<p>Anmar Frangoul</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/09/edf-signs-deal-for-1point36-billion-hydropower-plant-in-cameroon.html">EDF signs deal for $1.36 billion hydropower plant in Cameroon</a></p>
<ul>
<li>The expected cost of the development is $1.36 billion, according to EDF.</li>
<li>It is set to be commissioned in 2023 and will have an annual power output of almost 3 terawatt hours. </li>
</ul>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cdn.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/09160233/105564746-1541762055398gettyimages-740670651.1910x1000.jpeg" alt="Close-Up Of Dam Against River" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Mark Houston | EyeEm | Getty Images"/></p>
<p>Electricity company EDF, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Republic of Cameroon have signed &#8220;final and binding&#8221; agreements for the construction of a 420-megawatt hydropower project on the Sanaga River.   The Nachtigal hydropower plant will be located close to the Nachtigal falls, 65 kilometers northeast of Cameroon&#8217;s capital, Yaounde.</p>
<p>The expected cost of the development is 1.2 billion euros ($1.36 billion), EDF said in a statement Thursday.   A quarter of the project&#8217;s cost will be funded by shareholder&#8217;s equity, with the remainder funded by lenders. EDF said that the IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, had coordinated a lender group that included 11 development finance institutions and four local, commercial banks.   The International Energy Agency has described hydropower as the &#8220;largest source of renewable electricity in the world.&#8221; It adds that hydropower generates roughly 16 percent of the planet&#8217;s electricity from more than 1,200 gigawatts of installed capacity.   The project in Cameroon will involve the design, construction and operation of the facility for 35 years, EDF said. A 50-kilometer power transmission line will also be built. It will be owned and operated by the Nachtigal Hydro Power Company, which is 40 percent owned by EDF. The IFC and Republic of Cameroon own 30 percent each.   EDF added that Nachtigal&#8217;s expected power generation would meet 30 percent of Cameroon&#8217;s electricity demand and amount to an annual power output of almost 3 terawatt hours. Construction is to start by the end of 2018, with the dam set to be commissioned in 2023.</p>


EDF signs deal for $1.36 billion hydropower plant in Cameroon

<p>YAOUNDE (Reuters) &#8211; Cameroon’s Constitutional Council on Friday rejected the last of 18 petitions calling for a re-run of an Oct. 7 election that the opposition said was marred by fraud, paving the way for results expected to extend President Paul Biya’s 36-year rule.</p>
<p>The rejections clear all legal objections to the polls. Nearly two weeks after the vote, no results have been announced but under national law authorities have until Sunday to do so.</p>
<p>Biya is seeking a seventh term that would see him keep his place as one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders. The only current African president to have ruled longer is Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.</p>
<p>But allegations of voter intimidation, violence and ballot-stuffing cast doubt over the election, prompting the three main opposition candidates, and other prominent political figures, to call for the cancellation of results.</p>
<p>“We reject in totality the results” of the elections, said Paul Eric Kingue, the campaign manager for opposition candidate Maurice Kamto, whose call for a re-run of the poll in seven regions was rejected late on Thursday. “Paul Biya is not our president.”</p>
<p>Candidates Joshua Osih and Cabral Libii asked for the results to be canceled and the election to be re-run. The court rejected Libii’s appeal late on Tuesday because it said it was filed one hour after the deadline.</p>
<p>Osih’s appeal was rejected in the early hours of Friday morning.</p>
<p>“We as Cameroonians should be ashamed of what is currently happening in front of this high jurisdiction we call the Constitutional Council,” Nkou Mvondo Prosper, President of Libii’s Univers party said.</p>
<p>The elections went ahead with scattered instances of violence in the Anglophone South West and North West regions where a separatist insurgency is trying to split from Yaounde. In those regions, which hold about a quarter of the country’s 24 million population, most did not vote for fear of violence.</p>
<p>Reporting By Josiane Kouageu; Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg</p>


Petitions calling for re-run of elections rejected by Cameroon’s court, what you need to know

