P&T ministry drills gov’t stakeholders on AI data protection best practices.

The Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Minette Libom Li Likeng, launched a two-day workshop to that effect in Yaounde Tuesday. 

The gathering, which assembles stakeholders from various State institutions, is holding under the theme: “Responsible Artificial Intelligence in Cameroon: protecting citizens, regulating uses and building digital trust”.

Authorities say issues under discussion will include strategic framework on AI, governance, national stakes, and responsible oversight of AI, data and digital sovereignty. 

Discussions on the application, innovation and operation perspectives is programmed to centre around the responsible use of AI in key sectors and the role of local innovations in Cameroon.

The launching ceremony was attended, among others, by the Minister of Public Service and Administrative Reform, Joseph Le. 

Also present was the Director of the Telecommunications Development Bureau of the International Telecommunications Union, Dr Cosmas Zavazava, and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, Mohamadou Saoudi, who made the keynote address and opening remarks, respectively.

The gathering equally featured introductory presentations by the Director General of the National Social Insurance Fund, CNPS, Noël Alain Olivier Mekulu Mvondo Akame, who spoke on digital governance while referencing CNPS as a case study. 

The Founder of the Intelligence Action Group and data scientist AI, Essome Bell Jean Jacques, touched on the global dynamics of Artificial Intelligence and its stakes for Cameroon.

Decisive institutional coalition 

Speaking while launching the workshop, Minister Li Likeng said the gathering is a platform to inform and mobilise all public administrations regarding the issues and challenges associated with the growing integration of Artificial Intelligence systems into public action within the larger process of Cameroon’s digital transformation as fronted by Head of State, Paul Biya. 

She said through the workshop, the government seeks to attain its goal of making Artificial Intelligence a lever for modernisation and efficiency within the administration, while ensuring that the deployment of the novel digital tool is in full compliance with the fundamental principles of transparency, accountability and respect for individual rights and freedoms with focus on data protection and other key components.

The minister termed the event as a genuine institutional coalition. She said said the knowledge that stakeholders will garner will among others, enable them to identify appropriate governance mechanisms, and to lay the foundations for a needed coherent national framework that is capable of ensuring the ethical, secured and well-controlled development of digital technologies in the country.

“This mechanism will be responsible for ensuring inter-ministerial coordination, harmonizing sectoral initiatives, ensuring the compliance of uses with the chosen ethical and legal principles, and guaranteeing regular monitoring of the implementation of the government action plan,” the minister said.

She referenced the National Consultations on Artificial Intelligence, which has been focusing recently on the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, whose development will be soon finalised and accompanied by a clear, operational government action plan with a precise implementation schedule.

“This orientation reflects the collective will to move from reflection to coordinated action by providing our country with a coherent framework capable of overseeing the development and use of AI across all sectors,” she said.

Stakeholders hail initiative

Stakeholders hailed the workshop as a timely step toward the right direction. The Director of the Telecommunications Development Bureau of the International Telecommunications Union, Dr Cosmas Zavazava, said the success of AI in Cameroon depends on a collective responsibility shared across institutions, including the private sector, academia, innovators, and citizens. 

He reassured the government of the ITU’s continued availability to support its drive towards boosting digital technological vibrancy in the country across the AI sector and beyond.

The Director General of CNPS, Mekulu Mvondo Akame, said AI is a decisive tool that must be embraced effectively. He said his institution is aware of that and has been taking steps towards that direction.

He further recommended adjustments in the educational system in Cameroon to ensure that the country is ready for the changes that are being brought about by the tool.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3707 of Wednesday February 18, 2026