Qu Dongyu, the Director-General of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), recently concluded a three-day official visit to Cameroon. He was welcomed by Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, the Secretary-General of the Presidency, representing President Paul Biya. As reported by the public broadcaster CRTV, they explored potential avenues to enhance the already broad cooperation between Cameroon and the FAO.

Over time, the FAO has provided Cameroon with technical and financial support, focusing on the implementation of the Special Programme for Food Security at a national level and bolstering the country’s ability to devise food and agriculture-related policies and projects. A key aspect of this collaboration involves strengthening resilience through initiatives addressing natural disasters, refugee influx from neighboring countries, the sociopolitical crisis in the Northwest and Southwest regions, climate change impacts, and Boko Haram incursions in the Far North.

Qu Dongyu, who was re-elected for a second four-year term as FAO Director-General on July 2, 2023, stated, “The FAO has enjoyed a long and fruitful cooperation with Cameroon. We commit to an even closer collaboration. Our goal is to produce more and better-quality food, enabling Cameroonians to benefit from the FAO’s four priority areas: better life, better nutrition, better environment, and better initiatives, ensuring no one is left behind.”

During his visit, which began on Saturday at the President’s invitation, Qu Dongyu met with several government officials, including Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute. They discussed ways to enhance the collaboration between his organization and Cameroon, which has been hosting an FAO Partnership and Liaison Office since 1978 and has been an FAO member since 1960.

The visit also provided an opportunity for the FAO Director-General to participate in the official launch of the “Villes vertes (Green Cities)” initiative in Yaoundé on Sunday. This initiative aims to ensure access to a healthy environment and safe food through sustainable agri-food systems and to create more green spaces via the development of urban and peri-urban forestry. Launched by the FAO in 2020, it seeks to improve the livelihoods and well-being of urban and peri-urban populations in at least 100 cities over the next three years, with a goal to reach 1,000 cities by 2030.

Since March 2023, a pilot “Villes vertes” initiative has been in progress in Yaoundé 4. It focuses on micro-projects of pre-collection, composting, and promoting urban agriculture, and has garnered interest from Yaoundé 5, 6, and 7, the commune of Mfou, and the urban communities of Yaoundé and Douala. During his visit, the interested municipalities had the opportunity to meet Qu Dongyu and present their letters of intent to join this initiative.

Moreover, on Monday, the FAO Director-General was present at the signing of a technical assistance contract between his organization and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Minader) for the Emergency Project to Combat the Food Crisis (Pulcca) in Cameroon, funded by the World Bank. Valued at XAF1.617 billion (approximately $2,731,076), this agreement, which covers the regions of East, Adamaoua, North, and Far North, aims to further strengthen the cooperation between the two parties, according to Agriculture Minister Gabriel Mbairobe.

Patricia Ngo Ngouem