The United States Ambassador to Cameroon, Christopher J. Lamora, emphasized the strong and growing diplomacy between the superpower and Cameroon in a speech celebrating his country’s 248th anniversary of independence.
Ambassador Lamora highlighted several areas of successful collaboration, including healthcare initiatives, counterterrorism efforts, and economic development projects.
He also acknowledged the importance of people-to-people ties, mentioning his own experiences engaging with Cameroonian culture and his embassy’s efforts to foster connections between citizens of both countries.
Cameroon is the US’ primary partner in the fight against terrorism in the Lake Chad Basin. Diplomatic ties between both countries date as back as 1960, when French Cameroon gained its independence from France before later reuniting with the English-speaking Southern Cameroons a year later.
Since then, both countries have collaborated in several areas, including governance, regional security, environmental protection, health, and culture, among others.
Ambassador Lamora pointed out Cameroon’s growing importance on the world stage, marked by frequent visits of high-ranking US officials.
These include the visit of the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, Richard Verma, in April; the Deputy Director of the Peace Corps; The US Global Malaria Coordinator, among others.
However, senior US government officials, including the Secretary of State and the President have not visited Cameroon in the recent past.
Ambassador Lamora also mentioned specific US investments aimed at benefiting the Cameroonian people, such as dam construction and infrastructure development projects.
He said the US is committed to supporting the Cameroonian civil society and promoting human rights, entrepreneurship, and good governance.
He acknowledged that both nations have room for improvement but expressed optimism about the future of the US-Cameroon relationship.
The US’ 248th Independence Day event in Yaounde was attended by several high-ranking officials, including the Minister Delegate to the Minister of External Relations, Felix Mbayu, who was the Guest of Honour.
