The UK Minister for Development and Africa, Rt. Hon. MP, has reaffirmed UK
support to Cameroonian trade and infrastructure and discussed the
devastating impacts of Cameroon’s conflicts including the human
rights situation during a two-day visit.
The Minister saw the impacts of British investment in Cameroon,
visiting a major road in the commercial capital, Douala, which is
receiving £113 million in funding from UK Export Finance to
support its expansion. Due to this important UK support, the
critical transportation corridor between Douala and Yaounde, and
on into central Africa, is being greatly improved, bringing more
and quicker trade to more people.
The UK is committed to deepening its partnership with Cameroon to
enhance economic prosperity, with leaders from the country
invited to attend the UK-African Investment
Summit to be held in London in April 2024.
The Minister met with representatives from the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and discussed the most pressing
challenges faced in providing humanitarian assistance to victims
of the devastating conflict in the Northwest and Southwest.
Over the past five years, the UK has delivered more than £20
million of humanitarian life-saving assistance funding to
Cameroon. Meeting with experts from the Education Cannot Wait
programme, the Minister discussed how UK funding, through the UN,
is supporting urgent education for children affected by conflict,
helping those who cannot access school to get an education.
The UK Minister for Development and Africa said:
During my third visit to Cameroon, but first as a Minister rather
than a businessman, I was struck by the depth of our relationship
and how our two countries are working on a range of issues
important to both nations.
The long-term partnership between the UK and Cameroon is
underpinned by important development and security cooperation, as
well as trade, investment and education and of course our ties
within the Commonwealth. We have been a strong humanitarian donor
over many years, particularly in response to the conflict in the
predominantly Anglophone Northwest and Southwest Regions. The UK
continues to urge for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
High-level discussions were held with the Prime Minister Dr
Joseph Dion Ngute, focussing on the conflict in the Northwest and
Southwest regions, and the conflict in the Far North Region and
Lake Chad area, where the UK military provides valuable training.
