The government of Cameroon has reassured international partners of the country’s readiness to host the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) amid reports that the organization is considering relocating the gathering scheduled to take place in Yaounde later this month to Geneva, Switzerland.
More than 3,000 delegates—including ministers from WTO member states, senior officials of international institutions, diplomats, journalists, and representatives of civil society—are expected to attend the major global trade meeting at the Yaounde Conference Centre from March 26 to 29, 2026.
Speaking during a diplomatic briefing in Yaounde last week, Cameroon’s Minister of External Relations, Lejeune Mbella Mbella, said preparations were progressing steadily, with the government making final adjustments to welcome global trade leaders.
Media reports say the Yaounde briefing on Wednesday, March 11 came a week after an emergency WTO meeting in Geneva during which the possibility of moving the conference from Cameroon to Switzerland was raised.
Despite opposition to relocation by African members led by WTO Director-General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the reports indicate that the WTO has approved Geneva as a contingency location, including hosting preparatory committees originally planned for Yaounde—seen as a first setback for Cameroon.
In his address to the diplomatic community in Yaounde, Minister Mbella Mbella who was accompanied by other members of government including Trade Minister Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, noted that Cameroon’s selection to host the conference was approved by WTO members during the 12th Ministerial Conference held in Geneva in June 2022, following a candidacy initiated under the directives of President Paul Biya.
“This important meeting will be another opportunity to extol the virtues of multilateralism at a time when the temptation to return to unilateralism is growing ever stronger,” the minister said, citing President Biya’s January 2026 address to the diplomatic corps.
The Yaounde meeting, the minister added, will carry historic significance as only the second WTO ministerial conference to be hosted in Africa since the birth of the more than three-decade-old organization in Marrakesh, Morocco. The Yaounde gathering comes 11 years after the first in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2015.
Fine-tuning preparations for “real success”
Proponents of relocating the global trade conference from Cameroon have raised concerns about Yaounde’s readiness, citing delays in infrastructure—particularly the refurbishment of the Mont Febe Hotel, the capital’s second-largest hotel that will serve as the WTO Secretariat—as well as logistical challenges between venues and the Conference Centre, and visa processing issues.
Civil society groups have also previously called for relocation, citing government repression of post-election protests.
In an apparent rebuttal, Cameroon’s foreign minister told diplomats accredited to Yaounde that it is “with immense pride and a high sense of responsibility” that the country is preparing to host the global trade gathering.
“I would like to reassure our partners that Cameroon is working hard to make this conference a real success,” Minister Mbella Mbella said, two weeks before the start of the event.
To ensure smooth organization, the government has established a national organizing committee under the supervision of Prime Minister Dr Joseph Dion Ngute. The committee, the minister said, has been working closely with the WTO Secretariat on key logistical aspects including information technology, security, accreditation, accommodation and transport.
The minister also disclosed that Cameroon has already hosted several WTO inspection missions, the latest arriving in Yaounde a week before the briefing to finalize arrangements ahead of the conference.
Special measures have also been put in place to facilitate visas, accreditation and airport reception for delegations arriving through Yaounde‑Nsimalen and Douala International Airports. Accommodation arrangements have likewise been coordinated with hotels meeting international standards.
Security and transportation plans have also been prepared to ensure a safe and seamless experience for participants, the minister added.
Cameroon, “capital of world trade”
The conference is expected to address several critical issues affecting global trade, including WTO reform, agriculture and food security, fisheries subsidies, digital trade, intellectual property rights and dispute settlement mechanisms.
Side events such as a business forum, a parliamentary conference on the WTO, dialogue with civil society, and high-level discussions on women and trade are also planned on the margins of the meeting.
Minister Mbella Mbella expressed optimism that discussions in Yaounde would help revitalize the multilateral trading system and strengthen cooperation among WTO members despite ongoing geopolitical tensions.
He added that hosting the conference will place Cameroon at the center of global trade diplomacy during the event.
“For several days [during the conference], Cameroon will be the capital of world trade,” the minister said.
