A new legal and administrative twist in business circles in Yaoundé. The land dispute between Célestin Tawamba, president of the Groupement des entreprises du Cameroun (GECAM) and leader of the Société civile immobilière (SCI) Le Neyang, and Crescence Baboke, wife of the deputy director of the civil cabinet of the presidency, is escalating. This case highlights the chronic vulnerability of property rights and legal insecurity that weighs on the Cameroonian entrepreneurial ecosystem.
An administrative and legal imbroglio
At the origin of this case, according to the manager of the SCI, the company was regularly awarded, in April 2016, land title No. 1701/Mfoundi, covering a plot of 1,003 m². “This plot, located in the Mfandena district in Yaoundé, was acquired by subdivision,” says Célestin Tawamba in a letter addressed to the Prime Minister on September 28, 2026, for “urgent intervention to revoke order No. 03292 from MINDCAF on September 3, 2026, declaring the nullity of land title No. 1701/Mfoundi – SCI Le Neyang.” “In July 2021, the company observed work being carried out on its land by Crescence Baboke, who had been granted a temporary concession of 487 m² on April 5, 2021 by the Ministry of Lands, Cadastre and Land Affairs (MINDCAF),” reads the letter from the GECAM president.
Following this observation, Célestin Tawamba notes that “a summary judgment order from the court immediately orders the work to stop, later confirmed by a cadastral survey confirming the encroachment of structures within the perimeter of SCI Le Neyang.” Acting on behalf of Célestin Tawamba’s advisors, the Prime Minister initiates an inter-ministerial consultation. Under this arbitration, MINDCAF recognizes “the priority and primacy of the oldest title” by signing, on February 27, 2024, an order retracting Crescence Baboke’s temporary concession, reaffirming “the full validity of the land title of SCI Le Neyang.”
While a procedure for eviction and demolition of illegal constructions was pending judgment before the Mfoundi High Court, MINDCAF issued a resounding new order on September 3, 2026. This order declares “the nullity of land title No. 1701/Mfoundi.” The Minister of Lands, Cadastre and Land Affairs, Henri Eyebe Ayissi, cites “initial superimposition with titles belonging to the State (No. 3559 and 3777/Mfoundi).” He authorizes Crescence Baboke “to continue her direct allocation procedure.”
The battle of versions and the risk to the business climate
Faced with this dramatic turnaround, Célestin Tawamba’s defense denounces “blatant manipulation of the administrative apparatus to bypass an ongoing legal action and strip a regular investor of his property.” Meanwhile, in the absence of official communication from Crescence Baboke, the case involves another key player. Indeed, in a video that went viral on social media since its publication on October 19, 2026, a character claiming to be “the original owner of the disputed plot,” which he allegedly sold to Crescence Baboke, spoke out. In this statement, he claims ownership of the said plot and deems the initial transaction benefiting the GECAM boss as “illegitimate.”
For economic observers and business leaders, “this episode goes far beyond a simple dispute between individuals.” Cameroonian economist Dieudonné Essomba describes “this legal insecurity” as a “real macroeconomic crime in a context where the national economy urgently needs stable capital.” The consultant for Vision4 television channel indicates that “the Tawamba-Baboke case highlights the failures of the administrative chain and the inertia of local authorities in the face of judicial decisions.” “This anomaly demonstrates that a land title regularly established and guaranteed by the State no longer automatically protects its holder against successive discretionary decisions,” adds another consultant from the same channel.
While the GECAM president has once again petitioned the Prime Minister on September 28, 2026 to demand the cancellation of the September order, the outcome of this case will serve as a decisive barometer. The ability of the Cameroonian state to safeguard property rights will more than ever condition the confidence of national and international investors.