<p>This content was brought to you by Chivas</p>
<p>Jim Bakoume, a Cameroonian entrepreneur established Splufic Studio, a forward-thinking space that seeks to design digital experiences that puts people first. With a background in web design and mobile application, Bakoume is set to make his business venture a successful one by making sure that his business solutions are as humanly friendly as possible.</p>
<p>A technology entrepreneur, Bakoume says he chose the technology industry because of specialised skills needed by enterprises in his country. This encouraged him to meet his client’s needs for great digital experiences that transform businesses and resonates with their customers. From this insight Splufic was created to offer a solution for businesses that sought diverse digital solutions.</p>
<p>Chivas, Win the Right Way, season 2 presenter – Gugulethu Cele caught up with web designer and entrepreneur Jim Bakoume, to discuss some of his exciting entrepreneurial milestones over a glass of Chivas Regal 12-Year-Old Whisky.</p>
<p>When asked what kind of impact he would like to make, Bakoume said “I would like to do more than design and develop digital experiences but participate more in what interests my customers, explore what influences their choices and challenge societal norms of providing services. We have also looked at creating impactful solutions through virtual incubation spaces for start-ups who will be working with our teams to assist them in delivering effective end products that meet their original objectives.”</p>
<p>His thoughts on social entrepreneurs is that, social entrepreneur’s purpose is to invest in and cultivate a society and further create social value. This demonstrates their interest and consideration about current and evolving socio issues that need a solution. With how business runs , Bakoume acknowledges there are hindrances  that keep social entrepreneurs from succeeding due to the inability to plan accordingly, not being purpose-driven as well as the lack of commitment for the plans of the desired business pursuit.</p>
<p>By means of finding the balance between income and impact, the tech entrepreneur says “It depends on the recognised culture by the business and only when this is properly introduced and orientated can the balance be achieved. The time invested to provide solutions will have a positive impact on the business and when this has been achieved, businesses will attract substantial income.”</p>
<p>Bakoume adds that he attributes his success to “Working hard, celebrating the big and small milestones of my achievements and surrounding myself with individuals that play a great role in helping me advance personally and entrepreneurially.” Bakoume’s consistent endeavour towards incorporating the principles of innovation to galvanise the development of his community resonates with Chivas’ dictum of winning the right way.</p>
<p>In terms of making decisions, his toughest decision yet was to allow himself to be fearless and step out of his comfort zone which permitted him to be relentless in following his dreams of being an entrepreneur.</p>
<p>Chivas Regal strives to recognise valuable contributions made by social entrepreneurs and the entrepreneur identifies with the principles of sharing success because sharing success can teach people and help them with their respective journeys. He continues “When the sharing of knowledge is present, success is amplified not only for the person who has attained it but for those that were impacted by the success.”</p>
<p>Chivas, WinTheRightWay season 2 is a TV series that features Africa’s most inspiring social entrepreneurs who run their businesses based on profit with purpose. These entrepreneurs use their shared success to inspire other African entrepreneurs to be part of this ever-growing movement.</p>
<p><strong>Chivas, Win the Right Way</strong> airs on CNBC Africa and on DSTV, channel 410. The last episode will be at 21h15 CAT, 22h00 WAT and 00h00 EAT.</p>


How Cameroonian social entrepreneur Jim Bakoume is creating solutions that solve communal challenges

