CEMAC Leaders Meet in Yaounde to Discuss Economy

Leaders of the Economic Community of Central African States (CEMAC) are meeting in Cameroon’s political capital Yaounde this December 16 in an extraordinary session to discuss vital economic issues facing the bloc.

Among the leaders who are attending the event is Gabon’s military president, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema; and the current president of CEMAC, Faustin Archange Touadéra, who is President of the Central African Republic.

Also present are the world’s longest-serving Presidents, Equatorial Guinea’s Teodora Obiang Nguema and Cameroon’s Paul Biya, the host.

Chadian President, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno is notably absent from the summit.

His Minister of Finance represents him and arrived in Yaounde on Sunday afternoon.

Also, Congo’s Denis Sassou Nguesso sent the Prime Minister Anatole Collinet Makosso to represent him.

Prior to the summit, a release from the CEMAC Communication Director, Halilou Aboubakar, stated that the summit “will focus mainly on the examination and evaluation of structural reforms undertaken in the macroeconomic areas since 2016”.

The release furthered: “The Yaoundé summit should make it possible to define a roadmap to boost the economy of the CEMAC zone and strengthen its resilience to external shocks, to outline guidelines to strengthen structural reforms with a view to improving the economic performance of the countries of the CEMAC zone.”

This is the third time CEMAC leaders are meeting this year after previous meetings in April and February.