Australia Opens Consulate in Cameroon

By Emmanuel KENDEMEH, Cameroon Tribune, 5-12-2014
Dr Diane Acha Morfaw is the pioneer Honorary Consul to facilitate bilateral relations.

Bilateral relations between Cameroon and Australia have witnessed a leap forward with the creation of the Australian Honorary Consulate in the capital, Yaounde with Dr Diane Acha Morfaw appointed and officially commissioned the pioneer Consul. “The opening of the Honorary Consulate and the appointment of the Consul is a vital step in the development of our relations with Cameroon,

Australia’s High Commissioner to Cameroon, Jonathan Richardson said.

He further specified that, “ It reflects a strong growth  to our relations, not only in the political sphere where we are members of many international organizations, but more especially in the economic sphere where Australian companies in the past years are looking  to invest in Cameroon in the mining and petroleum sectors.”

The Governor of the Centre Region, Otto Joseph Wilson, yesterday, December 4, handed the exequatur to Diane Acha Morfaw to serve as a green light to start her new function. The ceremony at the Centre Governor’s Office was witnessed among others by the Australian High Commissioner to Cameroon, Jonathan Richardson, with residence in Abuja, Nigeria. The handing over of the exequatur was followed in the evening by the inauguration of the Australian Honorary Consulate in the Bastos neighbourhood of the capital, Yaounde.

Dr Diane Acha Morfaw, who is the current Chairperson of the National Investment Promotion Council in Cameroon, begins the new job with some knowledge of what it entails. “If we look at the relations and interest of Australian businesses in Cameroon, I think it will be an enormous task,” she told reporters. She stated that her mission will be to facilitate Australian businesses in Cameroon and take care of the interests and welfare of Australian citizens in Cameroon.

In more concrete terms, High Commissioner Jonathan Richardson specified that the Honorary Consul will assist Australians visiting Cameroon and more especially help promote trade and investments through the facilitation of contacts and information. The Consul will equally foster cooperation in the training of Cameroonians who will go on scholarships and other training programmes in Australia.