Cameroon’s government says it will go live with its new electronic Visa system (eVisa) system by year-end.

The Director of Protocol, Ceremonies and Consular Affairs at Cameroon’s Ministry of External Relations (MINREX), Ntaribo Ashu Agbor Ngah yesterday received the requisite equipment for the system.

The new system is an upgraded version of an existing DIPLOMAT system developed by MINREX’s New Technologies and Cryptography Unit.

The country’s imminent deployment of eVisa follows an agreement signed on 1 April 2022 between the government of Cameroon and Ivorian security and biometric solutions provider Impact Palmarès R&D SAS.

According to the deal of an undisclosed amount or duration, Impact Palmarès R&D SAS will implement an online portal for application, processing and issuing of electronic visas.

It will also install the latest generation of biometric equipment in Cameroon’s diplomatic missions and consular posts for the printing of biometric visa on secured stickers.

In addition, visa authentication systems will be installed at all entry points into Cameroon.

The Cote d’Ivoire-based tech firm will finance and build a secure and unified system for Cameroon’s consular services.

In addition to a datacentre to manage and process consular information, the deal covers the production of biometric consular cards, among other diplomatic documents.

The new system was piloted in 2020 and has been in use in the Embassy of Cameroon in Côte d’Ivoire.

Back in April, the Chairman of Impact Palmarès R&D SAS Giresse Tella vowed his company will deliver on the project. “I would like to reiterate my thanks to the high authorities of Cameroon for the trust placed in our company which augurs well for the future of cooperation between African countries,” he said.

The move to modernise and digitise the issuance of the country’s visas falls in line with Cameroon’s long-term objective to become a digital economy by 2035.