“True to the duty of truth that I have just mentioned, I readily acknowledge that, despite the laudable track record that I have just presented to you, sustained efforts still need to be made, without delay, to significantly improve your living conditions. Such will be the priority for the government that I will form in the coming days.” The above words are those of Paul Biya, President of Cameroon.
It’s been five days since he announced that he will be forming a new government.
The nation has been waiting anxiously with speculations here and there as to when that will happen.
On January 2, rumours circulated that the President was about to announce the new cabinet and that appointments were to be read on the state broadcaster, CRTV.
Many waited and waited, yet nothing has been mentioned to date.
Will Biya Sack the Entire Cabinet?
President Paul Biya, in his speech, said he will be forming a government.
However, it’s left for interpretation as to whether he will bring in entirely new people or whether forming of a government means he just won a new mandate and is bringing in a new team if it contains the old.
However, the last time Biya reshuffled his government was in 2019.
Paul Biya, for 43 years, has been noticed for always rotating ministers from one post to another irrespective of whether it’s their speciality or not.
There are ministers in Paul Biya’s government that have spent over 20 years in the same positions.
Three Ministerial Posts Occupied by Interims
Meanwhile, since the last government, three Ministers are no longer part of it.
The Minister of Mines and Industries and Technological Development, Michelle Gabriel Ndodo Ndoki, died and was replaced by Prof. Fuh Calistus Gentry, who is serving on an interim basis.
In the gear-up to last year’s presidential election, two Ministers left the government too. Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, resigned and was replaced on an interim basis another Minister, Mounouna Foutsou.
Minister Foutsou is serving in a dual capacity as Minister of Youth Affairs and Civic Education and also as Minister of Employment and Vocational Training.
The same thing happened with the Minister of Tourism and Leisure, Bello Bouba Maigari, who resigned. He was also replaced by another Minister, Gabriel Mbairobe, who is also the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Lack of Collaboration in Government
In the last five years, Biya’s government seems to have been acting without collaboration. Ministers appear to have been taking decisions which at times concern other ministries without collaborating.
When Anicet Ekane, leader of the Manidem Party, died in custody, the Minister of Communication, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, in an interview with Angie Forbin, blasted some of his colleagues for unilaterally taking decisions without consulting others.
This was not the only scenario that showed disunity in government. Prior to the election of officials into the Cameroon Football Federation, the Minister of Sports, Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, wrote to his counterpart of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, to help him implement a ban on the election. This request was seemingly simply ignored.
When garbage overwhelmed many towns last December, it was Minister Atanga Nji of Territorial Administration who instead ordered the relocation of dump sites from roadsides. Some observers opined that this was the preserve of the Minister of Urban Development, Celestin Ketcha Kourtes.
Even when it comes to respecting instructions from the Prime Minister and Head of Government, some Ministers appear to function independently from the Prime Ministry.
As Paul Biya is expected to form a new government maybe today, tomorrow or next week, many hope to see a unified cabinet that works to achieve the projects the president highlighted for 2026.
