Alongside the duel between the president of Gicam Célestin Tawamba and Emmanuel Wafo so far, the business lawyer Jacques Jonathan Nyemb enters the scene, facing Célestin Tawamba, with debates on the refoundation of employers.
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In what appears to be a battle for control of Gicam and not the merger itself, he is positioning himself in a particular way. Jacques Jonathan Nyemb, member of the board of directors of Gicam is gradually emerging as the one who could, at the appropriate time, come face to face with the current president of Gicam, who is accused of maneuvering to remain at the head of the group.
First fact, the lawyer according to several credible sources was strongly opposed to the proposed merger of Gicam with Ecam during the last board meeting held in early June. His attitude will have led to a fishtail end for this council meeting where he is the youngest member. Second fact, Jacques Jonathan Nyemb through his Think Do Tank which he founded in 2020, launched a series of discussion workshops a few days ago on the refoundation of Cameroonian employers. The first took place on May 30 in Yaoundé under the theme: “Rethinking the State-private sector dialogue”. And among the experts invited to the debate, the former chief of staff of President Tawamba, Alexandre Francis Sanzouango left Gicam a few weeks ago because of a falling out with the current president. Mere coincidence? We cannot tell. But in the opinion of several analysts, the 35-year-old badly hides his ambitions to take the head of Gicam, the most representative organization of Cameroonian employers. Because by opening the debate on the refoundation, his position seems to be that expressed so far by those who oppose the merger of Gicam with Ecam, claiming the safeguard of the original Gicam. This is particularly the position of Emmanuel Wafo, chairman of the Economics and Business Development Commission, whose thinking boils down to “The Gicam we want”, with a penchant for merger absorption and not merger creation. The major issue being that the creation of a new organization as envisaged by the merger treaty, would put the counter to zero and give the possibility to Célestin Tawamba to present himself again while the current texts do not allow him to do so.
Third way?
More than a battle for the YES or NO to the merger, it is clearly established that it is played around the presidency of Gicam. In front of Célestin Tawamba, therefore, are now positioned two adversaries who activate distinctly: Emmanuel Wafo and Jacques Jonathan Nyemb. The latter has a profile rich in experience despite his young age. A business lawyer, he joined Cabinet Nyemb in 2016 alongside his father, after a few years spent in Europe and the United States. In this firm, he occupies a leading role. In charge of commercial and financial operations, he advises governments and private actors on the implementation and analysis of public policies and sectoral regulations. In particular, he was a member of the group of experts in charge of revising the Ohada Uniform Act relating to the law of commercial companies and economic interest groups. He was also the legal adviser to the consortium of arrangers for the refinancing of Cameroon’s Eurobond. Joined the Gicam board of directors in 2019, becoming the youngest member in the history of this board, he was appointed spokesperson for President Tawamba in 2021. As at Gicam, he sits on the boards of many non-profit organizations in Europe and Africa.
Very present in the public debate, Jacques Jonathan Nyemb regularly publishes forums in Jeune Afrique. And it is in this same dynamic that he founded in February 2020, The Okwelians, a Think Do Tank bringing together more than 125 Cameroonians, spread over four continents. With this profile, Jacques Jonathan Nyemb could, according to certain analyses, be the third way which will decide between the face to face Célestin Tawamba and Emmanuel Wafo for the control of Gicam.
