In this regard, a delegation from the French Development Agency (AFD) was granted audience by Alamine Ousmane Mey, Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development (MINEPAT), on 5 May 2023 in Yaounde.
The audience which lasted nearly an hour thirty minutes was granted to the delegation led by Michel Drobniak, Head of the Regional Economic Service at the French Embassy in Cameroon, accompanied by the French Development Agency’s representative Mr Guinoza Callens.
Speaking at the close of rich and intense discussions, Michel Drobniak revealed that they were carrying out a fact-finding mission initiated by the French Treasury, the Ministry of Finance and the French Development Agency (AFD). This falls under the financial support of France to Cameroon, in connection with the implementation of the Economic and Financial Programme agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the 2021-2024 period, backed by the Extended Credit Facility and the Extended Fund Facility. He indicated: “France has pledged to provide 150 million euros (around 98.1 billion CFA francs) in support of this programme over its duration, i.e., 2022, 2023 and 2024, as budget support, of which the first instalment of 70 million euros (roughly 45.7 billion CFA francs) has already been disbursed and released in 2022”. “My colleagues and I are here from AFD to prepare the second instalment of this budget support which, for 2023, should amount to 40 million Euros (approximately 26.1 billion FCFA). And the final instalment in 2024 should also be €40 million”, he revealed.
The Head of the Regional Economic Service at the French Embassy added that the fact-finding mission he is carrying out with Cameroon authorities will be winding up next week. Michel Drobniak expressed his confidence that the outcome would be positive. He also stressed that the budget support is but one aspect of the “very close, dense and intense” cooperation between France and Cameroon. “I would like to reaffirm France’s continued commitment to Cameroon’s development strategy”, he ended.
