(Investir au Cameroun) – BGFI Bank Cameroun a préfinancé plus de 20 millions d’euros, soit plus de 13,1 milliards de FCFA, d’études techniques pour le Kempinski Shekinah Palace de Douala, avant le lancement du chantier. Le montant a été révélé le 25 septembre 2026 par Rodolphe Simo Kam, président-directeur général d’All Luxury Suites Group (ALS Group), lors de la pose de la première pierre du complexe à Bonanjo. La cérémonie a été présidée par le Premier ministre Joseph Dion Ngute, représentant personnel du président de la République, Paul Biya.

La banque dirigée par Abakal Mahamat « a été la première à croire à notre vision, en préfinançant plus de 20 millions d’euros d’études techniques. Une démarche qui a dérisqué le projet et convaincu nos partenaires internationaux », a déclaré le promoteur.

BGFI Bank Cameroun intervient également dans le financement de la construction. Selon Abakal Mahamat, la filiale camerounaise du groupe BGFIBank agit comme arrangeur et agent de financement, avec pour mission de structurer les concours bancaires, de mobiliser les ressources auprès des institutions financières et de coordonner l’opération.

Une dette de 92,3 milliards de FCFA

Le coût du Kempinski Shekinah Palace est évalué à 222,6 milliards de FCFA, selon le dossier de presse actualisé d’ALS Group.

Le plan de financement prévoit 103,32 milliards de FCFA de fonds propres, soit 46,4 % de l’investissement, et 92,3 milliards de FCFA de dette, soit 41,5 %. Le solde, proche de 27 milliards de FCFA, doit notamment provenir des ventes d’appartements et d’autres ressources.

Les emprunts doivent être remboursés sur vingt ans. ALS Group ne précise pas la part que BGFI Bank Cameroun financera directement, ni les taux d’intérêt, les garanties ou les autres conditions attachées aux concours.

La Banque de développement des États de l’Afrique centrale (BDEAC) et Afreximbank participent également au montage. La BDEAC a accordé 30 milliards de FCFA au projet, selon ALS Group.

La préparation du complexe remonte à plusieurs années. ALS Group indique avoir retenu dès juin 2019 le cabinet britannique WhiteBridge pour les études de faisabilité économique et financière ainsi que l’assistance au montage financier. D’autres cabinets sont ensuite intervenus sur l’architecture, l’ingénierie, la gestion des coûts et le conseil juridique.

214 chambres et 17 000 m² de bureaux

Le Kempinski Shekinah Palace doit comprendre 214 chambres et suites, 35 appartements hôteliers, environ 17 000 m² de bureaux et 4 000 m² de commerces, ainsi que des espaces de conférences et de loisirs.

La construction a été confiée à China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC). ALS Group prévoit 36 mois pour achever le complexe, dont 31 mois de construction et cinq mois consacrés aux équipements.

Baudouin Enama

Samuel Eto’o a dévoilé son candidat pour le Ballon d’Or 2026. Le président de la Fecafoot soutient Lamine Yamal, le crack du FC Barcelone.

La course au Ballon d’Or 2026 est lancée. Alors que plusieurs noms sont cités comme des probables futurs vainqueurs du plus grand trophée individuel du football, Samuel Eto’o a dévoilé son favori. Pour l’ancien attaquant des Lions Indomptables, Lamine Yamal, star du FC Barcelone mérite amplement ce prix.

« Ballon d’Or de nos cœurs. Génie, audacieux, talentueux… Bonne chance dans cette course du Ballon d’Or », a écrit Samuel Eto’o en légende d’une photo de Lamine Yamal. L’ancien joueur du Barça assure que peu importe le verdict, Yamal tout comme Ousmane Dembele sont déjà à ses yeux, le « Ballon d’Or de nos cœurs ».

Une sortie qui est perçue comme un soutien important pour le jeune footballeur espagnol, en cours pour le Ballon d’Or 2026. Vainqueur de la Liga avec le Barça et de la Coupe du monde avec l’Espagne, Lamine Yamal est un candidat crédible au Ballon d’Or 2026.

* China and the United States should work in the same direction and promote a stable relationship featuring cooperation as the mainstay, moderate competition, manageable differences and promises of peace, Xi said in a written speech upon his arrival.

* Xi said he looks forward to having in-depth exchanges with Trump on major issues concerning bilateral relations and the world situation, constantly enriching the constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability, and expanding the space for exchanges and cooperation in various fields between the two countries.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday afternoon for a state visit to the United States at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The visit has drawn wide attention as the two countries seek to stabilize their relationship, deepen cooperation and work together to address global challenges.

RARE PLANESIDE WELCOME

Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, received a rare planeside greeting by Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, upon their arrival. After Xi and Peng descended from their plane, the two presidential couples shook hands and exchanged greetings on the tarmac.

