VZCZCXRO9231
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHYD #1062/01 3511430
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 171430Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0543
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YAOUNDE 001062 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/15/2019 
TAGS: CM EAIR ECON EFIN PGOV PHUM PINR PREL SENV
SUBJECT: CAMEROON'S PRIME MINISTER ON ECONOMY AND GOVERNANCE 
 
Classified By: Pol/Econ Chief Scott Ticknor for reasons 1.4 (d) and (e) 
 
¶1.  (C)  Summary: In a December 15 meeting with Ambassador, 
Prime Minister Philemon Yang said the Cameroonian economy was 
improving, with renewed focus on the energy an agriculture 
sectors.  He appreciated recent productive meetings with 
Boeing and Lufthansa Consulting to revive the national 
airline CAMAIRCO.  He expressed interest in the MCC and asset 
recovery assistance.  President Biya was waiting to issue a 
decree on the Electoral Commission (ELECAM) until the 
institution was more established; progress was likely on 
creating a Senate in 2010.  Yang is beginning to disappoint 
some observers as unable to energize the bureaucracy and less 
accessible than his predecessor. End summary. 
 
Climate Change Summit 
--------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Yang confirmed that President Biya would attend 
the Copenhagen climate change summit. Cameroon has a lot at 
stake, given the importance of the Congo Basin as a forest 
resource, he said.  "We need to begin to talk about using our 
forests productively," he added. 
 
Economy Getting Healthier 
------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Yang conceded that the 2009 budget was "ambitious" 
but believed the economy was getting healthier, even with a 
decline in oil revenues.  Referring to President Biya's June 
directive that the economy be jump-started in six months, 
Yang praised "some improvement," but also noted "some seeds 
will take time."  He highlighted the strength of the informal 
sector and regional trade, pointing out that the government 
has consistently paid its salaries and is making 
infrastructure investments.  The two key sectors are energy 
and agriculture, he said, pointing to efforts to boost the 
energy sector, including progress on Lom Pangar dam, the 
Chinese-backed Memve'ele dam, and a Kribi gas-fired plant 
("the government and AES are on the same wavelength," he said 
- we will report more on the energy sector septel).  The 
government had also disbursed funds to strengthen agriculture 
and animal husbandry, Yang added. 
 
CAMAIRCO 
-------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Yang remains the Chairman of the Board of 
Cameroon's airline CAMAIRCO, which he described as an 
"instrument of national unity."  He noted that he had a "very 
positive" meeting with visiting Boeing representatives the 
previous week and that President Biya and former Camair staff 
very much liked Boeing aircraft.  Yang has also been working 
closely with Lufthansa Consulting, which is doing a study to 
lay the groundwork for CAMAIRCO planning.  He hoped CAMAIRCO 
would eventually fly to Europe, East and West Africa, and 
domestically, but understood that it would take time to 
develop these plans and the resulting aircraft requirements. 
 
 
MCC and Governance 
------------------ 
 
¶5.  (C)  The Ambassador gave Yang a copy of Cameroon's 
Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) 2009 scorecard, which 
he was eager to review in more detail in a separate meeting. 
He believed MCC goals were generally beneficial for Cameroon. 
 He appreciated the "no nonsense" frank criticism which World 
Bank Vice President for Africa Obiageli Ezekwesili had given 
President Biya during a visit to Yaounde earlier in the week. 
 Note:  World Bank Resrep told Ambassador that Ezekwesili had 
lectured Biya on his lack of leadership, in light of 
Cameroon's poor governance and development shortcomings, and 
had criticized the lack of coordination in his government. 
The World Bank VP reportedly urged fundamental changes in 
governance.  Biya reportedly responded that he wanted to work 
on this.  End note. 
 
¶6.  (C)  Ambassador told the PM of our hope to continue 
cooperation on the recovery of stolen assets.  Yang thought 
this was "marvelous," stressing Cameroon's need for help in 
this area.  The Cameroonian public is pressuring the 
government to "forget the trials" of arrested corrupt 
officials and instead "get back the money."  When Ambassador 
noted our continued difficulty in getting approvals for 
Cameroonian officials to participate in USG training, he 
responded "the administration is slow," saying we needed to 
build more advance time into our planning. 
 
ELECAM and the Senate 
--------------------- 
 
 
YAOUNDE 00001062  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶7.  (C)  President Biya is waiting to sign the Presidential 
decree needed to transfer the voter register and polling 
equipment to the Electoral Commission (ELECAM).  He wants 
ELECAM to staff up, register voters and get better organized 
first, noting that "if there is an election, we need to be 
ready," according to Yang.  (Ambassador interjected "you mean 
when," to which he responded "yes, when - the next 
presidential election".)   He hoped ELECAM would have a 
"handsome budget" in 2010, stressing the "tremendous 
responsibility" of ELECAM members and the care with which the 
government had created the organization.  He praised ELECAM 
President Samuel Fonkam Azuu and other ELECAM Council members 
as being "stubbornly independent." 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  Yang was "very optimistic" the Senate would be 
created in 2010.  The cost was a big obstacle, especially 
with other competing demands on funds.  In the absence of a 
Senate or Constitutional Court, both required under the 1996 
Constitution but never established, the President of the 
National Assembly is the constitutional successor to the 
President and the Supreme Court has the responsibility of 
announcing election results and ruling on any election 
disputes, he explained. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶9.  (C)  Yang is less accessible and less responsive than his 
predecessor, Ephraim Inoni.  It took us a month to get this 
meeting and then Ambassador was sandwiched between his 
back-to-back meetings with several other Ambassadors.  Other 
contacts have also remarked on the difficulty in meeting Yang 
and on his lack of energy in shaking up the bureaucracy.  He 
seems to wait for problems to come to him.  While gracious 
and intelligent, he frequently mentions President Biya, who 
appears to value him more for his loyalty, clean reputation, 
and Northwest political connections than for his 
administrative effectiveness. 
GARVEY