<figure><img decoding="async" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/219387/original/file-20180517-155564-upsa5z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="File 20180517 155564 upsa5z.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1" /><figcaption>Burundi’s Pierre Nkurunziza is one of many authoritarian African leaders.<br />
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AMISOM Public Information/Flickr</span></span></figcaption></figure>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/cheryl-hendricks-267661">Cheryl Hendricks</a>, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-johannesburg-1275">University of Johannesburg</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gabriel-ngah-kiven-482032">Gabriel Ngah Kiven</a>, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-johannesburg-1275">University of Johannesburg</a></em></p>
<p>There is mounting concern in Africa about a lack of leadership as well as an increasing trend of hard-won democratic rights being reversed. One way this is being done is through presidential term limits being abandoned, or extended. This in turn is leading to a reemergence of authoritarian politics, and political violence.</p>
<p>Extending or abolishing term limits is not unique to the continent. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin won a fourth term <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/18/world/europe/election-russia-putin-president.html">in March 2018</a> after changes to the constitution and some nimble political footwork. And the Chinese parliament <a href="https://www.independent.ie/.../china-abolishes-presidential-term-limits-36692282.html">recently voted</a> to abolish term limits allowing for the possibility of President Xi Jinping becoming president for life. Given that Russia and China play an influential role on the African continent these events don’t bode well for the future of presidents sticking to term limits on the continent.</p>
<p>Burundi is a case in point. A poll <a href="https://theconversation.com/democracy-in-peril-burundis-referendum-will-cement-nkurunzizas-grip-on-power-96544">is being held</a> to amend the constitution to extend presidential term limits from five to seven years. Incumbency would be restricted to two consecutive terms. But the amendment doesn’t apply retroactively which means that President Pierre Nkurunziza could possibly remain in office until 2034. If he lives that long (he’s 55-years-old), and given that he assumed the position in 2005, this would make him president for 29 years.</p>
<p>Burundi is far from alone. Rwanda, Togo, Gabon, Uganda, Chad, Cameroon, Djibouti, Republic of Congo, Sudan, Eritrea, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have all fiddled with term limits. They’ve done this by abolishing, amending or ignoring them, or by simply not holding elections. Other countries such as Ethiopia, Gambia, Lesotho, and Morocco <a href="https://africacenter.org/spotlight/term-limits-for-african-leaders-linked-to-stability/">have never</a> introduced term limits.</p>
<p>Some bids to remove or extend term limits and have failed. These include Frederick Chiluba in 2001 and more recently Edgar Lungu in Zambia, Olusegun Obesanjo of Nigeria (2005), Mamadou Tandja of Niger(2009-2010) and Blaise Compaore of Burkino Faso (2014).</p>
<p>Noteworthy is the fact that many West African countries actually adhere to term limits. This was recognised recently when Ellen Johnson Sirleaf received the Mo Ibrahim <a href="http://mo.ibrahim.foundation/prize/">leadership prize</a> after duly serving her constitutionally mandated term.</p>
<p>The upward trend of amending or abolishing constitutional term limits is likely to increase if organisations like the African Union (AU) don’t deal with the problem. In many countries citizens showing their disapproval, have been met with repression and violence. Large-scale political violence is likely to be the consequence if the trend persists.</p>
<h2>A rolling back of rights</h2>
<p>Africa went through a wave of democratisation from the 1990s. Citizens took to the streets demanding democratic rights. In many countries, the uprisings ended decades of one-partyism and personal rule. The key demands were for multi-party democracy, constitutionalism and that democratic norms and standards be institutionalised.</p>
<p>It’s in this milieu that countries adopted a bill of rights, the rule of law, checks and balances and term limits. Presidential term limits were deemed necessary for a number of reasons. The view was that <a href="http://africanarguments.org/2015/10/05/how-and-why-term-limits-matter">they would enable</a> better governance, equal opportunity to serve in government, curb patronage politics as well as end authoritarianism. These norms and standards were also seen as a way to stabilise countries <a href="http://www.monitor.co.ug/SpecialReports/688342-688342-ptx9ooz/index.html">politically</a>.</p>
<p>It certainly seems that these constitutional gains are being eroded by heads of state seeking to prolong their stay in power. There also appears to be little concerted attempt by bodies such as the AU to stop the erosion of hard-fought for democratic rights.</p>
<p>The AU’s silence may be because of ambiguity in norms and policy, and because of its leadership. The AU’s Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, which was ratified in 2012, rejects unconstitutional changes of government. But it doesn’t say anything specifically about abolishing term limits. <a href="http://archive.ipu.org/idd-E/afr_charter.pdf">Article 23 (5)</a> notes that countries will have appropriate sanction imposed on them if there are:</p>
<blockquote><p>Any amendment or revision of the constitution or legal instruments, which is an infringement on the principals of democratic change of government</p></blockquote>
<p>But it doesn’t spell out what type of amendments are being referred to.</p>
<p>The second factor has to do with the fact that many holding leadership positions at the AU are the same men who have amended or abandoned term limits – or come from the countries that have done so. This suggests the organisation won’t be tackling the “third termism” trend any time soon.</p>
<h2>Spurious reasons for extending stays</h2>
<p>A number of arguments have been put forward by leaders seeking to extend, or simply abandoning, term limits.</p>
<p>One is that term limits prevent <a href="https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Mugabe-slams-two-term-limit-on-African-leaders-20150614">people’s choice</a> of president. Another is that African leaders have much more to do to bring about development and therefore need more time. A third is that they have the sovereign right to govern and change constitutions as they see fit. And finally, the strongman argument around a president’s ability to keep the country united and to create peace and stability.</p>
<p>Rwanda is a case in point. President Paul Kagame <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/05/rwandas-paul-kagame-landslide-poll-win-around-98-votes/">received 99%</a> of the vote in August 2017. There’s no gainsaying that there have been remarkable achievements in rebuilding a post-genocide Rwanda. But if there isn’t anybody (and this is doubtful) capable of challenging Kagame after 18 years of rule, then he hasn’t created an environment for democratic leadership to emerge.</p>
<p>We should also be wary of election results that yield 99% support as this smacks of the heyday of one-man and one-party rule.</p>
<h2>The curse of third terminism</h2>
<p>As Africans prepare to celebrate Africa Day on the 25th of May, we need to keep in mind the ideas that inspired <a href="https://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/organisation-african-unity-oau">formation</a> of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963 and the <a href="https://au.int/en/history/oau-and-au">African Union</a> in 2001. These were the Pan-African ideals of political and economic integration, solidarity, unity, dignity, justice and equality for all.</p>
<p>The growing trend of “third termism” is likely to prevent African countries from reaching these goals yet again as the interests of individuals are placed above those of citizens and countries.</p>
<p>Africa needs visionary and courageous leadership, not benevolent or autocratic rulers. It needs leaders that can create the enabling environment for democracy, peace, and development to thrive and endure, and for citizens to live to their fullest potential.</p>
<p>Africa also needs citizens who will hold leaders to account and who will contribute to the realisation of the vision of a democratic pan-African future.</p>
<p>As Africans we don’t have to make a choice between democracy and development. We deserve both.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/cheryl-hendricks-267661">Cheryl Hendricks</a>, Professor of Political Science, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-johannesburg-1275">University of Johannesburg</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gabriel-ngah-kiven-482032">Gabriel Ngah Kiven</a>, PhD candidate in Political Studies at the Department of Politics and International Relations , <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-johannesburg-1275">University of Johannesburg</a></em></p>
<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/presidential-term-limits-slippery-slope-back-to-authoritarianism-in-africa-96796">original article</a>.</p>


