Governance analyst condemns president biya’s extended foreign stays

The current private trip of Cameroon’s head of state in Europe dominated discussions on this Sunday’s Canal Presse program on Canal 2 International, a private broadcaster based in Douala. Among the guests, governance expert Benjamin Ngongang strongly criticized the president’s prolonged absence from the country and lack of on-site governance.

“The President of the Republic is not elected to govern from abroad. Even the opposition—and I’m not just referring to the opposition here—but the majority party MPs should be concerned that the head of state remains outside the country for extended periods. You mentioned 47 days; we’re now at 49 days abroad. The president left Cameroon on June 7th, and today is July 26th—that’s 49 days. He has already matched his previous record, and if he doesn’t return tonight, he will set a new record for the longest foreign stay.”

“There is no other country in the world where this kind of situation occurs. No nation allows a president to be away for more than 30 days, whether for personal reasons or official missions. Cameroon is truly setting an unfortunate precedent.”

Ngongang emphasized that even world leaders facing critical international conflicts, such as the presidents of the United States and Iran’s Assembly, do not remain abroad for such prolonged periods. They travel only to conclude negotiations managed by technical teams before returning to their home countries.

Critics argue that President Biya’s extended absences highlight a broader issue of governance in Cameroon, where decision-making and leadership presence remain concentrated in the hands of a few, often distant from the realities of the nation.