An MOU to the effect was signed in Yaounde on June 9, 2014 by Nigeria and its neighbours.

Sequel to the May 17, 2014 Heads of State Summit in Paris, France on combating Boko Haram militants in Nigeria and neighbouring countries, representatives of nations present at the gathering on Monday, June 9, 2014, signed a Memorandum Of Understanding, MOU in Yaounde on stepping up the fight.

Making the disclosure in Yaounde on Wednesday, June 11, 2014 at a birthday party in honour of Queen Elizabeth II Of England, the British High Commissioner to Cameroon, His Excellency Brian Olley, said the MOU was signed by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Benin Republic. The agreement sets up a joint external intelligence unit to increase the speed and efficiency of handling information on Boko Haram.

He promised that yesterday’s (June 12, 2014) follow-up summit in London by Foreign Ministers from the concerned countries was to hear an announcement by Britain of the offer of more assistance to Cameroon, Nigeria and other countries on dealing with the threat. “I think a united front has been formed against Boko Haram as there is agreement across the entire region that this is a real threat that we must work together to fight,” the High Commissioner explained.

He announced that a British trade mission will hold in Cameroon soon as follow-up to last month’s London, Cameroon Trade Forum, with between 10 and 15 British businesses expected to attend. A smaller British trade mission held in Cameroon last February with five UK businesses in attendance. In addition, the UK will be strongly represented at the Promote fair at the end of the year in Yaounde, Brian Olley promised.

“I was particularly struck by the two clear messages that the Prime Minister came to the UK with: Cameroon is looking for partnership to prosperity, not aid; and that the future wealth of our countries lies in the private sector, not with armies of civil servants trying to spend money,” the British Envoy pointed out. He commended the participation by PM Philemon Yang and eight cabinet ministers at the three-day London trade mission that was attended by 500 delegates.

His Excellency Brian Olley expressed joy that Cameroon’s first land-based natural gas factory run by a UK company, Gaz du Cameroun, which was commissioned in Douala in November 2013, now has 19 customers that are using the clean and environment-friendly energy. Meanwhile, British-owned Actis investment fund recently signed an agreement to manage most of Cameroon’s energy generation and distribution.

Another UK company, Joule Africa, recently signed an MOU to build a solar power plant in Cameroon, the biggest in Sub-Saharan Africa. The plant is expected to be operational in the next two years. Joule Africa is also about to sign an agreement on carrying out feasibility studies on the Katsina Ala Hydro-electric Dam Project in Menchum Division of the North West Region.

Cameroon was represented at the Queen’s official birthday party by Dion Ngute, the Minister Delegate in the Ministry of External Relations in charge of Relations with the Commonwealth.