South West Regions, and Boko Haram insurgents that have been waging mayhem in the Far North Region. As the situation is gradually returning to normal, we can only hope to rely on the Commonwealth’s continued support to our commendable home grown solutions.

What are some of the activities that have been organised to put the sp...