The African Development Bank (AfDB) will help finance a 62 MWp solar power plant in Sokodé, central Togo. The AfDB board approved the project on May 8, 2025. It will back the initiative with €26.5 million  (about CFA17.4 billion).

The project aligns with Togo’s goal to reach 200 MWp of renewable energy by 2030. EDF Group will design, build, and run the plant, with co-financing from Proparco, the private sector arm of the French Development Agency (AFD).

The AfDB funding splits into two loans: €18.5 million from the AfDB itself and a €8 million concessional loan from the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), managed by the pan-African bank.

The project’s total cost is €61 million. It will include an 11 km transmission line, and the solar plant will generate 87 GWh yearly. This output will cut CO₂ emissions by 13,600 tonnes annually. It will also improve access to clean, reliable, and cheap energy in Togo.

Kevin Kariuki, AfDB Vice President for Energy, called the Sokodé solar project a "landmark achievement." The solar power plant will strengthen energy security in Togo.

Recently, Togo began building another solar power plant in Dapaong, which should be ready in 13 months. 

This article was initially published in French by Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho

The Container Terminal Operator (RTC) of the Port of Douala distributed CFA2 billion in commercial rebates for the FY2024 during a ceremony held on April 25.

The rebates were allocated based on the volume of full containers (measured in twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs) handled at the port. Shipping companies received 20% of the total amount, while importers and exporters received 80%.

Charles Michaux Moukoko Njoh, Deputy General Manager of the Port Authority of Douala (PAD), said the rebate system was adjusted this year to reward shippers even more. "The shippers are the real engine behind our growth," he said, adding that their share was increased by nearly 15%.

Among the shipping lines, Denmark's Maersk Group claimed the highest rebate, receiving CFA168.8 million. It was followed by MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company), with CFA164.7 million, and France’s CMA CGM, which received CFA86.2 million.

For national importers, where a minimum of 520 full TEUs was required to qualify, seafood distributor Congelcam led the pack with a rebate of CFA68 million. Brewer UCB followed with CFA42.3 million, and Orca Industry came third with CFA26.3 million.

On the exporters’ side, where the minimum was set at 350 full TEUs, the top beneficiary was Sodecoton, which received CFA102.6 million. Agricultural company Ofi Cameroun followed with CFA47.8 million, and cocoa trader Telcar Cocoa secured CFA39 million.

Shippers from landlocked neighboring countries such as the Central African Republic and Chad did not receive their checks during the event. RTC said it plans to organize separate official ceremonies in each country to hand over their rebates.

Frédéric Nonos

Cameroon’s government is preparing to take tougher action against vandalism and public misconduct affecting the country’s railway network. During a special session of the Interministerial Committee on Railway Infrastructure (Comifer) held yesterday in Yaoundé, Minister of Transport Jean Ernest Masséna Ngalle Bibehe said a crackdown was being considered to improve safety and protect rail operations.

Over the past few months, Camrail, the private operator of the national rail network and a subsidiary of Africa Global Logistics (AGL), has reported 77 cases of incivility and vandalism along its tracks. These incidents have included train–vehicle collisions at level crossings, rock throwing at passenger trains, theft, blocked tracks, sabotage, and pedestrian accidents. Some of these have caused serious damage to equipment and posed risks to passengers and workers.

Minister Ngalle Bibehe called the situation “deeply concerning” and stressed the need for both preventive and punitive action. He urged law enforcement agencies and Camrail officials to act quickly and decisively to limit vandalism and protect the safety of rail operations.

“It is our collective duty to take action,” said the minister. “We must promote a culture of safety and respect for railway rules. That includes awareness campaigns but also strict enforcement when necessary.”

The rising number of incidents has had broader consequences. Delays in freight delivery have disrupted supply chains in neighboring countries. Chad, for instance, recently experienced a cement shortage, which officials say was directly tied to rail traffic disruptions caused by vandalism in Cameroon.

In response, Camrail launched a two-month awareness campaign on April 4, 2025. The effort targets people living near the railways and includes messages in both French and English, as well as in local languages spoken in affected communities.

On May 8, 2025, the MSC Turkiye, one of the largest container ships in the world, will dock at Cameroon’s deep-sea port of Kribi in the South region. This landmark arrival will coincide with the launch of the port’s second container terminal, marking a major step in Cameroon’s ambitions to boost its shipping and logistics sector.

