Cameroon: Who is really calling the shots?

A dispute over roadworks in Yaounde exposed tensions between Cameroon’s central government and municipal authorities, raising questions about who makes decisions when President Paul Biya is absent. The 93-year-old has ruled since 1982, and his extended time abroad has renewed scrutiny of how the country is governed and how effectively power is coordinated without his visible direction.

Cameroon’s constitution gives the president broad executive authority, while allowing him to delegate some functions; absence abroad alone does not transfer those powers to the prime minister. The government has not publicly detailed whether a formal delegation is in force during Biya’s absences. Presidency secretary-general Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh has a permanent delegation to sign certain documents, but that is not a transfer of presidential powers; claims about the influence of other figures close to Biya are difficult to verify. An investigation found Biya spent at least four and a half years abroad on private visits over more than three decades.