Cameroon and Japan have pledged to expand their bilateral partnership into advanced sectors including digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies during events marking two decades of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) operating in Cameroon.
Chaired in Yaoundé on August 4 by Alamine Ousmane Mey, Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, the commemorative ceremony coincided with the launch of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) Programme. The gathering drew senior officials, including JICA First Vice-President Ando Naoki and Japanese Ambassador to Cameroon Minami Kentaro, alongside development partners and business representatives.
The event highlighted over six decades of diplomatic ties and trust between Tokyo and Yaoundé, centered on technical assistance, skills transfer, and alignment with Cameroon’s National Development Strategy 2020–2030 (NDS30). Since opening its local office in 2006, JICA has directed technical assistance, grants, and concessional loans toward key infrastructure, energy, education, agriculture, fisheries, and human capital initiatives across the country.
During his address, Minister Mey commended JICA’s historic contributions, particularly honoring the 228 Japanese volunteers deployed to local communities since 2006 for their work in health, education, and rural development. Looking forward, Cameroonian officials urged a renewed phase of cooperation involving intensified strategic dialogue, project preparation, and expanded collaboration in e-governance, innovation, and technological development to boost national industrialization and economic competitiveness.
TE/Sf/lb/abj/APA