Issa Tchiroma

Issa Tchiroma
Tchiroma in 2025
President of the Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 April 2007
Preceded by	Position established
Minister of Employment and Vocational Training
In office 4 January 2019 – 24 June 2025
Prime Minister	Joseph Ngute
Preceded by	Zacharie Perevet
Succeeded by	Mounouna Foutsou (acting)
Minister of Communication
In office 30 June 2009 – 4 January 2019
Prime Minister	Philémon Yang
Preceded by	Jean Pierre Biyiti bi Essam
Succeeded by	René Sadi Emma
Minister of Transport
In office 29 November 1992 – 19 September 1996
Prime Minister	Simon Achidi Achu
Preceded by	Jean-Baptiste Bokam
Succeeded by	Joseph Tsanga Abanda
Member of the National Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office 31 March 1992
Personal details
Born	(1949-09-10) 10 September 1949 (age 75) Garoua, Cameroon
Political party	FSNC (since 2007)
Other political affiliations	UNDP (before 2007)
Spouse	Aminata Müller
Profession	Railway engineer

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Issa Tchiroma Bakary (born 10 September 1949) is a Cameroonian politician, statesman, and former railway engineer who served as Minister of Employment and Vocational Training from 2019 to 2025. He previously served under President Paul Biya as the Minister of Communication from 2009 to 2019 and Minister of Transport from 1992 to 1996. A member of the Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon (FNSC), a government turned opposition party, Tchiroma is the party's presidential candidate and also one of the Opposition candidates for the 2025 presidential election.

Born in Garoua, Tchiroma went to France to do technical training in transport and materials. After completing his training, Tchiroma returned to Cameroon and worked as a materials and construction engineer at Regifercam (the National Railway Corporation) in Douala. In 1984, following a failed coup that year, Tchiroma was arrested by the Cameroonian government due to his alleged involvement even though Tchiroma wasn't directly involved in the coup.

In 1990, Tchiroma was released and two years later in 1992, he participated in the first ever multi-party elections held that year and was elected to the National Assembly as a member of the UNDP. Later that year, the UNDP joined the government as the ruling party, the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM), lost it's majority. Tchiroma was one of the few UNDP members to be a part of the government was appointed Minister of Transport by President Paul Biya despite some backlash from some members of Biya's party. Tchiroma served in this role until 1996.

In 2007, Tchiroma left the UNDP and formed the Front for the National Salvation (FNSC) and became its president. Two years later in 2009, he was appointed Minister of Communication in the cabinet of Prime Minister Philémon Yang. Tchiroma served in this role until 2019 where he was appointed the Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, a role Tchiroma served until in June 2025 where he unexpectedly broke ties with President Biya and left the government. He resigned from his post in the government and Tchiroma and his party joined the opposition and where he announced his candidacy for the elections that will be held later that year.

Born into a respected family, his father was an influential figure in Garoua, serving as an advisor to the lamido (traditional ruler) and known for his integrity. After studying in Douala, Tchiroma pursued technical training in the field of transport and later moved to Paris to prepare a PhD in mathematics at the University of Paris (Jussieu). Faced with political pressures, he ultimately joined the Institut Supérieur des Matériaux et de la Construction Mécanique (ISMCM) where he became a railway engineer specializing in materials and construction.

While working in Douala as a researcher at Regifercam (Cameroon's National Railway Corporation), Tchiroma became involved in political turmoil following the failed coup attempt against President Paul Biya on April 6, 1984. Tchiroma claimed he was not involved in the coup attempt and described the atmosphere in Douala as dark and full of uncertainty, with a lack of reliable information about the events in Yaoundé. The coup was thwarted by loyalist forces, and the government began arresting individuals suspected of involvement. Tchiroma, hailing from the North, an area seen as a stronghold of the coup's alleged organizers, found himself under suspicion. After several searches and damages to his home, he was arrested on April 16, 1984. Despite no charges being brought against him, Tchiroma was imprisoned first at Kondengui prison, then transferred to Yoko prison, where he endured lengthy detention under harsh conditions denounced by Amnesty International. During his years in detention, Tchiroma, a French-speaking Cameroonian, taught himself English. After more than six years, he was released in 1990.

In the early 1990s, Tchiroma served as Secretary-General of the opposition party, the Union National Union for Democracy and Progress (NUDP). In the March 1992 parliamentary elections, he was elected to the National Assembly representing the Bénoué constituency in North Province under the NUDP banner. Later that year, following Biya's controversial victory in the October 1992 presidential election, Tchiroma was appointed Minister of Transport on November 27, 1992, alongside fellow NUDP leader Hamadou Moustapha.

In 1992, with the political opening following the La Baule Conference, Tchiroma was appointed Minister of Transport. He implemented various reforms, including modernizing road safety, introducing mandatory technical inspections, and regulating air and maritime transport. He also set up a road fund to improve infrastructure.

