Climate Commitment – Hilton Hotel, Yaounde

With the support of the British High Commission, Yaounde implemented the climate commitment project with over 50 High-level participants at the hybrid private sector commitment event, which took place on Tuesday, January 11, 2022, at the Hilton Hotel. The main objective of the event was to mobilise and galvanise the private sector in Cameroon to pledge and commit to taking urgent actions that will help in the fight against climate change, a global challenge requiring collective action at local levels. Participants were encouraged to adopt and implement measures that will enhance their transition to low carbon operating models and circular economy.

The event presented a platform to build and consolidate a powerful coalition of non-state actors conscious of the significant role that the private sector can play in helping to redress the climate crisis and other environmental challenges. It also provided a conducive environment to drive powerful conversations (between the private sector, government officials, and members of diplomatic missions) around climate change.

Objectives of the event

To influence actors from the private sector to commit to low-carbon operating models
To motivate a wider audience to act towards reducing their carbon footprint.
To get companies to publicly declare their commitment to the Game Changers Initiative and the fight against climate in Cameroon.
To have a record of pledges made by a diverse range of actors present at the event
To mobilise support for the execution of numerous environmental and climate-related activities.
To trigger government policy actions that create an enabling environment for the implementation of climate commitments.
To stimulate interest from the wider audience through various social media platforms.

Event Participants

The commitment event brought together key stakeholders from the private sector, diplomatic missions and government institutions. Ministries represented during the event included:

The Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development (MINEPDED) represented by the Minister himself, H.E. Hele Pierre, as well as the Secretary General
The Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family represented by the Minister, H.E. Mrs. Abena Ondoa nee Obama Marie Therese
Representatives of other Ministries, such as the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of External Relations
The Diplomatic missions present included:
- The Italian Embassy represented by the Italian Ambassador himself
- The EU Delegation represented by the Head of Trade Section, H.E. Filippo Amato
- The US Embassy headed by the Chargee d’Affaire, H.E. Mary Daschbach
- The British High Commission, main partner and sponsor of the first phase of the Game Changers initiative
Some of the multinationals and big businesses who were present included:
- Standard Chartered Bank
- United Bank of Africa (UBA)
- Citi Bank
- Clarke Energy
- Elecnor Cameroon
- Guinness
- COPI Development
- Zenithe Insurance S.A.
- MTN Cameroon
- Blessing Petroleum
- Magrabi Ico Cameroon Eye Institute
- Price WaterhouseCooper (PwC), among many others

Event Activities

The event was marked by the following activities;

Opening Remarks

Opening speeches were made by the British High Commissioner, followed by the Minister of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development.

Context setting

A context-setting presentation by Mr Paul Simister, Development Counsellor at the British High Commission and Mr Elias Pungong of the UK Chamber of Commerce. During this phase, emphasis was laid on the severity of climate change as a global challenge and the need for urgent action from the government, international organisations and most importantly from the private sector.

The possibility of placing Cameroon at the forefront of countries championing the fight against climate change was evoked and some attributes of the country listed which are an advantage for the country as initiatives to address this challenge intensify. Strong hydropower potential, richness in mineral resources and vast forest cover are some of the attributes of Cameroon on which climate actions can be focused on “Mr Pungong”.

Spoken word video projection

The call to climate action spoken word video performed by Ms. Ndifoin was projected to demonstrate the urgency of the situation and stimulate interest among the participants.

Panel discussions

❖ A panel discussion moderated by Paul Simister focused on businesses and best practices and what they expect from the government in order to accelerate their ambitious climate action plans. The panel was made up of Dr. Henry Nkumbe(Magrabi Ico Cameroon Eye Institute), Mr. Laurence Abunaw (Price Water House Cameroon), and Ms. Anna Asonganyi (Standard Chartered Bank Cameroon).

❖ A second panel discussion moderated by Ralph Pout (CEO, COPI Development) was focused on the role of diplomatic missions in the fight against climate change at local levels. Members of the panel included: H.E. Filippo ScammaccaDel Murgo (Italian Ambassador), H.E. Filippo Amato (Head of Trade Section, EU Delegation), and H.E. Mary Daschbach (Chargee d’Affaire, US Embassy),

Project Outputs

- 20 pledges were made to support the Game Changers Initiative in the fight against climate change. The pledges were made by: The Minister of Environment, the Minister of Women’s Affairs and the Family, the Italian Ambassador, The British High Commissioner, the Chargee d’Affaire at the US Embassy, the Head of Trade Section at the EU Delegation, Sub Director of Meteorological Application at the Ministry of Transport, Standard Chartered Bank Cameroon SA, ELECNOR Cameroon, Best of Africa, COPI Development, Pomme Rouge SARL, SIBA BTP, EESIC SARL and Margo’s Mode, ZenitheInsurance, Nya and Co Law firm, Guinness Cameroon, and Pristine Vision.