Biya, Sarkozy discuss business opportunities in Cameroon at Paris audience.

This was said to be the focus of an audience Biya granted the former French Head of State now business lawyer in Paris on Tuesday July 30.

Emerging from the  audience, media  reports quote  Sarkozy as having indicated that during the audience President Biya granted him, they talked about exploiting opportunities in Cameroon to make the country and investment hub.

Sarkozy is said to have used the encounter to notify Biya that he will soon be leading a delegation of French business men to Cameroon in the coming weeks. 

Members of the Head of State delegation to Paris are said to have indicated that the Zarkozy-led team would make use of opportunities within government’s National Development Strategy, SND30.

It was the first meeting between Biya and Sarkozy since they last met in October 2007 when the former was Head of State of France. Then, President Paul Biya was a four-days visit to France and was received in audience by Nicolas Sarkozy at Elysee.

To note that President Paul Biya has been in France for over a week. He is there at the invitation of French President, Emmanuel Macron and the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach.

Before meeting Sarkozy, the Head of State, had also been granted audience at the Elysee Palace by French President Emmanuel Macron. Biya and wife, Chantal Biya, also took part in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games ongoing in Paris France last Friday July 26. 

Cameroon and France have long-standing relations spanning years. The two countries have worked together on several issues. This was confirmed by the French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drain, who said in 2019 during a visit to Cameroon that both countries have found a common ground to revitalize ties in all fields.

France is also among Cameroon's major trading partners in the world. French Ambassador to Cameroon, Thierry Marchand, had in this light use the commemoration of France’s National Day in Yaounde on July 14 this year, to revisit some of the projects achieved through cooperation.

Then, he cited the DESAUTEL project, which is aimed at equipping firefighters to efficiently manage hazards. The Ambassador also talked of a program to support Start-ups in Cameroon.

In addition, France has financed several projects in Cameroon in recent years especially through the French Development Agency, FDA.

By Nieh Mercy (Journalism student on Internship) 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3187 of Friday August 02, 2024