Cameroon’s Minister of External Relations, Lejeune Mbella Mbella, represented President Paul Biya at the Conference of Heads of State and Government of countries sharing the French language which held from October 4 to 5 2024, at the Citéinternationale de la langue française in Villers-Cotterêts and in Paris. Biya who is on a visit to Switzerland, did not make the trip, permitting Lejeune Mbella Mbella who had participated on October 3 in the 45th Ministerial Conference of the Francophonie in Paris, to represent him at the proceedings.
According to French President Emmanuel Macron, “this Francophonie Summit, the first in France in thirty-three years, will celebrate the universal strength of our language.” The French head of state hopes that this summit “will allow all the inhabitants of our country, as well as all our Francophone partners, to celebrate the tremendous opportunity we have in sharing the French language,” which is ranked the 5th most spoken language in the world and the 3rd business language.
The summit, held under the theme “Create, innovate, and undertake in French,” provided an opportunity for heads of state and government to engage with young creators and entrepreneurs.
“Aware of the geopolitical and societal challenges affecting the world and the Francophone space, sensitive to digital transformation, concerned with educational issues, vigilant about economic attractiveness and employability, and mindful of environmental challenges…” the Secretary General of the Francophonie, Louise Mushikiwabo, expressed her wish for the OIF to “go faster, higher, and stronger.”
