On December 19, 2025, Huawei commemorated a significant milestone: two decades of operations in Cameroon. The anniversary event in Yaoundé, themed “Innovation and Strategic Partnership for the Development of Cameroon’s Digital Economy,” was more than a celebration; it was a strategic review of a public-private partnership model that has become integral to the nation’s development agenda. The high-level attendance—including representatives from the Prime Minister’s office, the Ministers of Posts and Telecommunications, Water and Energy, Employment, and Secondary Education, alongside the Chinese Embassy’s Economic Counselor and Huawei’s regional leadership—signaled the deep, cross-sectoral integration of Huawei’s work within Cameroon’s institutional framework.
Thirty Years of Expertise Serving Cameroon
Since its entry in 2005, Huawei has acted not merely as a vendor, but as a catalytic partner in Cameroon’s digital transformation. Leveraging three decades of global R&D, the company has provided “end-to-end” solutions that address foundational gaps. Its major projects reveal a strategic layering of infrastructure, public service modernization, and sustainable energy:
- Core Connectivity: Partnering with national operator Camtel to build and modernize telecommunications backbone networks, a prerequisite for all subsequent digital services.
- Digital Public Services: Modernizing the postal service and the National Social Insurance Fund’s systems, directly impacting citizen service delivery and administrative efficiency.
- Security & Governance: Implementing a smart city project with the Directorate General of National Security (DGSN) and modernizing the National Gendarmerie’s communication systems, enhancing public safety through technology.
- Bridging the Energy Divide: A critical, often overlooked component: deploying solar photovoltaic power plants in rural areas. This addresses the fundamental challenge of power availability, without which digital devices and networks are inert. This work dovetails with the government’s rural electrification project, which has powered 437 localities toward a goal of 1,000.
However, Huawei’s most profound legacy may be its investment in human capital. Through flagship programs like Seeds for the Future (sending top students to China for cultural and technical immersion), the Huawei ICT Academy (certifying university curricula and instructors), and the global Huawei ICT Competition, the company has trained nearly 15,000 Cameroonian students. This represents a strategic shift from dependency to capacity building, creating a local talent pool to sustain and innovate upon the installed infrastructure. As Olylia Wang Lei, General Manager of Huawei Cameroon, stated: “These twenty years bear witness to our constant commitment alongside Cameroon… We reaffirm our willingness to continue this strategic partnership to build an inclusive and sustainable digital future together.”
The government’s perspective underscores this partnership’s value. The Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Minette Libom Li Likeng, explicitly labeled Huawei a “strategic partner,” highlighting the appreciation for its expertise and service quality in developing the digital economy. This endorsement reflects a partnership that has evolved from transactional contracts to aligned long-term visions.
Looking forward, Huawei’s role is poised to deepen in support of Cameroon’s National Development Strategy (SND30) towards 2030. The company’s global evolution from a telecommunications hardware provider to a leader in cloud computing, AI, and smart devices offers a roadmap for Cameroon’s next digital phase. The challenge and opportunity will be to leverage this 20-year foundation of infrastructure and skills to foster local innovation ecosystems, support tech entrepreneurship, and ensure that digital transformation drives equitable economic growth across all sectors of Cameroonian society.