A significant transition is underway at the French Development Agency – AFD in Cameroon. In mid-July 2026, the outgoing Country Director of the AFD, Mrs. Virginie Dago, concluded her highly successful four-year mandate by holding pivotal strategic audiences with key government leaders.
Accompanied by her successor, Mr. Jérôme Notebaert, who is set to officially assume office on August 24, 2026, the delegation met with the Ministry of Economy, Planning, and Regional Development – MINEPAT on July 14, and the Ministry of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts – MINPMEESA on July 16. These meetings aimed to solidify the transition and chart the future of France-Cameroon bilateral cooperation.
During the audience with MINEPAT Minister Alamine Ousmane Mey, the discussions focused heavily on macro-economic achievements and structural urban development. Mrs. Dago expressed gratitude for the Minister’s constant guidance, which has safeguarded a massive portfolio of approximately 1.7 billion euros across roughly fifty active projects. As the historic 20-year-old Debt Reduction and Development Contract – C2D gradually draws to a close, this audience highlighted its monumental legacy.
Major achievements like the Yaounde Cœur de Ville initiative, the Regional Capitals Program, and the massive Flood Control Program in Douala and Yaounde – PLIDY stand as prime examples of this successful financial mechanism.
Two days later, the AFD delegation shifted its focus toward local economic resilience and private-sector expansion during an audience with MINPMEESA Minister Achille Bassilekin III. While the MINEPAT meeting addressed large-scale urban infrastructure, the MINPMEESA session prioritized micro-economic growth, directly addressing how to better support local small and medium-sized enterprises – SMEs, cooperatives, craftsmen, and social economy actors. Minister Bassilekin III took this opportunity to commend Mrs. Dago’s relentless commitment to grassroots business development during her tenure and to establish an immediate rapport with Mr. Notebaert.
At MINPMEESA, both parties conducted a detailed progress review of critical joint programs such as TRANSFAGRI, SEPTENTRIONES, and SECAL. The dialogue yielded concrete avenues of future cooperation, identifying highly targeted development goals to empower local businesses. Prominent among these priorities was the development of the wood value chain through the Wood Sector Development Support Programme (PAD-Bois), alongside a commitment to boosting financing mechanisms specifically tailored for rural SMEs to enable easier acquisition of modern processing equipment.
A key structural outcome of the MINPMEESA audience was the proposal to establish a joint monitoring and evaluation mechanism. This tool will directly measure the real-world impact of AFD-backed projects on the productivity and competitiveness of local businesses. Moving forward, this ensures that the incoming leadership can rely on precise data to drive strategic decisions, aligning future funding with actual market needs and entrepreneurial capacity in Cameroon.
With Mr. Jérôme Notebaert poised to take the helm, the transition represents continuity, ambition, and strategic alignment with Cameroon’s National Development Strategy 2020-2030 – SND30. The dual audiences with MINEPAT and MINPMEESA showcase the comprehensive nature of the France-Cameroon partnership—balancing macro-level infrastructure with micro-level entrepreneurial support.
Together, the government of Cameroon and the AFD are fostering a more inclusive, resilient, and highly competitive economic ecosystem.
