Minister Paul Atanga Nji has described Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya, as the wisest leader in Africa and the rest of the world.
“We should congratulate ourselves for having a leader with so much wisdom. It’s an honour for me, and let’s thank the head of state,” Atanga told Jules Doret Ndongo, the country’s Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, and Hele Pierre, Minister of the Environment and the Protection of Nature in Cameroon.
The trio was representing President Biya at the 28th edition of the Conference of the Parties (COP), the world’s foremost climate summit taking place in the United Arab Emirates.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Atanga Nji said Cameroon’s efforts towards fighting climate change stand out globally, adding that the rest of the world should start using the country as a reference. “We all know the stance of the head of state on this topic, which is caution, realism, and action. I think even the COP president talked about realism,” said Atanga Nji.
While world leaders gathered in Dubai for the summit, Cameroon’s president was notably absent, engaged in hosting a ‘working visit’ with Gabon’s military ruler, General Brice Oligui Nguema. Biya had invited Nguema for a ‘working visit’ but details of the meeting were never revealed to the press.
Though absent at the summit, Atanga Nji said, “President Paul Biya has told everyone to exercise caution. We must avoid false promises, and we must consider the specificities and development realities of certain countries. I believe that the speech of the head of state is like a reference point for other leaders, for he is like the wisest man in Africa and the wisest in the world.”
Cameroon is grappling with the profound repercussions of climate change, as evidenced by deadly floods, hurricanes, and landslides. But the population that is hardest hit in cities like Yaounde, Douala, Limbe, Buea, and Bamenda has accused locals of doing little to address the issue.
While countries in Africa, like Cameroon, contribute less than 5 percent of global emissions, they bear a disproportionate burden of the adverse impacts of climate change. Consequently, addressing climate change is not just a priority for African countries; it is an urgent matter crucial to their very survival.
“Countries like ours contribute little to climate change but are suffering more from the effects of climate change. Many people here are congratulating Cameroon because we were courageous enough to say what many didn’t say. I think the path Cameroon has taken on this issue (climate change) is the path for everyone to follow. Many people approached me here to praise me, saying Cameroon has a vision that every other country needs to tackle climate change, and that is the path everyone else needs to follow,” Atanga Nji said, adding, “Unity, action, and concrete results.” This is exactly the general reality in Cameroon. There is unity and action.”
