Paul Biya, Cameroon’s President, has given high instructions for the admission of more anglophones into the National School of Administration and Magistracy,ENAM.

Biya’s order is in reaction to the grievances raised by anglophone lawyers who have been on strike since October 2016.

The president’s instructions was read by Laurent Esso, Cameroon’s minister of state, minister of Justice and keeper of the seals, in the presence of some cabinet ministers, on March 30, 2017 in yaounde during a press conference.

During the conference, Minister Laurent Esso said President Biya has answered some of the Common law lawyers concerns by instructing the amendment of the organisation and functioning of the Supreme Court with provisions for the inclusion of the common law section.

Concerning the lawyer’s claim of marginalisation of the Common Law, the minister said President Biya has given high instructions for a common law section to be created in the National School of Administration and Magistracy,ENAM.  He said President Biya also ordered the recruitment of a bigger number of anglophone teachers into the magistracy and registry division of ENAM. A special recruitment of english-speaking pupil judicial and legal officers and court registrars over a period of four years based on quotas has also been ordered.

The Head of State, Minister Esso went on, has also prescribed the continuation of consultations with regard to the specific functioning of the Bar, respect of transitional provision with the regard to the practice of the profession of public notary in the North West and South West Regions pending the appointment of notaries. These solutions Laurent Esso said, are considering to the fact that, “the Cameroon of tomorrow will more than ever before be a multi-ethnic, multi-tribal, multi-cultural, multi-legal and multi-religious nation.”

To him, Cameroonians do not want a country made up of isolated communities. “That would be absurd. That would be contrary to our desire for national integration. The only way to shun this unfortunate move is to look at how far we have gone and the obstacles overcome since 1961” he said.

The minister of justice told pressmen that the outlined solutions reiterates government’s good will to find timely solutions to the concerns of the lawyers. “Government intends to continue this consultation drive and urges advocates who have not yet done so, to return to court so that litigants may receive the legal assistance they need to defend their rights” he added.