Cameroon and the Commonwealth of nations

Abstract

When Cameroon joined the Commonwealth in November 1995, it became the first Commonwealth national also to belong to the Francophonie. A bilingual product of three‐way colonial competition in the last century, the country is composed of the major part of the territories held by Germany, France and Britain. German rule ended in 1916 and the country became an Anglo‐French condominium under League of Nations auspices, and later trusteeship territories under the responsibility of the United Nations. In 1961 the northern section of British Cameroons became an integral part of Nigeria, while the remainder was reunified with the former French Cameroon to become an independent nation. About 30 per cent of the population is English‐speaking, while almost 70 per cent speaks French. During the tenure of the country's first president, Amadou Abidjo, the country was lukewarm to the idea of joining either the Commonwealth or the Francophonie. The arrival of a new president, Paul Biya, in 1982, ushered in an era of democratic reforms aimed at greater decentralization, coinciding with pressure from the Anglophone minority for Commonwealth membership. An application for observer status was made in 1989. Since its successful application for full membership Cameroon has already become involved in a range of Commonwealth activities, and stands to benefit from Commonwealth assistance in overcoming some of its social and economic problems.