Gov’t, Commonwealth investment council formalise deal to create regional council.

It was signed on the sidelines of the 5th Commonwealth Trade and Investment Summit, CTIS, held in London on April 20 and 21, 2026.

Officials say the development will structurally anchor trade and investment flows across West and Central Africa within the Commonwealth framework.

The Minister Delegate to the Minister in charge of Cooperation with the Commonwealth, Felix Mbayu, signed on behalf of the government, while Lord Jonathan Peter Marland, CWEIC Chairman, signed for the council. 

According to officials, the hub will carry legal status under the new accord, tasking it with supporting government-led efforts to drive cross-border trade and inward investment.

Minister Mbayu led a mixed public-private delegation to the summit, delivering the keynote address at a dedicated plenary session entitled: “Invest in Cameroon: Making Exports a Driving Force for Investment and Industrialisation”.

He framed Cameroon's economic case around its position at the crossroads of West and Central Africa, citing direct access to the Nigerian market, Atlantic trade routes, and logistical corridors linking the ports of Douala and Kribi to the landlocked markets of Chad and the Central African Republic.

Describing Cameroon's structural ambitions, Mbayu said the country's development was guided by a national strategy running from 2020 to 2030 aimed at moving the economy beyond dependence on primary commodities.

“Cameroon offers investors skills, connectivity, human capital and sectoral diversity. There are promising prospects in strategic areas like agro-industry and food processing, energy and industrial production, mining and digital technology as well as services,” he said.

The minister pointed at a current economic growth rate of 3.5 percent, which, he said, held the potential to be doubled to seven percent, and positioned Cameroon as a regional breadbasket, an emerging energy hub, and an industrial platform serving both Africa and the broader Commonwealth.

On the policy dimension, Mbayu argued that the failure of traditional multilateral trade mechanisms to deliver workable solutions made pluri-regional frameworks such as the Commonwealth and the African Continental Free Trade Area increasingly critical.

He said these platforms held the capacity to convert fragmented neighbouring markets into coordinated trading spaces capable of boosting trade volume, investment, and economic growth across member states.

On his part, the Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development in Charge of Planning, Paul Tasong, who also addressed the panel, told investors that the Cameroonian economy was strong, resilient, and credible, with a conducive investment environment.

The opening plenary featured addresses by CWEIC Chairman, Lord Marland; Commonwealth Secretary-General, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey; Maltese Deputy Prime Minister, Ian Borg; the Lady Mayor of the City of London, Dame Susan Langley; and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. 

All speakers pointed at the imperative of converting current global trade disruptions into opportunities for the Commonwealth's 56 member countries. Other Cameroonian panelists included Dr. Diane Acha-Morfaw, Board Chair of the Investment Promotion Agency; Judith Yah Achidi, Director General of Cameroon Telecommunications and Brice Beumo of Beko Capital.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3773 of Monday April 27, 2026