Pope’s Visit To Bamenda: Preparations Accelerate

The official announcement by the Minister, Director of the Civil Cabinet of the Republic, Samuel Mvondo Ayolo and the Vatican on February 24, 2026 that The Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, will pay an apostolic visit to Cameroon from April 15 to 18, 2026 at the invitation of President Paul Biya, has assured and set all stakeholders in a preparation frenzy. Following the press release from the Civil Cabinet, Pope Leo XIV will visit the cities of Yaounde, Bamenda and Douala. Before the official announcement of the apostolic visit, preparations had started in Bamenda and the official confirmation that created certainty has set the preparatory activities into unprecedented motion. The North West Regional Governor, Adolphe Lele Lafrique is Chairperson of the Local Organising Committee for the visit to Bamenda. To evaluate what has been going on and put all the stakeholders on the same wave length of preparations, he presided at an enlarged preparatory meeting in Bamenda on February 27, 2026. During the meeting, the various sub committees were created and enjoined to accelerate work in order to make the papal visit a grandiose event. Speaking during the meeting, Governor Lele Lafrique called on the people of the North West Region to, “organise themselves and give him a befitting welcome here in the North West Region. This is the reason why I launched a call to the population of the North West from within and without to organise, give your own contribution to the success of the visit of the Pope.” The meeting he said, was, “to bring all the stakeholders and remobilize them to do well in order to honour our honorary guest who has chosen out of all the countries of the world to come to Cameroon and to pay a visit to our region in Bamenda.” The representative of Archbishop Andrew Nkea of the Bamenda Archdioces, Reverend Father Victor Forgho, the Finance Admin...