A press release from the Office of the President of the Republic announces that Paul Biya (photo) left Yaoundé on June 21 "to take part in the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact being held in Paris from June 22 to 23, 2023." The same release indicates that the Cameroonian president is accompanied by Chantal, his wife, and a number of ministers, including Lejeune Mbella Mbella, Louis Paul Motaze, and Alamine Ousmane Mey.

The President's trip is in response to an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron, like several other Heads of State from across the continent. Officially, the meeting aims to help set the course for a more balanced financial partnership between the South and the North. This new partnership should "pave the way for new agreements to combat over-indebtedness and enable more countries to access the financing they need to invest in sustainable development, better preserve nature, reduce emissions and protect populations from the ecological crisis, where it is most needed," says the French government.

The summit is a promise made by Emmanuel Macron at the 2022 COP 27, held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. It will be held at the Palais Brongniart in Paris.

Michel Ange Nga