Op-Ed: Is Africa on a slippery slope back to authoritarianism?

<p>A prize-winning New York-based Cameroonian novelist will be freed from jail and expelled from his native country after being held for nearly three weeks on charges of insulting and threatening the president, his lawyer said on Wednesday.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-119898 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Cameroon_Flag_Pixabay.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="624" /></p>
<p>Patrice Nganang was arrested on Dec. 7 as he prepared to board a flight to Kenya, and accused of insulting President Paul Biya. The government later said he had threatened Biya in posts on Facebook.</p>
<p data-reactid="42">A literature professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, Nganang was born in Cameroon and holds dual Cameroonian and U.S. nationality.</p>
<p>Nganang’s lawyer, Emmanuel Simh, told Reuters that a judge had dismissed the government’s charges and ordered his client released. Simh later said the authorities had retained Nganang’s Cameroonian passport and that he would be placed on an afternoon flight to the United States.</p>
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<p data-reactid="44">“According to (the government), he is an American who does not have a right to this passport,” Simh said.</p>
<p data-reactid="45">Nganang’s supporters say the accusations against him were politically motivated and related to a Dec. 5 piece he wrote for Paris-based magazine Jeune Afrique, in which he criticised a government crackdown on Cameroon’s English-speaking minority.</p>
<p data-reactid="46">Since last year, the government, which is dominated by members of the French-speaking majority, has repressed protests by English speakers who say they are socially and economically marginalised.</p>
<p data-reactid="47">Dozens of civilians have been killed in unrest that has fuelled support for separatists seeking an independent state. Some separatists have launched armed attacks on state forces, creating the most serious challenge to Biya’s 35-year rule. Thousands of English speakers have fled across the border into neighbouring Nigeria.</p>
<p data-reactid="48">Cameroonian law forbids adults from holding dual nationality, although the prohibition is unevenly enforced. Cameroon’s government spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment.</p>
<p data-reactid="49">English speakers make up around a fifth of the population of Cameroon, which was formed when parts of a formerly British-ruled territory joined the larger, newly independent French-speaking Republic of Cameroon in 1961.</p>
<p data-reactid="50">The past year’s violence is the latest example of how Biya’s rule has grown increasingly intolerant of dissent, with opposition activists, journalists and intellectuals routinely arrested and sometimes prosecuted.</p>
<p>A Cameroonian reporter for Radio France Internationale was released from prison last week after more than two years behind bars for contact with the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, in a case that drew international condemnation.</p>
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<p class="Attribution_content_27_rw" data-reactid="52">Reporting By Josiane Kouagheu; Writing by Aaron Ross</p>
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Jailed Cameroon writer who criticised government to be expelled – lawyer

<p data-reactid="32">Central Africa’s CEMAC bloc is expected by the International Monetary Fund to have suffered a 0.6 percent economic contraction in 2017, an improvement on last year’s 1 percent but well below an earlier forecast of 0.7 percent growth.</p>
<p data-reactid="32"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-43288 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/imf-headquarters.jpg" alt="Low oil out impacts Angola’s economic growth" width="600" height="340" /></p>
<p data-reactid="33">The oil-producing zone &#8212; comprising Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Congo Republic and Central African Republic &#8212; has been hit by a slump in crude prices since 2014 and by cutbacks in public spending.</p>
<p data-reactid="34">The IMF said in a statement late on Monday that it had revised up the public debt-to-GDP ratio for the region to over 50 percent as of the end of 2016. The ratio stood at 28 percent at the end of 2014.</p>
<p data-reactid="35">Several CEMAC countries receive financial assistance from the IMF, and Congo Republic is currently in negotiations for a bailout after its public or publicly guaranteed debt spiked this year to 110 percent of GDP.</p>
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<p class="Attribution_content_27_rw" data-reactid="37">Reporting by Sofia Christensen; Editing by Aaron Ross/Jeremy Gaunt</p>
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Central African economies contracted this year, but by less than before -IMF

