Cameroon-Great Britain : Growing, Diversified Cooperation Ties

Historical, friendly and growing cooperation ties between Cameroon and Great Britain have continued to grow from strength to strength. President Paul Biya and the High Commissioner of Britain to Cameroon, Rowan James Laxton during the audience the Head of State granted to the British diplomate on July 23, 2020 at the Unity Palace in Yaounde talked about the coronavirus pandemic, security situation in Far North as well as the North West and South West Regions and how British companies could contribute to enable Cameroon reach emergence by 2035.

Information from the British High Commission in Yaounde sums up the relations, “In Cameroon, we support the country’s goal of becoming an emerging economy by 2035 by supporting sustainable democratic reform, challenging corruption, supporting adherence to international human rights standards and improving commercial cooperation. We work closely together as partners in the Commonwealth.” High Commissioner Rowan James Laxton has been instrumental in translating the declaration into concrete reality on the field. On the occasion of celebrations marking Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 92nd birthday in Yaounde on June 7, 2018, he stated that, “Britain supports the development of Cameroon’s domestic and international politics, humanitarian issues and common security concerns across the world”. In economic cooperation, the High Commissioner disclosed that the British company, Biwater signed contracts worth 200 million US Dollars (FCFA 111.4 billion) for establishing water treatment and supply centres in 13 villages across the country. A good number of British investors are in Cameroon.

The educational domain is one of the main areas in which cooperation ties are palpable. The British Council offers learning opportunities to many Cameroonians. The country also offers scholarships to Cameroonians in varied domains with the noticeable ones being Cameroon Women Scholarship and Chevening Scholarship. The two countries also cooperate in the domains of human rights, gender equality and environmental protection. In the humanitarian domain, sources say, Britain is one of the largest donors to salvage the situation in northern Cameroon due to the influx of refugees.