On a mission to Cameroon on September 17 and 18, 2026, the Director General of Expertise France visited the National Museum in Yaoundé. The visit highlighted a partnership between Cameroon and France focused on modernising this heritage institution, with the aim of improving the conservation, documentation and promotion of the country’s national heritage.
Since 2020, cooperation between Cameroon and France has taken shape through a project jointly developed with the Ministry of Arts and Culture to transform and renovate the National Museum of Cameroon. Funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) through the Debt Reduction-Development Contract (C2D), the programme mobilises 1 million Euros to support the institution’s transformation and strengthen its role in preserving Cameroon’s cultural heritage.
“The Debt Reduction and Development Contract, abbreviated as CDD, is one of the most advanced expressions of our cooperation. It will help support the efforts of the National Museum in achieving the objectives set out in its governing framework. Through this mechanism, France has converted a debt claim into funding for projects jointly defined by both parties.”
Ismaël Bidoung Kpwatt, Minister of Arts and Culture – Cameroon
Through this mechanism, AFD and Expertise France are supporting the National Museum’s teams in their modernisation efforts. The technical assistance draws on partnerships with several French cultural institutions. This cooperation has notably supported work on the museum’s collections: more than 1,000 items have been documented, classified and catalogued in preparation for their promotion and enhancement.
“France and Cameroon, through the Debt Reduction and Development Contract (CDD) and the support of the French Development Agency, have developed this project, implemented by Expertise France, the French agency for international technical cooperation. Expertise France has worked with its teams and mobilised leading expertise to support the National Museum of Cameroon. We have worked with the Musée du Quai Branly in France, with the Aquitaine region, and with the city of Angoulême, achieving very concrete results: more than 1,000 pieces have been documented, classified and catalogued, and can now be showcased and promoted.”
Jérémie Pellet, Director General, Expertise France – France
On September 17, the Director General of Expertise France also assessed the transformations underway in the museum’s spaces. The second phase of the programme, scheduled for 2025 to 2027, includes additional equipment and improvements to the museum spaces. According to the activity document, the funding amounts to 597,000 Euros equivalent to approximately 391 million CFA francs.
“What will be modernised within the museum are, concretely, the interior spaces, particularly the exhibition rooms. The hall where we are currently standing is also an exhibition space, as shown in this photo, and later there will be an exhibition room dedicated to Cameroon’s photographic archives.”
Arsène Younang, Technical Assistance and Project Management Support Lead – Cameroon
Beyond infrastructure, the partnership aims to strengthen conservation skills and tools. Documentation, photographic archiving, exhibition design, and exhibition development are among the areas to be further strengthened.
