Polycarpe Abah Abah
Polycarpe Abah Abah | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 17, 1954 Zoétélé, South Region, Cameroon |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Years active | 1983–2008 |
| Known for | Minister of Economy and Finance of Cameroon (2004–2008) |
Polycarpe Abah Abah is a Cameroonian politician who held the position of Minister of Economy and Finance from 2004 until 2008, when he was detained during Operation Sparrowhawk.
Biography
Born on September 17, 1954, in Zoétélé, located in Cameroon's South Region, Abah completed his secondary education with distinction at Manemgoumba High School in 1974. He pursued economics studies at the University of Yaoundé and obtained a master's degree in public administration from the University of Southern California. Additionally, he received finance management diplomas from both the Atlanta Institute of Management and the International Law Institute in Washington, D.C., and attended the ENAM.
Following graduation from ENAM, Abah began his career in the Tax Directorate's petroleum division, where he managed petroleum taxation and collaborated extensively with the Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures (SNH). Prior to his ministerial role, he represented the state on SNH's board.
Within the Tax Directorate, Abah served as Deputy Director of Tax Legislation starting in 1983 and contributed to the National Public Procurement Commission. Recognized as a specialist within CEMAC, he departed from the directorate in 1988. Between 1988 and 1992, he was appointed Attache to the General Secretariat of the Presidency, acting as an intermediary between the Ministry of Economy and international financial bodies such as the IMF and World Bank Group. He maintained this function after the establishment of the Prime Minister's office in 1991.
From 1998 until 2004, Abah led as Director of Taxation at the Ministry of Economy, during which period tax revenues increased threefold—from 250 billion CFA francs in 1998 to 750 billion CFA francs by 2004. On December 8, 2004, he was named Minister of Economy and Finance; under his leadership, Cameroon's GDP growth improved significantly from 2% in 2003 to above 4% by 2005.
Following 2008, Abah became involved in Operation Sparrowhawk, an anti-corruption initiative launched by Ephraïm Inoni. Between 2008 and 2022, he was convicted six times by the Special Criminal Court on charges related to corruption and embezzlement, while acquitted in two other proceedings. He received cumulative prison sentences totaling 81 years. Despite being a prominent individual targeted by Operation Sparrowhawk, Abah continues to reject all accusations against him.