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<p>Hyatt Hotels announced they would be doubling their presence in Africa over the next three year, with new hotels in Angola, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Morocco, Senegal and Tanzania.</p>


Hyatt to double Africa presence

<p><em>François Conradie | NKC African Economics </em></p>
<p>There is a growing fear in Cameroon that Sunday, October 1, might see serious violence. The reason for that is that separatists in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions on the Nigerian border have chosen the day to mobilise, because it is the 56<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the birth in 1961 of the Federal Republic of Cameroon, when French Cameroon united with the formerly British Southern Cameroon.</p>
<p>A fair number of protest events have been planned on the themes that have disrupted life in the region for the past year: greater autonomy for the region, greater respect for English-speakers’ rights, and better opportunities for professionals from the region.</p>
<p>But a few groups want to go further: they intend to use the occasion to declare the full independence of the two regions that make up the Anglophone Cameroon, and have reportedly chosen a national anthem, a flag, a passport and a new currency.</p>
<p>Given the tensions to which the region has been subject over the past few months, people seem to be taking the danger seriously. Many people are leaving the Anglophone region for the weekend, and the government has sent reinforcements of security forces to the region.</p>
<p>There are reports that some radical separatists have threatened people with violence if they do not join protests, leaving people caught between a rock and a hard place. In late August President Paul Biya pardoned a number of Anglophone activists who had been in detention for their role in unrest and dropped all charges against them; this step was welcomed in the region but there is now a risk that, if the weekend is messy, he may be less conciliatory next week.</p>
<p>A return to federalism (President Ahmadou Ahidjo abandoned the federal model in 1972 and imposed centralised rule) would do much to cool tempers in the English-speaking regions, but we see little chance of activists achieving that by means of protest movements, especially if those call for full independence.</p>
<p>It is more likely that renewed protest action will draw the anger of the State and lead to yet more centralisation. The prospects of an opening up of the environment while Mr Biya is in charge are slim. The size of protest events at the weekend, and the government’s response, merit watching.</p>


Cameroon – Apprehension about the country’s 56th anniversary

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<p>Nascent markets in the likes of Cote d&#8217;Ivoire, Cameroon and Ethiopia are set to lead growth across Sub-Saharan Africa&#8217;s auto industry. These are the findings of BMI Research, a division of Fitch.</p>


SSA’s car market outlook

<p>The International Monetary Fund&#8217;s executive board on Monday approved a $666 million, three-year extended credit facility for Cameroon to support economic and financial reforms, an IMF statement said.</p>
<p>The nations of central Africa&#8217;s CEMAC currency union have struggled in the face of low oil prices, which have slashed state revenues. Cameroon has also been forced to concentrate resources on combating the threat of Islamist Boko Haram militants along its northwestern border with Nigeria.</p>
<p>&#8220;Having initially shown resilience owing to its greater diversification, the Cameroonian economy is now facing decelerating growth, declining fiscal and external buffers, and rapidly-rising public debt,&#8221; IMF Deputy Managing director Mitsuhiro Furusawa said in the statement.</p>
<p>The board&#8217;s decision allows for the immediate disbursement of $171 million as part of a program aimed at restoring fiscal and external sustainability and unlocking private sector-driven growth.</p>
<p>The IMF approved a similar $642 million loan agreement for Cameroon&#8217;s neighbor Gabon, another CEMAC member state, last week.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Joe Bavier; Editing by Richard Balmforth)</p>