The news was confirmed by Africa Global Logistics (AGL), MSC’s Cameroon subsidiary. AGL was formed after the Italo-Swiss shipping giant MSC acquired the African logistics business previously owned by French group Bolloré. The ship’s arrival date was also listed by the maritime tracking platform www.vesselsfinder.com, although the actual docking may shift slightly depending on time zone differences between Asia and Cameroon.

The MSC Turkiye, built in 2023, is one of only four container vessels in the MSC fleet that can carry 24,346 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). Unlike its sister ships, the MSC Irina, MSC Loreto, and MSC Michel Cappellini, the MSC Turkiye stands out with its massive dimensions: 400 meters long and 62 meters wide. This visit will be the first time such a colossal vessel enters Central African waters.

The second container terminal at Kribi, which the MSC Turkiye will inaugurate, offers 715 meters of quay space, more than double the 350 meters available at the first terminal. This new terminal is operated by Kribi Container Terminal (KCT), a subsidiary of AGL. It was built as part of the port’s second-phase expansion project and will officially open during a ceremony scheduled for May 9, 2025.

According to Patrice Melom, Director General of the Kribi Port Authority, the launch of this terminal opens up new horizons for Cameroon. He says it will allow Kribi to "stand shoulder to shoulder with major ports in the Gulf of Guinea."

That vision is clearly shared by MSC. The shipping company has added Kribi to its new Africa Express maritime route, a logistics solution designed to serve growing trade flows between Asia and West Africa.

The Africa Express connects major Asian ports in South Korea, China, Thailand, Singapore, and India to African ports in Lomé (Togo), Tema (Ghana), Abidjan (Ivory Coast), and Kribi (Cameroon). This strategic route addresses the sharp rise in cargo volumes between these regions.

As part of this shift, MSC has reassigned its largest vessels, including the MSC Turkiye, to serve the Africa Express route. Shortly after the Turkiye’s arrival, the MSC Melissa, a 304-meter-long and 40-meter-wide container ship, is also scheduled to dock at Kribi, according to www.vesselsfinder.com.

Johnny Razack has been appointed chairman of Cameroon’s National Investment Company (SNI), following a presidential decree signed on April 25. The 52-year-old senior civil servant takes over from Geoffroy Désiré Mbock, who held the position for five years.

The SNI acts as the government's main investment vehicle, holding stakes in companies and helping create new businesses. Razack's nomination comes at a turning point for the institution, which was restructured last year to take on a stronger role in shaping the country’s economic and industrial strategy.

Before his appointment, Razack served as Secretary General at the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, a position he had held since December 22, 2015. Over his career, he also managed government correspondence at the Prime Minister’s Office and spent several years overseeing union matters. He began his career at the Ministry of Economy in 2005 as acting head of personnel services.

Razack brings with him a solid academic background. He is a graduate of ENA Paris, part of the 2002–2004 “Léopold Senghor” cohort, which also included French President Emmanuel Macron. He also graduated from Cameroon’s ENAM in Yaoundé, class of 1998–2000, the same year as Health Minister Malachie Manaouda. A committed member of the ruling RDPC party, he also serves as a mission officer at the party’s central committee. He hails from Bénoué in the North region.

A fellow RDPC member commented that Razack’s appointment “shows the President’s trust in loyal, capable profiles to manage key pillars of the national economy.”

His nomination follows the recent reshuffle of the SNI’s board of directors. Eleven members were appointed, including Gwendoline Abunaw, Managing Director of Ecobank Cameroon, and Célestin Tawamba, head of the country’s main business federation GECAM. They represent the banking and private sector, respectively.

This move is part of a broader overhaul of the SNI, initiated by President Paul Biya on July 10, 2024. The reform transformed the SNI into a public capital company with a sharper focus on investment planning. Under the new structure, SNI now plays a dual role: as a government investor and as a consulting and research body. It is fully owned by the state.

The company’s capital was raised to CFA200 billion, to be released gradually over four years. The goal is to turn the SNI into a true investment holding. Plans are already underway to open its subsidiaries to new public and private shareholders. The strategy aims to better manage the state’s holdings and help build strong national companies.

The SNI’s new responsibilities are extensive. It will now screen industrial projects from the private sector by issuing financial and economic viability clearances before the state can step in. It will also assess public companies by conducting audits, performance reviews, and diagnostics. In addition, it will help prepare and monitor performance contracts between the state and these firms.

On top of that, the SNI will now handle venture capital and private equity activities, as well as act as a stock market intermediary and asset manager.

Razack’s appointment comes with big expectations. While he is seen as a trusted and well-connected civil servant with political weight and administrative experience, some in the business community question whether he has the hands-on experience needed to run an institution now tasked with high-stakes investment operations. Others are confident that his background and network could serve him well in navigating this new chapter.

