Who really holds power in Cameroon? Questions grow over 93-year-old President Biya's absences

President Paul Biya's prolonged absences from public view in Cameroon have intensified scrutiny on how decisions are made and who exercises power when he is absent. Biya, 93, has governed Cameroon since 1982.

A dispute over roadworks in Yaounde in March, ahead of Pope Leo XIV's visit to Cameroon the following month, highlighted tensions between central government and municipal authorities, according to local media reports. The disagreement involved Housing and Urban Development Minister Celestine Ketcha Courtes and Yaounde City Mayor Luc Messi Atangana over the rehabilitation of a road along the papal visit route.

Biya returned to Yaounde on August 20 after more than 10 weeks abroad, following a stay in Europe that began on June 7. His return did little to dispel questions about the management of power.

Cameroon's constitution gives the president extensive executive authority. He defines national policy, appoints the prime minister and, based on the latter's proposal, other members of government. He is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The prime minister heads the government and directs its activities within the framework of the president's policy.

Under Section 10 of the constitution, the president may delegate some of his powers to the prime minister, other members of government and senior administrative officials, within the scope of their respective responsibilities. Where the president is temporarily unable to perform his duties, he must expressly delegate some of his functions to the prime minister or, if the prime minister is also unavailable, another member of government.

An absence abroad does not, in itself, establish that the president is temporarily unable to perform his duties or automatically transfer his constitutional powers to the prime minister. The government has not provided a detailed public account of whether a clear delegation of presidential functions is in effect during Biya's prolonged absences.

Research by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) found that Biya spent at least four and a half years abroad on private visits over a period of more than three decades. The investigation, which examined records of his travels from 1982 onwards, renewed questions about how much government business depends on his direct involvement.

One figure central to that debate is Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, the secretary-general at the presidency. According to the official biography published by the Prime Minister's Office, his responsibilities include receiving the president's instructions, monitoring the implementation of presidential decisions and coordinating administrations attached to the presidency.

On February 5, 2019, Biya signed Decree No. 2019/043, granting Ngoh Ngoh a permanent delegation of signature, giving him authority to sign certain official documents on the president's behalf. A delegation of signature, however, is not a transfer of presidential powers; Ngoh Ngoh is not constitutionally the president's successor.