Paul Biya

Cameroon
Reception ceremony for Mbalam-Nabeba iron ore equipment cancelled

The event was to have been held on 11 November.

Cameroon
Nathalie Moudiki behind sacking of Tradex boss Simon Paley

Simon Paley, who was sacked as Tradex's chief executive in early October, has paid the price for his strained relations with Nathalie Moudiki, wife of Adolphe Moudiki, the octogenarian director general of Tradex's parent company, Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures.

Cameroon
Yaoundé strives to save its arbitration against miner Sundance over Mbalam iron

Cameroon missed the deadline to submit its defence, but the president's office has contacted its legal counsel and experts in a bid to defend its position against the Australian miner. Meanwhile, Paul Biya's return to the country is likely to align the various parties in Yaoundé.

Cameroon
Mbalam-Nabeba iron: Ngoh Ngoh and Esso rivalry lies behind obstructed arbitration

The arbitration proceedings at the ICC between Cameroon and Australia's Sundance over the Mbalam-Nabeba iron ore deposit continue to stall, with the former's justice minister not acting upon the secretary general of the president's office's instructions.

Eswatini
Israel-Africa Chamber of Commerce hopes to return to continent next year

The business organisation suspended most of its activities in Africa after the start of the war in Gaza. But it is considering two visits by Israeli business delegations in 2025.

Cameroon
Chinese construction group wins €62m project in Douala

At the end of September, China First Highway Engineering Co won the competitive tender launched by Douala mayor Roger Mbassa Ndine for the construction of the Wouri River embankment road.

Madagascar
Augentic and Thales compete for Prodigy contracts worth €24m

Several players in the new information technologies sector are in the running to win two contracts to develop digital governance and identity management in Madagascar.

Cameroon
Mining minister urges president's office to move forward on Sundance arbitration

When a Cameroon delegation headed to Beijing for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation one of the key issues they sought to bring up was the Chinese-funded Mbalam-Nabeba iron ore mine. Arbitration proceedings to settle a dispute with the former project developer are still at a standstill.

Palace Intrigues
Mamadi Doumbouya, Denis Sassou-Nguesso, Alassane Ouattara, Nicolas Sarkozy

Intrigues big and small – every Thursday, Africa Intelligence takes a peek into the corridors of power in Africa and beyond.

GuineaMamadi Doumbouya's new watch

CongoSassou's daughter's big Parisian wedding

Ivory CoastAlassane Ouattara hosts Nicolas Sarkozy in Mougins

Cameroon
Paul Biya sides with British American Tobacco

Under President Biya's high orders, Agriculture Minister Henri Eyebe Ayissi has dropped the decision to expropriate British American Tobacco Cameroon from prime land in Yaoundé, despite having agreed to it only a few months earlier.

Cameroon
SNH's legal affairs exacerbate splits in Biya's entourage

The managing director of Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures, Adolphe Moudiki, and the president's secretary-general, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, have been at loggerheads in recent months. After escaping dismissal in early August, the SNH boss is hoping a trial in the UK will give him the upper hand again.

Cameroon
Presidency's secretary general probes state property dealings

The Cameroonian presidency's general secretary has called for the setting up of a joint commission to investigate the allocation of state-owned plots of land.

Cameroon
Intelligence services catch wind of submarine cable hack

Cameroon's intelligence services have flagged a possible telecommunications infrastructure security breach.

Cameroon
Voter registration numbers for 2025 presidential elections on the up

Cameroon's election management body, ELECAM, has recorded over 460,000 new voter registrations ahead of the 2025 presidential election, an unprecedented figure.