Timbuktu Institute – Week 1 - February 2026 

In the wake of the ongoing standoff between the Minister of Finance and the Director General of the Autonomous Port of Douala (PAD) over the contract for scanning goods at the port, a new case questioning the transparency of public procurement has surfaced. This time, it is the Minister of State and Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, who is implicated in a 21.4 billion CFA franc contract for the installation of solar streetlights, awarded without a call for tenders. According to Jeune Afrique, according to a letter dated January 28, 2026, signed by President Paul Biya and addressed by Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh to Ibrahim Talba Malla, Deputy Minister in charge of Public Procurement, this procedure as it stands has received the “Highest Approval” of the Head of State. 

Furthermore, Jeune Afrique reveals that President Paul Biya has instructed the head of the Presidential Security Directorate (DSP), Ivo Desancio, to launch an investigation into his chief of staff, Emmanuel Amougou, following his alleged involvement in the PAD goods scanning contract affair. In short, what appears to be a new political and administrative saga is reviving suspicions of collusion at the highest levels of government and highlighting the persistent limitations of the mechanisms for monitoring and awarding public contracts. This could be all the more problematic given that this lack of transparency concerns an electrification project that is supposed to meet a real need among rural populations.

Issa Tchiroma Bakary rejects legislative and municipal elections

On the political front, the institutional landscape remains marked by tensions. In a statement released on February 6, the Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon (FSNC), led by opposition figure Issa Tchiroma Bakary, confirmed its intention to boycott the 2026 legislative and municipal elections. The FSNC believes that “the minimum conditions for democratic, transparent, and peaceful elections have not been met,” considering that participating would amount to legitimizing a regime that it deems illegitimate after the October 2025 presidential election. Beyond reaffirming the obvious mistrust of part of the opposition towards the electoral process, this boycott is part of Issa T. Bakary's stated strategy of firmness towards the government. At the same time, it sheds light on the backdrop of a political and civic space that is increasingly devoid of opposition voices.

Meanwhile, in the northeast region, insecurity remains a concern, as evidenced by the seizure by Cameroonian customs on February 4 of a large arsenal of knives and arrows, some of which were poisoned. This operation, carried out in the village of Bogdibo near the Chadian border, led to the interception of more than 1,800 dangerous items, including 1,760 arrows and various knives, axes, and toxic substances. Conducted jointly by several customs brigades, it aims not only to counter cross-border arms trafficking, but also to secure a sensitive area where inter-community tensions are recurrent. The ongoing investigation to identify those responsible and the exact motives behind this trafficking highlights the complexity of security management in a region exposed to multiple risks, ranging from organized crime to local conflicts.