The Canadian High Commission on Monday July 2 celebrated the country’s National Day.

A total of 50 million Canadian dollars (about FCFA 450 billion) has been invested in the country by Canadian firms in the last 50 years. Speaking on Monday July 2 in Yaounde on the occasion of Canada’s National Day, the High Commissioner, Benoît-Pierre Laramée said the event coincided with the celebration of 50 years of bilateral relations with Cameroon.

High Commissioner Laramée noted that apart from cancelling Cameroon’s debt, his country has also invested in the carrying out of forest inventories, the execution of major infrastructure projects like mining and aluminium, as well as offering support for the putting in place of public accountability tools and gender mainstreaming.

He recalled that ties with Cameroon also exist in religious spheres and in education with a growing number of students now studying in Canada. Benoit-Pierre Laramée described relations with Cameroon as “sincere and authentic,” adding that the best was yet to come in terms of fostering a mutually beneficial partnership. According to the Canadian diplomat, Cameroon could count on his country’s expertise, given that its economy is doing well and the country is also member of the Group of Seven or G7 industrialised nations.

Present at the event among others were the Vice Prime Minister, Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Relations with the Assemblies, Amadou Ali, the Minister of Finance, Alamine Ousmane Mey and the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Forest and Wildlife, Koulsoumi Alhadji Boukar.

The event also featured traditional Cameroon xylophone music and the proposal of a toast by the High Commissioner to more fruitful relations and a better future between Cameroon and Canada.