HE Odette Melono, Ambassador of the Republic of Cameroon to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Pictures by Gualtiero Buonamassa.
By Roy Lie A Tjam.
H.E. Odette Melono Ambassador for the Republic of Cameroon to the Netherlands has been appointed Dean of the African Group of Ambassadors, a group of nineteen in total. She is taking over from Dr. Nimota Nihinlola Akanbi, former Ambassador of Nigeria. The Africa Group of Ambassadors looks after matters regarding the continent of Africa and the African diaspora. The Dean works alongside H.E. Ambassador Vusi Bruce Koloane of South-Africa who is the Coordinator of the group at the OPCW and H.E. Karim Ben Becher Ambassador of Tunisia, Coordinator of the group at the ICC.The group convenes on an ad hoc basis.
During her stint as Dean, Odette Melono envisages to maintain the cohesion of the Group, which is among other activities, working to change the perception of the continent which is plagued by a distorted image, often sustained by global media outlets. Africa is also tackling present-day challenges such as terrorism, combating transnational wildlife crime, human trafficking and environmental governance.
We wish to congratulate Dean Odette Melono on her appointment to this esteem office. We have great confidence she will be a great dean.
