Gov’t of Cameroon Contributes €30.489.80 towards Construction of OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology

The Government of the Republic of Cameroon has contributed €30.489.80 to support the construction and operation of a new facility, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Centre for Chemistry and Technology, currently being built outside The Hague. 

The contribution was formalised on the 9 December 2022 through an exchange of letters. The Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cameroon to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador LIGUEMOH ONDOUA Madeleine expressed Cameroon’s longstanding support to the OPCW and the desire to contribute to strengthening its capacity in confronting the ongoing threat of chemical weapons. [Continue reading after photo gallery].  

While visiting the OPCW Headquarters in May 2022, The Minister of External Relations, H.E. MBELLA MBELLA stated that: “I welcome the construction of the ChemTech Centre, which is a great innovation of the OPCW, and which will allow the Organisation to be better equipped to face new threats and respond to requests for reinforcement capacities. In this respect, I suggest that we should think beyond Headquarters to extensions of this Centre in Africa.”

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Centre for Chemistry and Technology under construction.

The Centre for Chemistry and Technology will be a recognised leader in research, analysis, training, and capacity building. It will be a flagship for the OPCW and its broader community and will significantly enhance the capabilities and standing of the OPCW as the global leader in the effort to rid the world of chemical weapons.

This new facility is required to meet the demands of OPCW Member States for enhanced verification tools, improved detection capabilities and response measures, as well as increased capacity building activities. It will also help the OPCW to keep pace with developments in science and technology and new chemical weapons threats. Construction of the ChemTech Centre started in June 2021 and is planned to be operational in 2023.