Telecom Minister in Cameroon – Minette Libom
The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications is under the authority of Minister Minette Libom Likeng. She is supposed to lead the ministry to oversee the activities of telecommunications and postal services in the country. The Telecom minister in Cameroon is responsible for developing and implementing the government’s posts and telecommunications and ICT Policies which include amongst others the setting up of infrastructure and equipment in the sector. She is also to oversee the activities of the national postal service (CAMPOST) and CAMTEL, and other mobile telephone network providers like MTN, ORANGE and NEXTTEL.
Minette Libom Li Likeng (Minette Mendomo) Biography
She is a Cameroonian politician that has served as the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications since the 2nd of October, 2015. She took over office from Jean Pierre Biyiti Bi Essam. Born on the 4th of March 1959 in Mveng (Esse) in the Center Region of Cameroon.
Her education
She attended primary school in Mveng and by 1976, she obtained her BEPC, Scientific Probatoire (Series D) by 1978 and Series D Baccalaureate in 1979. She then furthered her education at the University of Yaounde where she obtained a degree in Analysis and Economic Policies (Economics) in 1982. In 1984, she obtained a Diploma of Inspector of Financial Management (Customs) of the National School of Administration and Magistracy (ENAM). All her diplomas of higher education were with honours.
Career
She has occupied the following positions in Cameroon.
- Inspector of Customs at the Yaounde Central Railway office (1984 to 1988)
- Head of Computer connection at the Littoral Customs sector (1988 to 1990)
- Second Researcher at the Secretariat General in the Ministry of Finance (1992 to 1995)
- Inspector-Auditor at the Centre Regional Customs Office (1995 to 2002)
- Member of the Permanent Secretariat of the Customs Administration Reform Committee (1999 to 2003)
- Head of Division of legislation and litigation at the General Directorate of Customs (2002 to 2004)
- Head of Division of legislation and International Cooperation at the General Directorate of Customs (2004 to 2008)
- Relay of the Director of Customs and acting fully as Interim (2002 to 2004)
- Head of Customs Section at the Revenue Service Division of ENAM (2000 to 2007)
- Relay of the Director General of Customs and acting fully as Interim (2004 to 2007)
- Vice chair of the World Customs Organization for West and Central African Region (2014 to 2016)
- Director General of Customs (2008 to 2015)
- Minister of Posts and Telecommunications
She was also a part-time lecturer in the National School of Administration and Magistracy and is one of the founding chair of the Cameroon Customs Women Association (CCWA).
Distinctions
The Telecom minister in Cameroon has received recognition especially for her work as a Custom official. In 1988, she was awarded the Best official – Diploma of the World Customs Organization, then in 2002 – Diploma of the World Customs Organization (Best official) in professional ethics. In 2005, she also received a medal of the World Customs Organization for significant actions for the development of the customs at international level.
She is mostly known for the impact she created as the Head of Customs Directorate at the Ministry of Finance which involved GPS tracking of goods in transit in Cameroon so as to avoid tax evasions. Recently, a communique was released in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance stating that imported phones and tablets will be taxed as of the 1st of October, 2020. This was later cancelled to the relieve of a large number of disgruntled youths and some adults who were using imported smartphones at the time.