Pioneer MINRESI AI Week: Cameroon Shifts From Consumer To Producer

The Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation, MINRESI, led by the Minister, Dr. Madeleine Tchuinte, on June 9, 2026 launched the ministry’s first-ever Artificial Intelligence Week in Yaoundé. Financed and technically backed by the French Embassy, the five-day summit (June8-12, 2026) marks a critical transition for the nation. Moving from a passive consumer of global technology to an active producer of local innovations. The initiative directly supports President Paul Biya’s mandate to integrate AI into the country’s National Development Strategy, SND30, the Minister Tchuinte noted. Addressing an audience of local innovators and French delegates from the University of Bourgogne Europe, Dr. Tchuinte stated that AI is now a determining factor in economic competitiveness and technological sovereignty. "We have the problems, we have the talents," she affirmed, highlighting the need for a sovereign, "frugal AI" designed by Cameroonians to tackle specific regional hurdles in smart agriculture, public health, and administration. The operational impact on local science is expected to be immediate. Dr. Patrice Ele Abiama, Permanent Secretary of the National Committee for Technology Development, CNDT, noted that AI tools will completely shift research paradigms. Projecting that individual researcher output could surge from five articles per year to up to 20. Professor Christopher Cruz, a generative AI expert from Bourgogne U...