Tchiroma and Moustapha accepted their appointments without approval from NUDP President Maigari Bello Bouba. Their inclusion in the government was seen by some as an attempt to divide and weaken the opposition. When Tchiroma and Moustapha were retained in their posts in a government reshuffle in July 1994, Bello Bouba declared that their continued inclusion meant the end of their membership in the NUDP. Both Tchiroma and Moustapha contested their expulsion and formed their own "authentic" faction of the NUDP, which later became the National Alliance for Democracy and Progress (NADP), officially recognized on August 31, 1995. Tchiroma and Moustapha continued to challenge the leadership of Bello Bouba, even after creating their new political party.

Tchiroma eventually left the NADP and returned to the NUDP at a party congress in January 2002. Following the June 2002 parliamentary elections, Tchiroma and other northern politicians accused the government of electoral fraud and formed a "resistance front" against the ruling party, Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM). They warned that Cameroon was heading toward a return to a one-party state and called for unity to save the country from collapse.

During the October 2004 presidential election, Tchiroma, although part of the opposition coalition, denounced President Biya and urged the people to vote him out, even though the NUDP leadership had endorsed Biya's candidacy. Tchiroma led a panel to select a joint opposition candidate, which chose Adamou Ndam Njoya of the Union Démocratique du Cameroun (UDC) as the opposition's single candidate. However, the decision was contested by John Fru Ndi, the leader of the Social Democratic Front (SDF), who chose to run anyway, splitting the opposition vote and contributing to Biya's reelection.

Tchiroma left the NUDP once again and founded the Cameroon National Salvation Front (CNSF) in January 2007, declaring that his new party would contribute to the development of a free society and promote the democratization process in Cameroon.

In 2008, Tchiroma publicly supported constitutional amendments proposed by the government, including the removal of presidential term limits. He argued that these amendments should be evaluated on their own merits, claiming that lifting the term limits would ensure political stability and encourage foreign investment. This stance was controversial, as other opposition leaders saw it as a move to extend Biya's presidency indefinitely.

In 2009, Tchiroma was appointed Minister of Communications amid the war against Boko Haram. As government spokesperson, he became the face of the state, speaking almost daily and weighing his words carefully to avoid inflaming the already sensitive public opinion. He initiated the first États généraux de la Communication and proposed an innovative model for funding the press through a tax on telecommunication advertisements.

Tchiroma also served as Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, overseeing the construction of several training centers in partnership with France, South Korea, the World Bank, and the African Development Bank (AfDB). He pushed for a law requiring foreign companies to contribute to the training of young Cameroonians. Vocational training costs were also drastically reduced to 50,000 FCFA per year, making these programs accessible to a broader segment of the population.

A strong figure in the government, Tchiroma grew disillusioned with the weakening of leadership, the centralization of power, the despair of the youth, and the stagnation of the state. The absence of cabinet meetings for over a decade was said to further solidified his belief that it was time to break away. In June 2025, he publicly announced his resignation from the government.^[1]

On 25 June 2025, Tchiroma officially announced his candidacy for the 2025 presidential election, with the slogan "Le peuple au pouvoir / We are the power". In an open letter to the Cameroonian people, he stated his intention to break with a government he believes has run out of steam after 43 years of unbroken rule by President Biya.

Known for his candid speech, perseverance, and willingness to engage in dialogue even during the toughest crises, Tchiroma remains a unique voice in Cameroon's political landscape. Founder of the CSNF, he advocates for a form of federalism underpinned by popular sovereignty, wealth redistribution, and inclusive national reconciliation. Amid a social and economic crisis, where poverty, youth unemployment, and corruption erode public trust, Tchiroma calls for a national awakening. He claims that he became convinced of the need for change during his last major rallies in Maroua and Garoua, where he was hailed by thousands of supporters. Since his resignation from the government, Tchiroma Bakary (a center-right figure) has gained support from several democratic countries worldwide. This move, seen by some as an act of political courage, marks his determination to contribute to the rebuilding of Cameroon based on principles of justice, popular sovereignty, and institutional renewal.

Tchiroma is sometimes seen as an ambivalent figure: an opposition leader turned government supporter, and then a defector in 2025. He embraces this trajectory, describing it as a "path of duty and clarity." He claims to have believed in internal reform before recognizing the stagnation of power.

• https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20250624-cameroun-d%C3%A9mission-de-issa-tchiroma-bakary-ministre-de-l-emploi-et-de-la-formation-professionnelle
• Jeune Afrique – "Issa Tchiroma rejoue la carte de l’indispensable"
• CamerounWeb – Profil d’Issa Tchiroma Bakary
• https://mimimefoinfos.com/issa-tchiroma-bakary-milite-pour-le-changement-dans-la-paix-et-par-les-urnes/?fbclid=IwY2xjawLKQtJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFnd1luVDBsTno5bTZuRmpFAR6mZLfAEQB_41tClfhgr4mRb7L7oGkCJ0Wc4sTwIHlyOf1xh66c89QRqruCLw_aem_8o8qe56_igjHIZ_1iwX0UA
• VIDÉO. Cameroun : pourquoi le ministre de l'Emploi Issa Tchiroma Bakary tourne le dos à Paul Biya | TV5MONDE - Informations https://information.tv5monde.com/afrique/video/cameroun-pourquoi-le-ministre-de-lemploi-issa-tchiroma-bakary-tourne-le-dos-paul-biya