The Speaker of the National Assembly of Cameroon, Rt. Hon. Théodore Datouo, commenced an official visit to Bern, Switzerland, starting 15 September 2026, following an invitation from the President of the Swiss National Council, Hon. Pierre-André Page.

Received with full honors at the Federal Palace, Speaker Datouo engaged in a thirty-minute bilateral audience with his Swiss counterpart. During their discussion, the two leaders reviewed existing parliamentary cooperation, acknowledged Switzerland’s participation at the 51st Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie recently held in Yaounde, and welcomed the ongoing construction of the new Swiss Embassy in the Cameroonian capital.

A central focus of the bilateral discussions was the shared commitment to deepen bilateral relations and honor shared history. The honorable speaker commended Switzerland for honoring Tilo Frey, one of the first women of Cameroonian origin elected to the Swiss National Council, via the dedicated TILO mosaic artwork at the Federal Palace.

Additionally, the Speaker expressed Cameroon’s desire to leverage Swiss technical expertise to establish the new Cameroon National Assembly Museum. Both parliamentary leaders reaffirmed their intent to boost cooperation across key sectors, including agriculture, economic affairs, and bilateral investments, followed by an exchange of official gifts and a guided tour of the Federal Palace.

The Cameroonian parliamentary delegation received high-level recognition across both chambers of the Swiss Federal Assembly. Hon. Stefan Engler, President of the Council of States, officially acknowledged the delegation’s presence in plenary, while Hon. Pierre-André Page led a warm applause in the National Council during question time. The recognition occurred as the President of the Swiss Confederation, H.E. Guy Parmelin, was answering interpellations from Swiss lawmakers.

Following the parliamentary proceedings, Rt. Hon. Datouo was received in a executive audience by H.E. Guy Parmelin. President Parmelin lauded the excellent state of bilateral relations, highlighting active cooperation at the Obala Agricultural Institute and ongoing commercial exchanges. In response, Speaker Datouo advocated for expanding Swiss expertise in Cameroon, particularly requesting support for the Swiss Dual Training System to tackle youth unemployment, as well as joint initiatives in climate change research and innovation. Mrs. Maria Peyro from the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation – SERI subsequently delivered a detailed presentation on the dual training system to Speaker Datouo, Cameroon’s Ambassador to Switzerland H.E. Leonard Henri Bindzi, and the delegation, before a guided tour of the city of Bern.

The speaker was a accompanied by a high-level delegation constituted of Hon. Joshua Osih, Chair of the Cameroon-Switzerland Parliamentary Friendship Group; Hon. Oumoul Koultchoumi Ahidjo; Hon. William Peter Mandio; Mr. André Noël Essian, Clerk of the House; Ahmadou Ndottiwa, Director of Protocol; Stanley Zingo, Chargé de Mission; and Esther Kima, Director of Communication and Public Relations.