In a strategic move aimed at redefining its role in the national economy, Cameroon Telecommunications (CAMTEL) has entered a landmark strategic partnership with a goal to unleash a wave of digital innovations, signalling its evolution from a connectivity provider to the core architect of the nation’s digital future. The three-year Master Service Agreement (MSA) with Ethio Telecom, Ethiopia’s state-owned telecommunications giant and one of Africa’s largest operators, was formalised on 4 December in Yaoundé. This alliance is a direct manifestation of the vision articulated by CAMTEL’s Director General, Judith Yaah Sunday, to fully exploit the institution’s potential and strategically position Cameroon at the forefront of digital transformation and adoption.
During the signing ceremony, CAMTEL’s DG emphasised a paradigm shift for African telecoms, stating, “Africans can no longer be satisfied with following the global digital revolution. We must become architects of our own.” She highlighted that in aligning with Ethio Telecom—a “proven performer” renowned for its strategic discipline—CAMTEL is not merely entering a cooperation but is committing to a trajectory of operational excellence and home-grown innovation. The agreement, described as both pragmatic and ambitious, creates a comprehensive framework to catalyse CAMTEL’s transformation across multiple frontiers, moving decisively beyond traditional infrastructure to develop a suite of sovereign digital services designed to reshape the entire Cameroonian digital ecosystem.
Central to this transformative partnership is a concerted push to diversify and deepen CAMTEL’s service portfolio. A major initiative will be the significant expansion of ‘Blue Money’, CAMTEL’s electronic payment service, to foster greater financial inclusion and build a more robust digital economy. Furthermore, the partnership will facilitate the deployment of a secure, sovereign Government Cloud platform, which is critical for the digitalisation of public services and enhances state sovereignty over critical national data. To underpin these new services, the collaboration involves accelerating network modernisation, including the advancement of 4G, 5G, and other innovative technologies. This external upscaling will be matched by an internal transformation programme covering organisational improvements, information system upgrades, and a strengthened customer-centric culture within CAMTEL.
The call for this holistic, beyond-connectivity approach was strongly endorsed by Ethio Telecom’s Director General, Frehiwot Tamiru. Leading a high-level delegation to Yaoundé, she showcased her company’s remarkable growth, attributing it to a clear, holistic vision. “Expanding infrastructure alone is not enough,” Tamiru asserted. “To be relevant… we need to embrace digital transformation first for ourselves.” She affirmed that Ethio Telecom is in Cameroon to share its extensive experience in digitally transforming both a company and a nation, with the strategic alliance squarely aimed to “accelerate the economic growth of Cameroon.”
For DG Judith Yaah Sunday, this partnership represents the culmination of ambitious planning and aligns perfectly with the Cameroonian government’s prioritisation of digital modernisation. She hailed the agreement as a “new bridge—a digital bridge, a bridge of expertise, a bridge of ambition, a bridge of technological solidarity.” By leveraging South-South cooperation to generate its own development models, CAMTEL is taking a definitive step to fully realise its expanded mandate. This partnership is thus positioned not as a simple technical exchange, but as the essential catalyst for CAMTEL’s digital upscaling and service broadening, designed to place Cameroon firmly at the forefront of Africa’s digitally empowered future.