A red carpet was rolled out for the Chinese presidential couple, with honor guards lining up on both sides to pay their respects. Two American children presented bouquets of flowers to Xi and Peng.

The welcome ceremony also included a 21-gun salute, the playing of the national anthems of both countries and a military flyover.

A gun salute is fired to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews for a state visit to the United States at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump, Sept. 23, 2026. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

The 21-gun salute is among the highest military honors accorded to a visiting head of state, but is rarely rendered at an airport.

The gesture is notable even by broader diplomatic standards, as the arrangement has been described by U.S. media as a « rare » and « unusual » departure from protocol, as U.S. presidents typically receive visiting foreign leaders at the White House rather than greet them at the airport.

Xi’s arrival kicked off a three-day state visit to the United States, which comes just months after Trump’s China trip in May. The exchange of visits between the two heads of state within six months is of historic and milestone significance, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

PARTNERS, NOT RIVALS

In a written speech upon his arrival, Xi extended sincere greetings and best wishes to the U.S. people on behalf of the Chinese people.

China and the United States are both great countries, and the two peoples are both great peoples, Xi said, adding that the two peoples have maintained friendly exchanges for a long time and their interests are deeply intertwined.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives at Joint Base Andrews on Sept. 23, 2026, for a state visit to the United States at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

China and the United States should be partners, not rivals, he said, noting that the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand, and that the two countries can help each other succeed and advance the well-being of the whole world.

Xi noted that he and Trump agreed to build a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability during Trump’s visit to China in May, which has provided strategic guidance for the future development of bilateral ties.

China and the United States should work in the same direction and promote a stable relationship featuring cooperation as the mainstay, moderate competition, manageable differences and promises of peace, Xi said.

He said China and the United States, as two major countries, should find a right way to get along in the new era.

Xi emphasized that the world is developing and times are changing, but the historical logic of peaceful coexistence between China and the United States has not changed, the goodwill of friendly exchanges between the two peoples has not changed, and the general expectations of the international community for China and the United States have not changed.

Xi said he looks forward to having in-depth exchanges with Trump on major issues concerning bilateral relations and the world situation, constantly enriching the constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability, and expanding the space for exchanges and cooperation in various fields between the two countries.

With joint efforts, Xi said he believes the visit is sure to be fruitful, and will enhance the well-being of the two peoples and add hope for world peace.

U.S. children present flowers to Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan at Joint Base Andrews in the United States, Sept. 23, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

WIDE EXPECTATIONS

It is a very important visit, coming at a very important time and against the backdrop of a particularly difficult global political landscape, said Roland Henwood, a lecturer and political commentator at the Department of Political Sciences at the University of Pretoria.

The significance of the visit extends well beyond bilateral ties, as what happens between China and the United States affects the whole world, said Henwood.

Noting that the two leaders have a good relationship and hold regular contacts and good communication, he said that it is vital to have sustained engagement at the presidential level to provide strategic direction and stability for the bilateral ties.

Erastus Mwencha, former deputy chairperson of the African Union Commission, said the state visit sends an important signal — diplomacy remains available as an instrument for managing differences and preventing miscalculation.

It should also be read as part of a sequence rather than an isolated event — the Busan meeting, Trump’s state visit to China in May, and now this reciprocal visit — each building the kind of sustained contact that a single meeting cannot provide, said Mwencha.

Beyond high-level diplomacy, experts pointed to several areas where continued China-U.S. cooperation could have broader international implications.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is welcomed upon his arrival in the United States on Sept. 23, 2026. (Xinhua/Lu Ye)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one such area. China and the United States have the technological capabilities and international influence to play an important role in addressing the potential risks posed by AI, said Pascal Sery, a financial expert and former member of the National Assembly of Cote d’Ivoire.

They can strengthen dialogue and cooperation on AI safety, governance, ethics and international rules, and work toward broader international consensus, he said.

Abu Bakr al-Deeb, an advisor at the Cairo-based Arab Center for Research and Studies, said counternarcotics is one of the areas where cooperation between China and the United States can produce very practical results.

Drug trafficking and other forms of transnational crime do not stop at national borders, so countries have a common interest in sharing information and coordinating their efforts, he said.

There have already been concrete examples of cooperation this year as Chinese and U.S. authorities have worked together on drug-related cases, including cases involving trafficking and new psychoactive substances, he added.

Experts also pointed to the broader role the two countries can play in addressing global challenges. Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar, said the two countries, as the world’s two largest economies, have a responsibility to reduce friction and help safeguard the stability of the global economy and supply chains.

Achieving stability of their relationship is « a public good, » he said. « Reduced U.S.-China friction lowers the risk of global supply chain fragmentation. »■