For materialising President Biya’s digital transformation vision: P&T Minister gets Digital, Cybersecurity Champion distinction.

The unassuming member of government was named Cameroon’s 2023 Digital & Cybersecurity Champion. 

The recognition is based on the assessment of Cameroon English Language Newspaper Publishers Association, CENPA.

Minister Minette Libom, who is among the few female pillars of the Biya regime, was handed the award at the Yaounde Hilton Hotel July 25. 

This was during the maiden edition of CENPA Award Night. It was carefully planned to recognise outstanding personalities and institutions contributing to nation building. 

The event, which was staged under the distinguished patronage of the Minister of Communication, was attended by several top government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, political, religious, civil society and traditional authorities, among others.

The distinction, CENPA award jury, headed by international lawyer and anti-corruption champion, Barrister Akere Muna, disclosed, was on the basis of merit. 

Other members of the jury that vetted the recognition included the Paramount ruler of the Bafaw and King of Kumba, Senator Nfon Mukete IV Ekoko; international award-winning peace and women advocate, Esther Omam, and the President of CENPA cum Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian Post, Ngah Christian Mbipgo. 

The jury said the award is for Minister Minette Libom Li Likeng’s “…prominent and passionate leadership in materialising President Biya’s digital transformation vision and crusading the protection of Cameroon’s digital infrastructure from cyber attacks”. 

Laurate pledges to do more 

In her acceptance speech, Minister Minette Libom Li Likeng, expressed gratitude to CENPA for the recognition and reaffirmed her commitment not to relent in her efforts to strengthen cybersecurity in the country. 

“I am very moved by this award, which in the opinion of the jury, presided over by Bâtonnier Akere Muna, a respected public figure, rewards our involvement and commitment to the implementation of the President of the Republic's vision for the digital transformation of our country, as well as our relentless investment in the fight against cybercrime,” the minister said. 

Minette Libom said the distinction is a sign that the efforts of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, as one of the links in the government chain responsible for materialising into action the vision of the Head of State, “are neither invisible nor insignificant”.

Signals of strides recorded in line with President Biya’s vision in the field of Posts and Telecommunications, the minister said, “are real and concrete”. 

“In this respect, this award represents a real source of pride, as well as a call to continue the work in which the staff of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and many other players in this sector are engaged on a daily basis,” she stated. 

The award, she said, is a call to do more and to continue to “address with relevance and rigor, the multiple challenges that call out to us and that are constantly becoming more complex, in a field undergoing perpetual change. We must do so with the ever-increasing expectations of Cameroonians in mind”. 

The minister used the occasion to reiterate and reaffirm her zeal for a more competitive and efficient Post and Telecommunications sector, with the concerted efforts of all in the sector. 

Improving connectivity nationwide 

The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, it should be said, has engaged wide-ranging strategies for improved connectivity. This is in a bid to make real President Biya’s instructions to speed up the development of the digital economy.

The ministry has under Minister Minette Libom also outlined a series of initiatives on institutional, regulatory, and infrastructural fronts to facilitate the digital transformation of the country.

The ministry has been at the fore to ensure digital inclusion, by fostering the widespread use of ICT, across all segments of society, with a particular focus on women and youth and strengthening the population's capacities in the field of ICT. 

The ministry has also been prioritising access to basic telecommunications and ICT services, especially in rural areas.

This is being done to combat poverty, the living conditions of the population and serve as prerequisite for shaping a future where every individual has the opportunity to thrive, contribute, and reap the benefits of digital revolution.

The minister has also been boosting access to digital technologies, considered as a means to strengthen citizen participation in public life, stimulate local innovation, and reduce inequalities across different strata of society. 

The ministry has also embarked on a robust campaign to curb the proliferation of cybercrime, unpatriotic behaviours on digital platforms, and in recent years, the surge of hate speech and other online deviations.

Minister Minette Libom in brief 

Minister Minette Libom Li Likeng earned a Bachelor’s Degree from the then University of Yaounde in 1982. She later studied at the prestigious National School of Administration and Magistracy, ENAM, and graduated as a customs inspector. 

Minette Libom began her career as a visiting inspector at the Customs Office in Yaounde. She was later promoted to the position of Head of IT Liaison Service of Customs in the Littoral Region.

Given her dedicated service to the nation, the then young Minette Libom Li Likeng was sent to the Ministry of Finance in 1992. At the Central Service of MINFI, she was in charge of studies at the General Secretariat.

She later returned to the customs sector in Yaounde while at the same time lecturing at ENAM. This dedicated woman of mettle was then in 2002 appointed Head of the Legislation and Litigation Division at the Customs Directorate. 

Two years later, hierarchy again promoted her as Head of the Legislation and International Cooperation Division at the Customs Directorate. 

Between 2004 and 2007, she moved an inch closer to the customs top job in the course of which she assumed Interim as Customs Director General. 

In 2008, the versatile Minette Libom Li Likeng, who has produced results under difficult circumstances, was named Director General of Customs. 

She served here till 2015 when the Head of State, President Paul Biya, handed her the task of reforming the country’s posts and telecommunication sector.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3186 of Thursday August 01, 2024