The Speaker of the National Assembly, the Right Hon. Theodore Datouo, has called for major reforms in Cameroon’s mining and land tenure sectors, describing them as critical issues requiring urgent attention from lawmakers and the government.
Speaking at the opening plenary of the second ordinary session of Parliament for the 2026 legislative year at the National Assembly in Yaounde on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in his first keynote address as Speaker following his election in March, Hon. Datouo said Cameroonians continue to express concerns over the high cost of living, youth unemployment, healthcare, education, access to potable water and electricity, infrastructure development, agricultural modernization, and environmental protection.
However, the Speaker noted that the mining and land tenure sectors currently feature prominently in public debate and warrant special attention, with growing public concern surrounding the revenues generated from mining activities and the mechanisms used to collect, manage, and redistribute them.
He said communities in mining areas often feel that the wealth extracted from their localities does not translate into improved living conditions, a situation that fuels misunderstanding and frustration. He urged the government and other stakeholders to strengthen transparency, improve oversight mechanisms, ensure revenue traceability, and guarantee a fairer redistribution of benefits to local populations.
Poor land governance decried
The Speaker also raised an alarm over growing land disputes and the lengthy administrative procedures involved in acquiring land certificates, which he described as the cornerstone of legal security in property ownership. Worthy of note is the fact that land tenure governance was at the centre of discussions during the opening of the judicial year at the Supreme Court in February this year.
Hon. Datouo welcomed ongoing government efforts to modernize land governance but stressed that such initiatives should be sustained and deepened. He also challenged Parliament to continue exercising its legislative and oversight responsibilities while reflecting on reforms that would enable the country to derive greater benefits from its mineral wealth.
Opposition MP praises Speaker’s speech
Members of the National Assembly said the Speaker’s address was rare and markedly different from the usual speeches they had known before the election of Hon. Datouo to the helm of the institution.
Hon. Joshua Osih, National Chairman of the opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF) and Questor at the National Assembly, welcomed the emphasis placed on Parliament’s oversight role, stressing the need for a stronger and more autonomous legislature.
He said that by addressing issues that are at the core of a modern democracy, the new Speaker of the National Assembly had demonstrated that change is positive and reflects the kind of transformation many Cameroonians wish to see at the helm of the nation.
“Our nation needs a genuine parliamentary force—one that is strong, autonomous, and capable not only of legislating, as the Speaker rightly pointed out, but also of effectively overseeing government action,” Hon. Osih said.
The SDF Member of Parliament for Wouri recalled that the Speaker argued that Parliament’s responsibility should go beyond merely controlling government action to rigorously evaluating public policies and their outcomes.
“I would go even further than control, because that was at the heart of his speech. Parliament must evaluate public policies to ensure that the resources it allocates to the Executive [the Government] are used appropriately and deliver tangible results for citizens,” he added.
Hon. Osih also endorsed the Speaker’s call for peace, noting that lawmakers have a responsibility to promote social cohesion and national stability.
“He reminded us to be agents of peace, and that is a responsibility that every parliamentarian should take seriously,” the SDF MP said.
MPs urged to prioritize general interest
Beyond legislative priorities, Hon. Datouo paid tribute to late parliamentary figures, including former Senate President Marcel Niat Njifenji and his predecessor at the Lower House of Parliament, the Right Hon. Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, who died shortly after they left office in March.
He also emphasized peace, national unity, and social cohesion as indispensable foundations for Cameroon’s development.
Featuring prominently on the 30-day agenda of lawmakers this June will be the Budget Orientation Debate, which will lay the groundwork for the preparation of the State budget for the 2027 fiscal year.
The Speaker urged Members of the National Assembly to approach the deliberations with a spirit of responsibility, rigour, and a constant pursuit of the general interest, noting that “we must today lay the groundwork for the budgetary choices of tomorrow.”
Besides Members of the National Assembly, the opening plenary of the June 2026 ordinary session was also attended by the President of the Senate, Senator Aboubakary Abdoulaye, the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute, alongside Members of the Government, including the Minister of State Property and Land Tenure and the Acting Minister of Mines, Industries and Technological Development.
