By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
Cameroon Telecommunications (CAMTEL) General Manager Judith Yah Sunday is pushing for stricter legal measures and severe penalties to combat the rampant vandalism and sabotage plaguing the nation’s vital telecommunications infrastructure.
She stressed that such acts are not merely technical incidents but a threat to Cameroon’s national sovereignty and economic stability.
Speaking on June 24 at the beginning of the two-day event dubbed “Entrepreneurial Synergy for Territory Development” at the Paul Biya Glass House in Yaounde, Judith Yah Sunday, among other things, highlighted the critical need to protect sovereign infrastructure, which often hosts sensitive national data.
Holding under the theme “Connected Territories: The Digital Momentum of Young Businesses,” she said, “Every cable cut, every act of sabotage… instantly plunges entire regions—and even the poorest communities—into digital silence. It’s not just a technical incident,” she warned.
Yah Sunday advocated for laws similar to those in countries like Uganda, Kenya, Taiwan, China, and the United States, where attacks on digital infrastructure are treated as serious offenses against national sovereignty. She argued that these acts are “brutal obstacles to the national economy and disruptions of public service, violating citizens’ basic rights to communicate.”
The CAMTEL GM painted a stark picture of the consequences: “When a cable is cut, students are deprived of online courses, telemedicine services in hospitals are suspended, government institutions become inaccessible, and private businesses lose connections with their customers. The economy falters, sovereignty weakens, and national cohesion is undermined.”
Besides enumerating what CAMTEL has done so far in the different sectors, Judith Yah Sunday urged that all public development projects, including roads and buildings, integrate telecommunications infrastructure from their inception with standardized cable docks. This proactive approach, she believes, will help cement Cameroon’s position as a regional digital hub.
The two-day event, which concludes on June 25 at the Paul Biya Glass House, saw remarks from other key figures. Hon. Théophile Baoro, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, who chaired the opening ceremony, lauded efforts to make entrepreneurship a reality across all sectors and praised CAMTEL’s role in digitalization.
Hon. Roger Melingui, President of the Parliamentary Network of Private Entrepreneurship (PROMO-ENTREPRENEURSHIP), stressed the importance of fostering entrepreneurship among young Cameroonians.
Anicet Albert Akoa, Vice President of the United Councils and Cities of Cameroon (CVUC), underscored that a robust digital economy, built on solid infrastructure, is crucial for young entrepreneurs to thrive globally.
A significant outcome of the opening ceremony was the signing of a co-development agreement between CAMTEL and the Cameroon Business Incubators Network.
This partnership, initiated by the Cameroon Network of Parliamentarians for the Promotion of Private Entrepreneurship, will grant young individuals incubated in private higher education institutions privileged access to CAMTEL’s services.