IMF approves three-year, $666 million loan deal for Cameroon

<p>YAOUNDE (Reuters) &#8211; A doctors&#8217; strike in Cameroon left patients without critical care in the capital Yaoude on Monday, the latest in a string of union actions that have crippled a country in the midst of political crisis.</p>
<p>The doctors union, known as SYMEC, demanded better working conditions and pay and left nurses to attend to sick patients in some of Yaounde&#8217;s major hospitals.</p>
<p>The strike was not directly linked to other union action, but it adds to the turmoil in the central African country where protests have erupted since October in the Anglophone south- and northwest regions.</p>
<p>Teachers and lawyers have been on strike for months to protest at what they say is their marginalisation by the French-speaking majority under President Paul Biya&#8217;s 35-year rule. In reaction, the government has shut down the internet in English-speaking areas.</p>
<p>At Yaounde&#8217;s Central Hospital on Monday, patients angrily waited to be seen, clutching prescriptions and test results, but there were no doctors in sight, a Reuters witness said.</p>
<p>&#8220;My father had a motorcycle accident and must undergo surgery today. But there are no surgeons, we are told that there is a strike, and the nurse told us that they only deal with the sick in-house or by appointment,&#8221; said Marianne Balla, who was waiting in the Central Hospital.</p>
<p>The government said the strike was illegal as SYMEC is not a legally recognised union, a charge SYMEC dismissed as untrue.</p>
<p>It was not clear how well observed the strike was in other parts of the country. Some hospitals contacted by Reuters outside the capital said by telephone that they were operating normally.</p>
<p>The strike comes at a critical time for Biya, who is under pressure to peacefully resolve a growing crisis.</p>
<p>At least six protesters have been shot dead and hundreds others arrested during the rare challenge to state authority ahead of a presidential election next year.</p>
<p>In an apparent bid to stamp out online critics, the government has cut internet access in the two English-speaking regions for three months, hobbling business activity and prompting criticism from human rights groups and the United Nations.</p>
<p>Still, with Biya looking to extend his long rule next year, some expect government crackdowns to continue.</p>
<p>&#8220;With elections coming up next year, we can expect the situation to get much worse before it gets better,&#8221; said Jeffrey Smith from campaign group Vanguard Africa.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Sylvain Andzongo; Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Alison Williams)</p>


Cameroon doctor strike leaves patients unseen amid political crisis

<p>Ahmad of Madagascar pulled off a stunning upset on Thursday, ousting Issa Hayatou, the long-serving president of the Confederation of African Football, in an election at the organization&#8217;s congress in Ethiopia.</p>
<p>The 57-year-old former government minister, who goes by just a single name, won the CAF presidency by 34 votes to 20 in the poll, bringing to a surprise end the 29-year tenure of the 70-year-old Hayatou, who is from Cameroon.</p>
<p>The result was greeted by cheers at the CAF Congress as Ahmad was carried on the shoulders of jubilant supporters to the podium after the result was announced.</p>
<p>Ahmad, previously minister of sport and minister of fisheries in his home country, had been given little chance just a month ago when he announced his candidacy. But he offered voters a fresh face to a younger generation of soccer association presidents that have emerged.</p>
<p>Hayatou’s long career in soccer is now at an end, although he is still an International Olympic Committee member.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is not that bad,&#8221; Hayatou, who was first elected in 1988, told reporters as he departed the hall.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Ossian Shine and Gareth Jones)</p>


Madagascar pulls off stunning upset in bid for presidency of Confederation of African Football

