Reviving German-Cameroon Ties

The presence of an imposing German business delegation to Cameroon headed by the Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development, Dirk Niebel marks another milestone in cooperation ties between both countries.

They were received in audience yesterday October 29, 2012 by the Head of State, President Paul Biya and they later had a working session with a number of cabinet ministers led by Prime Minister, Head of Government, Philemon Yang.

In fact, it is hard to talk about Germany in Cameroon without recalling the rather short colonial experience with the Germans which incidentally left indelible marks with structures that have defied the wear and tear of time. There are many Cameroonians who still look back at the German era in the country with much nostalgia.

Decades after that remarkable colonial experience, the facts remain significant. Apart from other schemes, Germany has donated an overall amount of 77 million Euros to Cameroon for the period of 2010-2013. The assistance to Cameroon from the German government generally trickles down to the population through such structures as the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GIZ) and the German Development Agency (DED).

Thus, the Germans have been active in the health, governance, economic and social development sectors in Cameroon. To better define bilateral cooperation areas between both countries, a framework agreement in November 2003 focused German-Cameroon activities around the following three priority areas: Health and HIV/AIDS, Sustainable use of natural resources, Decentralisation, participatory development and governance. The composition of the current delegation reflects that framework and exposes how determined both sides are to respect their commitments.

Given previous successes recorded in cooperation ties, it sounds elating that more German officials are taking keen interest in Cameroon as a place for good business. Be it at the level of the private sector or German Federal Government oriented domains, the impact on the Cameroonian society cannot be exhausted here. Yet, some palpable examples are obvious. The biometric recompilation of voters' registration that has started in Cameroon is being supported by a German partner and the early indications are largely positive. Several capacity-building initiatives have taken place in Cameroon with German support within the context of agreed frameworks.

Consequently, the Dirk Niebel delegation that was granted audience yesterday by the Head of State and later had a working session with some cabinet ministers gave several clues about the ambitions of the team. They are interested in the forestry sector, nature protection, agriculture and rural development and they brought along businessmen and members of the civil society. The effective presence in Cameroon gives room for an on-the-spot appraisal of the business climate as well as a better insight into concrete joint ventures that they can carry out in Cameroon.

Such a growing interest in Cameroon by the Germans calls for reflection given the multifaceted and robust nature of the delegation and the diversified nature of their concern.

Last year, another impressive delegation of German Businessmen was also in Cameroon with burning ideas for investments. It may be early to evaluate the impact of the visit last year, but such numbers do not only indicate the choicest place that the country commands in the minds of the business persons and officials from Germany, but also point to the fact that if such contacts are well harnessed, Cameroonians may not only think of Germany as a onetime colonial master that left behind lasting relics, but have reason to sound off about achievements from historic ties that have kept improving.