Professor Yoshioka was invited to the home of Mr. Roger MILLA, a legendary striker who is highly respected by the Cameroonian people as an African legend. They got along with each other and deepened their friendship over the two days, and talked about the topic of soccer, the future of Africa based on high ideals, and various problems.

Mr. Roger Milla is a footballer on the Cameroon National Team, known as the "Indomitable Lion," and one of the superstar of world soccer, having been selected 58th in The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time by World Soccer magazine in 1999 and FIFA100 in 2004 along with Pele and Maradona. Mr. Roger Milla participated at the 1990 FIFA World Cup Italy tournament, scored four goals at the age of 38, and was got excited by a performance called "Makosa Dance" for each goal, and scored a goal at the 1994 US tournament at the oldest age of 42. It brought a strong impression to the world. Currently, Mr. Roger Milla is a special goodwill ambassador for Cameroon and makes a great contribution to various social action activities such as educational supports through sports. He exchanged with Professor Yoshioka, of a wide range of topics, soccer and Japanese (interaction between athletes and villagers in Nakatsuemura, Oita Prefecture, where was the campground for Cameroon at the time of the Korea World Cup in 2002), sports-related issues, education, poverty eradication, various social action activities, the future of Africa such as Cameroon. Finally, at the invitation of Mr. Roger Milla, they went out to Yaoundé to see the club supported by Mr. Roger Milla.
Professor Yoshioka promised to cooperate with Mr. Roger Milla as much as possible in various activities to solve problems in Africa in the future, They also confirmed to work on a wide range of activities for further development the relationship between the Yoshioka laboratory and the two countries. and vowed to meet again.

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During his visit to Cameroon, Professor Yoshioka exchanged opinions with Tsutomu Osawa, Japanese Ambassador to Cameroon, on various important issues in Cameroon, Chad and the Central African Republic.

The Embassy of Japan in Cameroon is accredited to not only Cameroon, but also Chad and the Central African Republic. After hearing from the ambassador about the current situation of the Republic of Cameroon, which is said to be the "microcosm of Africa," Chad and the Central African Republic, the ambassador and Professor Yoshioka talked about African issues from various angles in Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic.?
The topic were wide-ranging such as, education, economic cooperation, economic infrastructure development, environmental conservation, agriculture / rural development, promotion of small and medium enterprise, diplomacy, bilateral relations, Japanese government contribution activities, embassy's detailed local activities and protection of Japanese nationals, examples of Ambassador Osawa's success. They had a very useful time. In addition, Mr. Shunpei Egawa, Second Secretary, who was present at the meeting, gave many useful stories.
Professor Yoshioka conveyed his gratitude to Ambassador Osawa and other Japanese embassy staff for their contributions to the Republic of Cameroon, which they heard from various circles in Cameroon.

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Professor Yoshioka was invited to the mother of the Bamoun people ‘s home allowing to have an audience. In the eastern half of the western part of the Republic of Cameroon, there is the Kingdom of Bamoum, where the Bamoun people live, and there is a king (Sultan).
He had an audience with Aichetou Ngoutano, the mother of the kingdom (Nah Fon Njoya, Neuh Njapdounke), who is respected by the Bamoun people as well as the king and talked about various stories such as the foundation of the kingdom, politics, and economy. She also spoke about her great various social contribution activities. It was a valuable time to be able to experience the wide range of activities and deep love for the Bamoun people. After that, they visited the Royal Palace and the museum of the Bamoun, which is currently under construction. There, he realized the glory of the historic kingdom while thinking about the long and eternal history of the Bamoum.
Finally, he promised to work with the mother of the Bamoun to do a wide range of activities in cooperation with the people of Bamun as much as possible.

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Professor Yoshioka met with the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Agriculture to exchange opinions on the current circumstances and problems of the Cameroon economy. First, he exchanged opinions with Minister of Agriculture Gabriel MBAIROBE about the importance of agriculture in the Cameroonian economy and future development strategies. At that time, the Minister thanked Japan for its contributions, including the "Rice Promotion Project" (June 2016-June 2021), which the Government of Cameroon is carried out in cooperation with JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) and exchanged views on future agricultural growth strategies for economic growth of Cameroon.

The next day, he exchanged a wide range of opinions with the President's aide and Minister of Finance, Louis Paul Motaze, about the current circumstances and problems of the Cameroonian economy, including agriculture, and the country's future development strategy. Regarding the economic growth of Cameroon, they gave their view on the importance of learning from the experience of Japan, which once became the world's second largest economy, and the necessity of building a win-win relationship between Japan and Cameroon. Finally, Japan and Cameroon have been building diplomatic relations since 1960, when Cameroon became independent, and high expectations are growing for the continued friendly bilateral relations and the support and contributions taking advantage of Japan's knowledge and experience.?
Professor Yoshioka added a comment that although this visit was not for the government but for private academic research, he would like to convey the appeal of the Republic of Cameroon to the Japanese people as a private citizen as much as possible. This situation was broadcast nationwide on Cameroonian Radio and Television, which is equivalent to NHK in Japan, and also published in various newspapers such as the government-affiliated daily newspaper “Cameroon Tribune” and “Quotidien l'Epervier”.

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?Professor Yoshioka conducted academic research exchanges and various researches with the Catholic University of Central Africa (Université Catholique de l'Afrique Centrale: Yaoundé, Republic of Cameroon). Catholic University of Central Africa, which was founded in 1989, is a private university with three campuses in Yaoundé, where the capital of Cameroon, in the central part of the African continent, and plays a central role in the field of research and education in the Central African region.

Professor Yoshioka and the President of the university, Abbé Pr Jean Bertrand SALLA, confirmed that the Yoshioka laboratory and the university would play a central role in a wide range of academic research activities for further development of the relationship between Japan and Cameroon. They discussed the directionality of research in both countries.
After that, he visited the university museum, library, lecture room, learning center, dormitory, sports facilities, and others, and had a opportunity for discussion with faculty members, students, and alumni to exchange various opinions, and spent a fruitful time.
Also, in this research activity, in order to understand the actual situation of the Cameroon economy, he investigated educational facilities, investment environment, NPO activities, and the status of infrastructure developments such as roads and ports in capital Yaunde, Duara, Bahusam, where is economic city, joined a tour of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, manufacturing, service industries, venture companies, etc. in the suburbs of the city, conducted interviews with presidents of each company, various unions, business and industry associations, entrepreneurs, etc, energetically. He also observed, interviewed, and discussed the current situation and problems of various policies by the Cameroonian government and the fact-finding survey of the local economy.
At the same time, Professor Yoshioka exchanged views with Cameroonian journalists on the possibility of building a good relationship between the two countries. They will continue to carry out further research activities centered on the Yoshioka laboratory.

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