Cameroon’s Presidential couple is back to the country. Paul and Chantal Biya returned home on Saturday September 15, 2018 after actively taking part in the 2018 Third China-Africa Cooperation Summit (FOCAC) in Beijing, China. As usual, President Paul Biya and First Lady Chantal Biya were given a jolly welcome at the Yaounde Nsimalen International Airport by a cross-section of senior State dignitaries led by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Honourable Cavaye Yeguie Djibril.
Long before the arrival of the Presidential couple, the CPDM Mefou and Afamba South Section, Nkon Koa group as well as Active Youth for Chantal Biya (JACHABI) were already animating. Their songs and dance electrified the air when the Presidential plane taxied to a halt at about 5:37 pm.
Awe-inspiring messages like, “Vous êtes notre espoir” crudely translated as, “You are our hope” on the banners that identified one of the animation groups depicted the joy of the population as they sang and danced their best. At the foot of the plane, President Paul Biya and Mrs Chantal Biya shook hands with the Speaker of the National Assembly, Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, Prime Minister, Head of Government, Philemon Yang, Minister, Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, the First Vice President of the Senate, Aboubakary Abdoulaye and the Chinese Ambassador to Cameroon, Wang Yingwu.
The second detachment of government officials who shook hands with Paul and Chantal Biya at the entrance of the Presidential lounge were led by the Minister, Deputy Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic, Elung Paul Che comprising among others Centre Regional Governor, Naseri Paul Bea. Five airport audiences marked the Head of State’s brief stay therein.
Although nothing filtered out of the discussions, it is obvious that President Paul Biya took the pulse of the nation and shared his experience from China when he received the Speaker of the National Assembly, the First Vice President of the Senate, the Prime Minister, Head of Government, the Chinese Ambassador to Cameroon and the Minister, Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic; in that order. As the audiences unfolded, the First Lady spent precious time conversing with wives of the Head of State’s close aides in the adjacent room.
Before boarding the Presidential limousine en route to the State House, the Presidential couple took time off to happily wave at the dance groups that turned up massively to welcome them back home.
Visibly, the joy of Paul and Chantal Biya could not be unconnected to the spinoffs of the Beijing Summit. For, during their stay in the capital of the Asian giant, the Head of State and wife shared and gained experiences with their peers on a wide-range of issues.
President Paul Biya notably held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing during which a Memorandum of Understanding on the joint construction of Africa- China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” and an accord on the technical assistance by China to enable Cameroon improve services at the Gynaecological Hospital in Yaounde and hospitals in Buea and Mbalmayo were signed between members of their accompanying delegations.
Meanwhile, Chantal Biya participated in a conference on AIDS Prevention and Control and joined other First Ladies and leaders of international organisations in discussions on, “China and Africa: Join Hands for Future Free of AIDS.”