The invitation extended to Mr Datouo followed Pierre-André Page’s official visit to Cameroon on 7 and 8 July, on the sidelines of the 51st session of the French-speaking Parliamentary Assembly, held in Yaoundé. While there, Mr Page met with his Cameroonian counterpart and members of the Switzerland–Cameroon parliamentary friendship group, chaired by Joshua Nambangi Osih, a member of the opposition. Discussions focused on strengthening bilateral and inter-parliamentary relations and on Cameroon’s interest in Switzerland’s experience with decentralisation and vocational training. Economic cooperation was also addressed, particularly with regard to Swiss investments, the development of the agricultural sector and the local processing of agricultural products.
In Bern, the discussions provided an opportunity to continue this dialogue and to focus in particular on Switzerland’s dual-track system of vocational education and training, which combines classroom instruction at vocational schools with hands-on training in the workplace. In this regard, Pierre-André Page recalled his visit in July to the Obala Agricultural Institute, which successfully trains young Cameroonians in agriculture and agrotechnology in collaboration with Swiss partners, including Agroscope, FiBL and the Fondation Rurale Interjurassienne.
The Cameroonian delegation also took an interest in how multilingualism is applied within the Swiss Parliament. Discussions also focused on the impacts of climate change on agriculture. Pierre-André Page and Théodore Datouo discussed the challenges facing farmers in both countries, in particular the drought in Switzerland and extreme rainfall in Cameroon. They emphasised the importance of strengthening cooperation and exchanges between researchers from both countries in order to better adapt agriculture to climate change, ensure its sustainability and promote sound water resource management.
The president of Cameroon’s National Assembly also paid a courtesy visit to President Guy Parmelin.
Finally, the Cameroonian delegation was able to gain a deeper understanding of the Swiss vocational education and training system during a meeting with representatives of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).