Information and communication technologies have become key drivers for efficiency and growth in several economic sectors. Realizing the importance of such technologies, Cameroon is stepping up initiatives in the digital sector. The government recently launched a major project to rapidly develop the sector. 

 On Friday, September 15, Cameroon’s State Minister Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh granted an audience to a delegation of Chinese tech giant Huawei. According to local media, during the audience, the two parties discussed a range of topics, including the development of the digital sector in Cameroon. 

"Given Cameroon's potential, Huawei Group officials reaffirmed their commitment to working alongside the country to develop a high-level national strategy for the digital economy, to make Cameroon an ICT hub in the French-speaking African region," reports the state-owned daily Cameroon Tribune.  

The technology group's visit to Cameroon comes a month after the launch of the Project for the Acceleration of Digital Transformation in Cameroon (PATNUC). The project, financed to the tune of $100 million by the World Bank, is designed to accelerate the country's digital transformation through three main complementary components on the supply and demand sides of the digital economy, with a particular focus on digitizing the agricultural sector.

Thanks to this mutual commitment, Cameroon will be able to benefit from Huawei's technological advances and expertise to strengthen its digital sector and foster economic development. The two parties will also be working together to transfer ICT technology to Cameroon's youth, as well as promote rural electrification using solar energy and develop the concept of smart cities using video surveillance at the national level.

Samira Njoya