The 44th ordinary session of the Ministerial Conference of the Francophonie (CMF) will be held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on November 3-5, 2023. The date was announced by the Ministry of External Relations (Minrex) in late August 2023. This is the first time Cameroon is hosting this meeting. The Minrex invites Cameroonian internet users to watch the “historic event” on the official Facebook page dedicated to it. According to authorities, some 400 participants and 100 delegations are expected at the event.

On September 7, Cameroon presented a progress report on preparations for the CMF at the 246th meeting of the Political Commission of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF). The Cameroonian delegation was led by the country's ambassador to France, André-Magnus Ekoumou, who underlined Cameroon's readiness to receive any contribution from the extensive Francophone countries that would contribute to the success of this event.

The CMF is one of the three bodies enshrined in the Francophonie Charter, along with the Summit and the Permanent Council of the Francophonie (CPF). It meets once a year. Member or observer states and governments are represented by their ministers. Its purpose is to ensure the political continuity of the Summit. The choice of Cameroon to organize this year’s meeting was announced at the end of the previous ordinary session on November 18, 2022, in Djerba, Tunisia.

The “Ministers of States and Governments sharing the French language [...] have taken note of Cameroon’s candidacy to host the next ordinary session of the CMF, as duly announced and reiterated at the 43rd session of the CMF. At the end of the closing session of the 43rd session of the CMF, [they have decided] by mutual agreement to entrust Cameroon with the organization of the next ordinary session of the Ministerial Conference of the Francophonie, which will take place in 2023," reads the communiqué issued at the end of the proceedings. In March 2023, the government and the OIF signed an agreement for the organization of this event. Under this agreement, Cameroon committed to choosing the date of the CMF and the content of the proceedings, notably the theme of the event.  

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