<p>An initiative by youth organisations in Cameroon to turn human waste into biogas is reducing pollution and providing cheap, renewable energy to the growing populations of the university towns of Buea and Bamenda.</p>
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<p>Bioenergy-Cameroon, a non-governmental organisation run by young people, installs equipment that converts waste from septic tanks and pit latrines into biogas, which can be used for cooking or heating and can power small generators to run household electrical appliances.</p>
<p>The organisation says its efforts are spurring the use of clean energy in homes and secondary schools where grid electrical power is non-existent or unreliable and alternative sources of energy such as gas cylinders are expensive.</p>
<p>“Many have come to discover the cheap energy in their backyard and are not only embracing the technology but are also learning the transformation process,” said Cedrick Kemajou, Bioenergy’s coordinator.</p>
<p>As it expands, the project is bringing local councils and other youth groups on board.</p>
<p>“With exponential growth of the university town of Buea, we had problems handling human waste. That is why we are glad that this waste can be used to produce energy that will help the residents not only fill the energy gap but also tackle human waste and sewage (management) problems,” said Patrick Ekema, mayor of Buea.</p>
<p>Ekema said that with easier access to energy, the council can better tackle other development problems such as providing clean water.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>GIRLS GO GREEN</p>
<p>Biogas is produced by connecting a septic tank to a bio-digester which breaks down the organic matter, producing a natural gas known as bio-methane.</p>
<p>Students in schools where the infrastructure is installed are trained in the biogas transformation process and are shown how to build, install and maintain the biodigester and generators at the school.</p>
<p>“We give practical training to girls in colleges on how energy is generated from the sun, water and human waste,” said Monique Ntumngia, coordinator of Green Girls, a Cameroonian NGO that trains young women in technology.</p>
<p>“We target female students especially, to break barriers and get them into innovative technology,” Ntumngia explained. Green Girls has trained 600 girls in schools in towns such as Bafut, Nkwen and Mankon, she said.</p>
<p>An additional 3,000 households in Buea and Bamenda have received domestic biodigesters through the project, and demand is growing fast, project organisers say.</p>
<p>Many students in Buea and Bamenda say they have long suffered from persistent blackouts on the traditional grid power, where energy largely comes from hydropower.</p>
<p>“We could not study well during such blackouts that sometimes last for over a week. We have been suffering even though we are blessed with a clean energy source in our backyard,” said Magdalene Lum, a student at the University of Buea.</p>
<p>“The new energy from our human waste will supply us electricity constantly and cheaper,” Lum said.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>COSTS AND BENEFITS</p>
<p>According to data from the World Bank, only 53 percent of Cameroon’s population of 23 million have access to electricity.</p>
<p>Bottled cooking gas can be difficult to afford, especially for Cameroon’s poorest. A 12kg cylinder of liquefied petroleum gas costs 6,000 Central African francs (FCFA), or nearly $10, according to the Ministry of Trade.</p>
<p>Families benefiting from the cheap biogas say they are using the money they save for other essential items such as schooling and medical care.</p>
<p>“Biogas has spared me the trouble of paying monthly electricity bills and buying bottled gas that is regularly out of stock. This has saved me some money to support my children’s education,” said Mercy Kum, a trader in Buea.</p>
<p>College officials are pleased that biogas insulates their budgets from what can be volatile electricity prices. Rates fluctuate according to the availability of hydropower, which is increasingly vulnerable as climate change brings more droughts and floods.</p>
<p>“The biogas we generate provides a constant supply of the energy the school needs, unlike the hydroelectricity that regularly goes on and off,” said Peter Nke, principal of Baptist High School Buea.</p>
<p>Having a biodigester installed and receiving training to use and maintain it costs 500,000-700,000 FCFA ($800-$1,100), a sum paid by the institution or households that request the service. A group of homes can use a common biodigester to share the expense.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>REDUCING DEFORESTATION</p>
<p>Turning waste into biogas may not be new in Cameroon, but the youth organisations say producing it from human waste in multiple households and institutions, and training students – especially girls – on the technology is an innovation.</p>
<p>“Most boarding schools in the Northwest and Southwest regions now use biogas for cooking and lighting produced from human waste, with trained students to manage the process,” said Ntumngia.</p>
<p>Samuel Nguiffo, executive secretary of the Center for Environment and Development (CED), an NGO in Cameroon, explained that most communities in urban areas traditionally use charcoal or kerosene stoves for cooking.</p>
<p>Charcoal production creates a huge demand for wood, which has frequently led the government to impose bans on charcoal burning and forest destruction.</p>
<p>The use of biogas energy should help preserve the country’s forests, Nguiffo said.</p>
<p>CED estimates that the biogas project may be reducing greenhouse gases by as much as 60 percent in the vicinity of the projects, as well as curbing pollution from open air defecation and pit latrines.</p>
<p>“Cameroon will derive enormous economic, health and especially environmental benefits if renewable energy efforts are spread throughout the country,” he said.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>(Reporting by Elias Ntungwe Ngalame; editing by James Baer and Laurie Goering :; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, women&#8217;s rights, trafficking and property rights. Visit <a href="http://news.trust.org/climate">news.trust.org/climate</a>)﻿</p>


How Cameroonian girls turn human waste to clean power to biogas

<p>Security forces in Cameroon arrested about 100 people during days of protests over alleged discrimination against minority English-speaking people, Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary and a senior security source said on Wednesday.</p>
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<p>Bakary said vandals who mingled with the demonstrators smashed shops in the northwestern town of Bamenda during the protests during which one person was killed.</p>
<p>A second security source said the demonstrators also wanted independence for Cameroon&#8217;s two English speaking regions and the departure of President Paul Biya, who has been in power since 1982 and is one of Africa&#8217;s longest serving rulers.</p>
<p>French is spoken in eight of Cameroon&#8217;s 10 regions and English in the northwestern and southwestern regions.</p>
<p>Bakary said reinforcements in Bamenda were helping security forces return the situation to normal. He said the protests posed no threat to Biya.</p>
<p>&#8220;Unions were complaining of being a bit marginalised and said they were discriminated against because of the (English) language,&#8221; Bakary told Reuters.</p>
<p>&#8220;There are some politicians who are using the situation as a tool for leverage to pursue their own interests,&#8221; he said, noting that the government was open to dialogue and ministers had met for talks to work out how to resolve the problem.</p>
<p>    Reuters television footage of Bamenda on Tuesday showed security forces scouring the streets for protesters, and several barricades and one avenue blocked by flames in the market area.</p>
<p>A woman walking with two young children stopped in her tracks at the sound of a gunshot. It also showed residents fleeing as riot police and soldiers marched through almost deserted streets.</p>
<p>It was not immediately possible to contact residents or union members &#8211; who had organised the protests &#8211; in the town.﻿</p>
<p> </p>