Bobo Makunda Sefekese is the new Deputy Managing Director of Sofibanque, a leading bank in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The lender announced Sefekese’s appointment on March 4. He holds the same position as Louis-Odilon Alaguillaume, appointed in April 2022. 

However, Sefekese will oversee the implementation of the bank’s business continuity plan, approved by its Board of Directors in October 2023, which ensures operational resilience during crises. The plan includes an IT backup strategy to maintain technical and service availability, a critical focus given the DRC’s volatile security and economic landscape.

Sefekese’s appointment aligns with his expertise in risk management and digital transformation. Holding master’s degrees in computer science from the University of Namur and financial risk management from Université Saint-Louis de Bruxelles, he brings over 20 years of experience in banking and insurance, including roles as Director of Information Systems at Equity BCDC and Director of Organization and IT at Banque Commerciale du Congo. His background positions him to address challenges like cybersecurity and fintech integration, areas increasingly vital as digital banking expands in the DRC.

Sefekese will collaborate with Managing Director Henry Yoan Wazne, who has led Sofibanque since 2012. According to the bank’s 2023 report, Deputing MDs help the MD supervise operations, streamline processes, and execute strategic projects. Sofibanque should leverage the expertise of its new Deputy MD to better contribute to the digitization of banking services and fintechs’ emergence in the DRC. 

In 2023, Sofibanque was the country’s top sixth bank, with $964 million in total assets. Expanding its management underscores the bank’s commitment to stability and innovation amid regional uncertainties. 

This article was initially in French by Boaz Kabeya (intern)

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho

Minister of Higher Education Jacques Fame Ndongo, on April 29 presented Professor Abdon Atangana with a congratulatory letter from President Paul Biya for his distinguished election to the esteemed World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). In the letter, dated March 25, Biya noted that the numerous honorary distinctions awarded to Atangana in the field of industrial and applied mathematics underscore the recognition of his "immense qualities" by his peers.

This international recognition highlights and further elevates Atangana's exceptional scientific career. For President Biya, this "magnificent journey is a source of pride for the youth, the Cameroonian education system, and the entire nation."

It's worth noting that Atangana, who completed part of his education in Cameroon, was the world's most cited mathematician in 2017 based on his scientific contributions. In 2019, Stanford University ranked him as the second-best mathematician globally. In both 2019 and 2020, the native of Elig-Mfomo in the Lékié region appeared on Clarivate Web of Science's global list of top scientists. And this list of accolades is far from exhaustive. In 2022, at the age of 37, he became the inaugural recipient of the UNESCO-Al Fozan International Prize for the promotion of young scientists in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Atangana is the first mathematician to receive the TWAS Mohammad A. Hamdan Prize, awarded by the World Academy of Sciences, which recognizes outstanding mathematical work by a scientist working and residing in Africa or the Arab region.

The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), which the Cameroonian scholar has recently joined, is an autonomous international organization founded in Trieste, Italy, in 1983 by a group of prominent scientists led by Pakistani Nobel laureate Abdus Salam. It was officially launched in 1985 by the then-Secretary-General of the United Nations.

TWAS membership comprises Fellows and Associate Fellows, chosen from the most distinguished scientists worldwide. Fellows are elected from citizens of the Global South; Associate Fellows are elected from citizens of the Global North who were born in the South or have made significant contributions to the advancement of science in the South. TWAS currently has 584 members.

Thierry Christophe Yamb 

AstraZeneca, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical brands, bought his company two weeks ago. Jean-Pierre Latere is his name, and his startup, EsoBiotec, was purchased by the British giant. Latere, a Congolese-born Belgian scientist, founded EsoBiotec in 2020 in Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium. The deal with AstraZeneca is valued at one billion dollars. 

Under the deal, the behemoth will make an upfront payment of $425 million and potential future payments of $575 million tied to performance milestones. AstraZeneca's substantial investment hinges on EsoBiotec's groundbreaking in vivo cell therapy technology, which aims to simplify cancer treatment to a single injection, dramatically reducing costs and expanding patient access.

From Lubumbashi to the World

Latere's journey from Lubumbashi to the forefront of biotechnology innovation is a testament to perseverance and scientific ingenuity. After growing up in Kinshasa and attending the prestigious Boboto High School, Latere left his home country at 18, in 1994. He went on to Belgium, where he earned a Ph.D. in polymer chemistry from the University of Liège. He subsequently completed postdoctoral work at the University of Michigan.

