POLITICIANS from Cameroon

Top 7

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Cameroonian Politicians of all time. This list of famous Cameroonian Politicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Paul Biya (b. 1933)

With an HPI of 71.83, Paul Biya is the most famous Cameroonian Politician.  His biography has been translated into 74 different languages on wikipedia.

Paul Biya (born Paul Barthélemy Biya'a bi Mvondo; 13 February 1933) is a Cameroonian politician who is the second president of Cameroon since 1982, having previously been the fifth prime minister from 1975 to 1982. As of 2024, he is the second-longest-ruling president in Africa (after Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in Equatorial Guinea) and the longest consecutively serving current non-royal national leader in the world and the oldest head of state in the world. A native of Cameroon's south, Biya rose rapidly as a bureaucrat under President Ahmadou Ahidjo in the 1960s, as Secretary-General of the Presidency from 1968 to 1975 and then as prime minister. He succeeded Ahidjo as president upon the latter's surprise resignation in 1982 and consolidated power in a 1983–1984 staged attempted coup in which he eliminated all of his major rivals. Biya introduced political reforms within the context of a one-party system in the 1980s, later accepting the introduction of multiparty politics in the early 1990s under serious pressure. He won the contentious 1992 presidential election with 40% of the plurality, single-ballot vote and was re-elected by large margins in 1997, 2004, 2011, and 2018. Opposition politicians and Western governments have alleged voting irregularities and fraud on each of these occasions. Multiple sources have provided evidence that he did not win the elections in 1992 and the political opposition along with others have alleged subsequent elections suffered from rampant fraud.

2. Ahmadou Ahidjo (1924 - 1989)

With an HPI of 66.14, Ahmadou Ahidjo is the 2nd most famous Cameroonian Politician.  His biography has been translated into 47 different languages.

Ahmadou Babatoura Ahidjo (24 August 1924 – 30 November 1989) was a Cameroonian politician who was the first president of Cameroon from 1960 until 1982. He was previously the first prime minister of Cameroon from the country's independence in January 1960 until May of that same year following the creation of the presidency. Ahidjo played a major role in the establishment of Cameroon as an independent state in 1960 as well as integrating the French and English-speaking parts of the country. During Ahidjo's time in office, he established a centralised political system. In foreign affairs, Ahidjo pursued a pro-France policy, and benefitted from French support when defeating the pro-communist rebellion of the Union des Populations du Cameroun (UPC) in 1970. Ahidjo established a single-party state under the Cameroon National Union (CNU) in 1966. In 1972, Ahidjo abolished the federation in favor of a unitary state. Ahidjo resigned from the presidency in 1982, and Paul Biya assumed the presidency. This was an action that was surprising to Cameroonians. Accused of being behind a coup plot against Biya in 1984, Ahidjo was sentenced to death in absentia, but he died of natural causes in 1989 whilst in exile in Dakar, Senegal.

3. Issa Hayatou (1946 - 2024)

With an HPI of 65.57, Issa Hayatou is the 3rd most famous Cameroonian Politician.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Issa Hayatou (9 August 1946 – 8 August 2024) was a Cameroonian sports executive, athlete, and football administrator best known for serving as the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) between 1988 and 2017. He served as the acting FIFA president until 26 February 2016 as the previous president Sepp Blatter was banned from all football-related activities in 2015 as a part of the that year's FIFA corruption investigation. In 2002, he ran for president of FIFA but was defeated by Blatter. He was also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In November 2010 he was alleged by the BBC to have taken bribes in the 1990s regarding the awarding of World Cup television rights. The IOC announced it would investigate him. On 16 March 2017, he was defeated by Malagasy challenger Ahmad Ahmad, ending Hayatou's 29-year reign as the CAF President. On 24 May 2017, he was appointed President of the National Football Academy by the president of Cameroon, Paul Biya.

4. Joseph Ngute (b. 1954)

With an HPI of 57.57, Joseph Ngute is the 4th most famous Cameroonian Politician.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Joseph Dion Ngute (born 12 March 1954) is a Cameroonian jurist and politician serving as the 9th prime minister of Cameroon, following his appointment in January 2019. He succeeded Philémon Yang, who had held the post since 2009.

5. Philémon Yang (b. 1947)

With an HPI of 56.21, Philémon Yang is the 5th most famous Cameroonian Politician.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Philémon Yunji Yang (born 14 June 1947) is a Cameroonian politician who served as Prime Minister of Cameroon from 2009 to 2019, having previous held various ministerial and diplomatic roles particularly in Canada where he served as the ambassador of Cameroon to Canada for over 20 years. He is the longest-serving Prime Minister in Cameroonian history, having served 9 years, 9 months and 3 days. In June 2024 he was elected to serve as President of the United Nations General Assembly for its seventy-ninth session, beginning his term on 10 September 2024.

6. Ephraïm Inoni (b. 1947)

With an HPI of 53.25, Ephraïm Inoni is the 6th most famous Cameroonian Politician.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Ephraïm Inoni (born 16 August 1947) 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). He was appointed to the position of Prime Minister by Biya on December 8, 2004 and was sworn in that day.

7. Ferdinand Oyono (1929 - 2010)

With an HPI of 52.68, Ferdinand Oyono is the 7th most famous Cameroonian Politician.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Ferdinand Léopold Oyono (14 September 1929 – 10 June 2010) was a diplomat, politician and author from Cameroon. His literary work is recognised for a sense of irony that reveals how easily people can be fooled. Writing in French in the 1950s, Oyono had only a brief literary career, but his anti-colonialist novels are considered classics of 20th century African literature; his first novel, Une vie de boy—published in 1956 and later translated as Houseboy—is considered particularly important. Beginning in the 1960s, Oyono had a long career of service as a diplomat and as a minister in the government of Cameroon. As one of President Paul Biya's top associates, he ultimately served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1992 to 1997 and then as Minister of State for Culture from 1997 to 2007. He was also Chairman of UNICEF from 1977 to 1978.