Cameroon security forces arrest anti-discrimination protestors

<p>Twenty-one people died and six remain in hospital in eastern Cameroon after drinking what is believed to have been a toxic batch of locally distilled alcohol, regional officials said on Wednesday.</p>
<p>People began falling ill after consuming odontol, a strong spirit distilled from either palm wine or corn or sugar cane, at a party on Sunday in the town of Mindourou in East Region.</p>
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<p>&#8220;Some experienced gastric problems, loss of vision and loss of consciousness. Fourteen people died there on the spot,&#8221; said Robert Mathurin Bidjang, a regional health official.</p>
<p>Unconscious victims were taken to the local hospital, where seven people died, the most recent victim on Tuesday. Six others remained under observation on Wednesday.</p>
<p>Regional governor Gregoire Mvongo confirmed the death toll and local authorities were warning of the risks of consuming odontol.</p>
<p>The spirit is popular due to its high alcohol content and low cost, but its production is largely unregulated and deaths in Cameroon are regularly attributed to its consumption.﻿</p>
<p> </p>


Homemade alcohol kills 21 in Cameroon

<p>More than 70 people were killed and over 600 injured when a packed passenger train crashed in Cameroon on Friday, the president announced on Saturday, declaring a national day of mourning to commemorate the dead.</p>
<p>The packed Camrail train had been travelling from the capital Yaounde to the port city of Douala. It derailed at around 11 a.m. local time (1000 GMT) near the station in the town of Eseka, 120 km (75 miles) west of the capital, causing carriages to overturn.</p>
<p>&#8220;My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families of the Camrail train derailment in Eseka. Over 70 passengers died and 600 wounded in the accident,&#8221; President Paul Biya, who is travelling abroad, wrote on his official Facebook page.</p>
<p>&#8220;I instructed the government to provide full assistance to the survivors, while investigations will be made to determine the cause of the derailment.&#8221;</p>
<p>The death toll, put at 55 late on Friday, rose after some injured victims later died, Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary said.</p>
<p>Biya decreed that Monday would be a national day of mourning with flags flown at half-mast.</p>
<p>Witnesses, including a Reuters reporter travelling on the train, said rail workers had added additional carriages to accommodate extra passengers before its departure, though it is not clear if that decision contributed to the accident.</p>
<p>Camrail, a unit of French industrial group Bollore, said in a statement it was working with Cameroonian authorities to ensure care for the injured and support for victims&#8217; families.</p>
<p>&#8220;Technical investigations are under way currently to determine the causes of this dreadful accident and the conclusions, as soon as they are known, will be communicated,&#8221; the emailed statement said.</p>
<p>Work began during the night to remove the derailed wagons from the line &#8211; one of the main routes for goods and passengers between the main port and the interior.</p>
<p>&#8220;The train with wounded and the bodies of victims has arrived at Yaounde station in the presence of government and Camrail officials,&#8221; Camrail posted on its official Facebook page earlier on Saturday.</p>
<p>&#8220;Buses drove passengers who escaped yesterday&#8217;s incident to Douala.&#8221;</p>
<p>A Bollore official based in the region, who was not authorised to speak with the press and asked not to be named, said the company was cooperating with authorities examining the crash.</p>
<p>&#8220;Camrail has made the train&#8217;s conductor and its mechanic available to the judicial police, because in these kinds of circumstances that is the procedure. That will allow for an understanding of what happened,&#8221; the official said.</p>
<p>He added that traffic along the Yaounde to Douala line, which was halted following the crash, was expected to resume soon and engineers were at the site of the accident to evaluate the damage.</p>
<p>The collapse of a section of the main highway between Yaounde and Douala amid heavy rain earlier on Friday had blocked hundreds of vehicles on the road and prompted increased numbers of passengers to make the journey by rail.</p>
<p>The two incidents on the same day cut the main transport axis in the central African nation of over 22 million people.﻿</p>


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Cameroon

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