His career path led him through Johnson & Johnson and Celyad Oncology, where he honed his expertise in cellular therapies. Motivated by personal experience with cancer in his family, Latere founded EsoBiotec to address the limitations of existing CAR-T cell therapies, which are effective but time-consuming and expensive.

EsoBiotec's Engineered NanoBody Lentiviral (ENaBL) platform represents a paradigm shift in cancer treatment. By leveraging the patient's body as its own cellular factory, the technology eliminates the need for complex ex vivo cell manipulation, potentially slashing treatment times from weeks to days and significantly reducing costs.

Six Years to Launch

EsoBiotec's Engineered NanoBody Lentiviral (ENaBL) platform represents a paradigm shift in cancer treatment. By leveraging the patient's body as its own cellular factory, the technology eliminates the need for complex ex vivo cell manipulation, potentially slashing treatment times from weeks to days and significantly reducing costs.

With the first patient treated in December 2024 and "exceptional" results published in January, EsoBiotec caught the attention of pharmaceutical giants. The AstraZeneca acquisition now positions Latere's innovation for rapid development and commercialization, with the first product expected to reach the market within five to six years.

Pierre Mukoko and Ronsard Luabeya (intern)

An entrepreneur active in various ventures across Southern Africa, he aims to enhance the quality of road transport services via his platform, myRunner.

Zimbabwean entrepreneur Vusumuzi Mkhwananzi (pictured) is the co-founder and chief executive officer of myRunner, a tech firm focused on simplifying and enhancing the safety of bus travel.

Established in 2017 by Mkhwananzi, Josiah Mahachi, Millcent Mkhwananzi, Gift Chirinda, and Mandla Ncube, myRunner operates as a ticketing platform enabling users to book bus journeys across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and several other African nations at any time. The platform incorporates advanced features such as real-time bus tracking and fleet management tools for operators.

The startup also aims to streamline cross-border and domestic transport for small and medium-sized enterprises, providing a range of services including an electronic wallet, online marketplace, transport and freight brokerage, grocery delivery, and digital services. Additionally, it assists businesses in more effectively managing their online commercial activities.

Beyond his entrepreneurial ventures, Mkhwananzi serves on the board of directors for the Brussels-based operational center of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). Prior to launching myRunner, he co-founded Global Simcards International in 2012, a company specializing in business development and operational management, where he held a board position until 2024.

Mkhwananzi earned a master's degree in business administration from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Italy in 2020.

myRunner garnered recognition as the top startup in Zimbabwe at Seedstars Harare in 2017. The company received the Total Startupper of the Year award in 2018 and was nominated to represent Zimbabwe at the Southern Africa Startup Awards. In 2024, myRunner was among 42 African startups selected to join the inaugural cohort of the Timbuktoo Fintech Hub, a collaborative initiative between African countries and the United Nations Development Programme.

By Melchior Koba,

Editing by Sèna D. B. de Sodji

Between 2023 and 2025, the Mboa Paris fair, in partnership with the JFN Center, trained thirty young Cameroonians in entrepreneurship, applied innovation, and digital transformation. The announcement was made on April 26, 2025, in Douala by Fatimatou Ousmanou, president of the Mboa Paris association, during a press conference ahead of the event’s third edition.

Mboa Paris is not just a trade fair. It is the first annual business and cultural event designed to connect and unite Cameroonian talent from the diaspora. The upcoming edition will take place from May 28 to 31, 2025, in Paris.

The thirty participants were trained in cloud computing at the JFN Center in Douala, a tech hub created by Cameroonian banker Alphonse Nanfack. His goal: to raise the bar in innovation and tech education across the country. Thanks to financial support from Mboa Paris, the trainees are now either employed in companies or running their own entrepreneurial ventures.

“These training programs open real doors for young people,” said Ousmanou. “They create jobs, and they also empower young people to create jobs themselves. That has a real impact on the economy.”

Looking ahead, she said Mboa Paris plans to scale up these training efforts through new partnerships, aiming to expand both the job market and entrepreneurial ecosystem in Cameroon. “This fair is a space for talent, ideas, and experience—a platform to push Cameroon forward,” she added.

This push comes at a time when the financial contribution of the diaspora is growing. In 2022, remittances from Cameroonians abroad reached CFA221 billion, a 5% increase from the year before, according to a World Bank report.

The third edition of Mboa Paris will focus on turning this financial, intellectual, and entrepreneurial capital into high-impact development projects back home. The event will feature discussions on practical mechanisms to better direct these flows for long-term growth.