Cameroon and the United Kingdom have stepped up discussions on environmental financing and sustainable growth following high-level meetings in Yaounde on 24 February 2026, focusing on access to green funding, job creation and agro-industrial revival.
The Prime Minister, Head of Government, Joseph Dion Ngute, received a British delegation led by Ruth Davis, the United Kingdom’s Special Representative for Nature, accompanied by Matt Woods, High Commissioner to Cameroon. On the same day, the Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Alamine Ousmane Mey, also granted an audience to the British envoy.
At the centre of the exchanges was how to reconcile economic growth with environmental protection, and how countries such as Cameroon can secure improved access to international environmental financing.
Speaking after her meeting with the Prime Minister, Ruth Davis said she had held an “excellent conversation” reflecting on Cameroon’s historic role in protecting the natural environment and the personal commitment of the President of the Republic to environmental issues. She stated that her visit aimed to strengthen partnership and collaboration between the United Kingdom and Cameroon in protecting the environment while supporting sustainable development.
Discussions also underscored the importance of ensuring that countries with significant biodiversity and an established environmental record are able to access appropriate funding. Davis said both sides could continue working together to make this possible.
Linking economic growth, jobs and nature
During talks at the Ministry of the Economy, emphasis was placed on integrating national environmental priorities into development policies. The objective, according to officials, is to create decent jobs, boost agriculture and socio-economic infrastructure, and secure long-term prosperity within a healthy natural environment.
The meeting came two months after the signing of loan agreements amounting to CFAF 51.8 billion for the industrial revival of the Cameroon Development Corporation, one of the country’s largest employers after the State and a key actor in the agro-industrial sector. The financing is intended to support production and strengthen the corporation’s contribution to economic recovery.
These initiatives are aligned with the implementation of the National Development Strategy, NDS30, which targets strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, poverty reduction, large-scale job creation and balanced territorial development.
Environmental cooperation between Cameroon and the United Kingdom includes sustainable resource management, the fight against illegal timber trade and post-Brexit economic collaboration incorporating environmental standards. The United Kingdom also supports development projects in sectors such as agriculture and energy. Bilateral ties are reinforced through shared membership of the Commonwealth and extend to trade, defence, security and education.
Mercy Fosoh
