The Ministry of External Relations – MINREX, under the High Patronage of the Economic and Social Council – ESC and with technical support from the International Organization for Migration – IOM, convened a landmark strategic National Consultation of Non-State Actors on September 24, 2026, at the ESC Headquarters in Yaounde.
The initiative marks a crucial step in formulating Cameroon’s National diaspora engagement strategy and action plan. By gathering civil society organizations, local and regional authorities, parliamentarians, academics, think tanks, and media representatives, the consultation aimed to forge an inclusive vision that leverages the immense potential of Cameroonians abroad for national growth.
Chief of IOM Mission to Cameroon, Diop Abdel Rahmane, emphasized that the strategy must reflect a collective effort where every actor has a voice. He highlighted that diaspora contributions extend far beyond financial remittances to encompass rich human, social, and cultural capital. Drawing from IOM’s 75 years of experience, Rahmane stressed that building mutual trust serves as the essential foundation for sustainable diaspora engagement. He reiterated that IOM’s role is to support the state and local stakeholders in creating space for all perspectives to shape the upcoming implementation mechanisms.
Representing the Ministry of External Relations – MINREX, Minga Ivaha Carine Laure, Diplomat, Head of the Unit for Relations with IOM, responsible for monitoring migrant-related issues, expressed profound gratitude to the ESC leadership for hosting the consultation in a location widely recognized as the house of the people and dialogue.
She noted that the initiative builds directly upon the draft strategy launched in March 2025 to create a structured approach toward diaspora mobilization. Through technical assistance from IOM, the country aims to establish a gender-sensitive, evidence-based strategy supported by a comprehensive diaspora profile database housed at the ministry.
The consultation with non-state actors follows an earlier session held with state actors on August 8, marking a deliberate phased approach to consultation. In the coming days, MINREX and its partners will engage the financial sector and development partners before directly consulting Cameroonian diaspora communities in target nations, including the United States, Canada, and France.
This broad stakeholder reach is designed to restore trust, tap into diverse expertise networks, channel savings into productive local projects, and align strategies with local decentralization needs.
Speaking on behalf of the ESC leadership, Secretary General Ngoumbe Zacharie welcomed attendees to the constitutional assembly, reinforcing the significance of non-state actors in national development. He urged participants to view the diaspora not merely through the narrow lens of brain drain or migration, but as a dynamic productive force capable of driving economic, social, and environmental progress. Zacharie cited the massive concentration of Cameroonian professionals abroad, such as tens of thousands of doctors and engineers in Europe alone, as a clear testament to the diaspora’s potential strength.
Reiterating the vision of Head of State His Excellency Paul Biya, Zacharie noted that the diaspora is rightfully envisioned as the “11th region of Cameroon”. The current initiative seeks to transition from fragmented, isolated efforts into a unified, highly coordinated strategy aligned with the National Development Strategy – SND30.
By uniting state and non-state actors in this consultative process, Cameroon takes a decisive step toward unlocking the diaspora’s full capacity to accelerate the nation’s journey toward emergence.
