British journalist Ben Deighton will make a high-level strategic visit to Cameroon to solidify the continental roots of the profession: launching the activities of the African Confederation of Science Journalists (CAJS) and celebrating the decade of Échos Santé with the highest authorities of the State.
During his stay, the world leader in science journalism will bring the issues of science journalism, health coverage and research to the heart of public governance, through requested audiences at the Presidency of the Republic, the Prime Minister’s Office and in four key ministerial departments.
This historic mission marks the launch in Yaoundé of CAJS activities and the 10th anniversary of the Échos Santé Group, with a major operational deployment: masterclass against disinformation, hospital immersions and the Grand Gala of the Health Decade Awards.
From November 24 to 28, 2026, the president of the World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ), the British national Ben Deighton, will pay a working visit to Yaoundé. This diplomatic and media event underscores Cameroon’s ambition to play a significant role in the continent’s scientific ecosystem.
Some visits are purely protocol-driven. Ben Deighton’s visit is another example. By arriving in Nsimalen on November 24, the president of the WFSJ wasn’t simply there to greet Cameroonian colleagues; he was there to officially recognize, in the eyes of the international scientific community, the establishment of the headquarters of the African Confederation of Science Journalists (CAJS) in Yaoundé. This location was no coincidence, as it coincided with the tenth anniversary of the Échos Santé Press Group, which in a decade has become one of the leading players in health information in Central Africa.
One week, seven open doors at the highest levels of government
The packed agenda speaks volumes about the level of hospitality extended to the British guest. From November 25th onwards, meetings followed one another at a rapid pace: the British High Commission, the Presidency of the Republic, the Prime Minister’s Office, and then three key ministries: Higher Education, where the implementation of a Master’s program in science journalism was discussed; Communication, culminating in an international press conference on the global challenges facing the discipline; and finally, Public Health, where Universal Health Coverage and the partnership between media and health policy were the main topics of discussion. Seven institutional meetings in a single day: few foreign delegations, other than heads of state, receive such treatment in Yaoundé.
To transmit rather than to discourse
But the visit isn’t limited to the hushed halls of ministerial offices. On November 26, the setting changes: the next stop is the Auditorium of the Ministry of Communication, where Ben Deighton himself will preside over a day of Masterclasses. Scientific fact-checking, biomedical investigation, combating disinformation in public health, and the uses of artificial intelligence in journalism: the program is tailored for a generation of African journalists confronted, more than ever, with the need to popularize reliable medical information in contexts where rumors and misinformation circulate as quickly as the epidemics themselves.
From the sanitary field to the grand social gathering
November 27th promises to be the most contrasting day of the trip. In the morning, the international delegation will engage with the realities on the ground: a visit to the headquarters of Échos Santé, meetings at CRTV and the Chantal Biya International Reference Center (CIRCB), followed by visits to hospitals selected by the Ministry of Public Health. The evening will bring a complete change of pace: 600 guests, a red carpet, a gala ceremony presided over by the Prime Minister, and the presentation of the Labor Medals and the 100 Awards of the Health Decade. A condensed, single-day showcase of what Cameroon wants to project: a country that provides healthcare, trains healthcare professionals, and knows how to welcome them.
A symbol that transcends Cameroon
Nevertheless, this visit signifies something broader than just the Cameroonian agenda. At a time when African science journalism is seeking to organize itself and exert influence on the continent’s health challenges—recurring epidemics, a fledgling universal health coverage system, and rampant disinformation—the establishment of a continental headquarters in Yaoundé, validated by the physical presence of the WFSJ president, positions Cameroon as a regional anchor. It remains to be seen whether this institutional recognition will translate, beyond the gala and speeches, into genuinely more rigorous and independent science journalism across the continent.
