Ephraïm Inoni

Prime Minister of Cameroon

Ephraïm Inoni

Inoni in Yaoundé, 25 September 2006.

7th Prime Minister of Cameroon
In office
8 December 2004 – 30 June 2009
President| Paul Biya
Deputy| Jean Nkuete
Ahmadu Ali
Preceded by| Peter Mafany Musonge
Succeeded by| Philemon Yang
Personal details
Born|  (1947-08-16) 16 August 1947 (age 77)
Bakingili, Cameroon
Political party| Cameroon People's Democratic Movement

Ephraïm Inoni (born 16 August 1947)[1][2] is a Cameroonian politician who was Prime Minister of Cameroon from 2004 to 2009. He was a long-time aide of President Paul Biya and is a member of the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (RDPC).[3] He was appointed to the position of Prime Minister by Biya on December 8, 2004[4] and was sworn in that day.

## Career

[edit]

Inoni is an Anglophone[3] and a member of the Bakweri ethnic group. He was born in the village of Bakingili, near Limbé, in the Southwest Region of Cameroon.[1][2] He was Municipal Treasurer of Douala from 1981 to 1982, then treasurer of the Cameroonian Embassy to the United States from 1982 to 1984 and Director of Account Balancing at the Ministry of Finance from 1984 to 1988.[5] He was later named Secretary of State for Finances on April 9, 1992, and then Deputy Secretary General to the Presidency on November 27, 1992,[1][2] serving in the latter position until his appointment as prime minister in December 2004.[1]

Inoni is a member of the Central Committee of the RDPC.[6] He was part of the campaign team for Biya's election campaign in the 2004 presidential election and was the president of the campaign's support committee in the Southwest Province.[7]

Biya dismissed Inoni from his post as prime minister on June 30, 2009, appointing another anglophone, Philémon Yang, to replace him.[8] The reshuffle was the largest shakeup since Inoni's own appointment as Prime Minister.[9] President Biya stated on state radio that twelve ministers were sacked (including Inoni and the defence minister), six joined and three changed places.[10] It is thought that public anger over rising food prices and the high level of government corruption in conjunction with Biya's attempts to shore up support for the next presidential election led to the sacking, while Inoni had been in the midst of securing $140 million in aid from the International Monetary Fund, although an official explanation was not given.[9]

Suspected of corruption during his time in office, Inoni was arrested on 16 April 2012. This arrest came as part of Operation Epevier (sparrow hawk), an anti-corruption campaign launched by President Paul Biya in 2004. This arrest was in connection with Operation Albatross, over the purchase at great expense in 2003 of the presidential aircraft, which turned out to have serious flaws on its maiden flight with the presidential couple from the Douala International airport to Paris in 2004. He was one of a number of high-level officials arrested during the course of a crackdown on corruption.[11]

Ephraim Inoni has been under interrogation behind closed doors by examining magistrates as part of the judicial process in the case popularly known in Cameroon as the "Albatross Affair". He was placed under pre-trial detention by the Mfoundi High Court in Yaounde.[12] As of June 2024 at least, Mr. Ephraïm Inoni's whereabouts are currently unknown.

An early biographical sketch is given in Njeuma 1999[13]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Profile at government website Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine.
2. ^ a b c "Sortie: La chute des baobabs" Archived 2007-02-04 at the Wayback Machine, Cameroon-info.net, December 9, 2004 (in French).
3. ^ a b "Biya aide named premier, cabinet reshuffled", IRIN, December 13, 2004.
4. ^ "Inoni Ephraim nommé Premier ministre du Cameroun" Archived 2007-08-10 at the Wayback Machine, Xinhua, December 9, 2004 (in French).
5. ^ "Inoni Ephraïm", Cameroun: Les Hommes de Pouvoir n°7, Africa Intelligence, September 17, 2002 (in French).
6. ^ List of members of the RDPC Central Committee Archived 2007-06-30 at the Wayback Machine, RDPC website (in French).
7. ^ "President Paul Biya selects campaign team" Archived 2007-06-10 at archive.today, 2004 presidential election website.
8. ^ Jean-Bruno Tagne, "Breaking News: Paul Biya modifie son Gouvernement !", Cameroon-info.net, 30 June 2009 (in French).
9. ^ a b Cameroon's president sacks PM in reshuffle (3rd Update)
10. ^ Cameroon president names new prime minister in government reshuffle
11. ^ Moki Edwin Kindzeka (May 16, 2014). "Cameroon's Anti-Corruption Jailings Questioned". www.voanews.com.
12. ^ "Cameroon ex-PM held in corruption probe: lawyer", AFP, 16 April 2012.
13. ^ Njeuma, Martin Z. (1999). "Inoni Ephraim". Valiant soldiers from Fako: an extract from a "Who's who in Bakweriland. Yaoundé, Cameroon: Mega Impression. pp. 103–109.

Political offices

Preceded by

Peter Mafany Musonge

|  Prime Minister of Cameroon
2004–2009  | Succeeded by

Philémon Yang

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Prime ministers of Cameroon (list)

East Cameroon (1960-1972)|

* Ahmadou Ahidjo
* Charles Assalé
* Vincent de Paul Ahanda
* Simon Pierre Tchoungui

Flag of Cameroon

West Cameroon (1961-1972)|

* John Ngu Foncha
* Augustine Ngom Jua
* Salomon Tandeng Muna

Republic of Cameroon (1975-present)|

* Paul Biya
* Bello Bouba Maigari
* Luc Ayang
* Sadou Hayatou
* Simon Achidi Achu
* Peter Mafany Musonge
* Ephraïm Inoni
* Philémon Yang
* Joseph Ngute

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