MP questions why major CT headlines are in French

During a plenary sitting of the national assembly chaired by Speaker Cavaye Yeguie Djibril recently, Hon. Awudu Mbaya questioned Cameroon's Minister of Communications Issa Tchiroma on why all major headlines in the state-owned Newspaper Cameroon Tribune (CT) were in French. "Depriving a people of information is a crime against humanity," he declared.

In his response, Communication Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary first historically situated the genesis of the English and French versions of Cameroon Tribune.

He then explained that the economic crisis of the 80s, the 1994 devaluation of FCFA and the ensuing corporate restructuring were behind the decision by its publisher, Cameroon News and Publishing Corporation (SOPECAM) in 1995, to produce only one bilingual edition.

He further stated that although the economic situation has improved with Cameroon Tribune regaining its aura as a reference news source in Africa, the newspaper sector has evolved and now marked by a competitive environment, the rapid development of Information and Communication Technologies and the Internet, making it difficult for newspapers to exist.

"It is necessary to grant subsidy to ensure the profitability of a bilingual daily and seek resources to ensure its sustenance," Tchiroma explained