Marcel Niat Njifenji
| Marcel Niat Njifenji | |
|---|---|
 |
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| President of the Senate of Cameroon | |
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Assumed office June 12, 2013 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 26, 1934 Bangangté, Nde, Cameroon |
| Political party | CPDM |
| Spouse(s) | Marcie Tchaptchet |
| Children | 4 |
Marcel Niat Njifenji (born 26 October 1934) is a Cameroonian politician who has been President of the Senate of Cameroon since 2013. A member of the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (RDPC), he previously served for years as Director-General of the National Electricity Company, and he was also a minister in the government during the early 1990s.
Born in 1934 at Bangangté, located in Cameroon's West Region, Niat Njifenji worked as an engineer of roads and bridges. He was Director-General of the National Electricity Company (Société nationale d'Electricité, SONEL), the state-owned electricity company, from 1974 to 1984. When rebellious soldiers attempted to overthrow President Paul Biya in an April 1984 coup attempt, Niat Njifenji was immediately arrested and jailed. Although it was considered doubtful that he had anything to do with the coup attempt, he was reportedly abused during his imprisonment and attempted suicide. He was released from prison in 1989 and promptly restored to his post at SONEL in September 1989.
Niat Njifenji also served in the government as Minister of Planning and Territorial Administration from 7 September 1990 to 26 April 1991, while remaining Director-General of SONEL. Subsequently he was Deputy Prime Minister for Mines, Water, and Energy from 9 April 1992 to 27 November 1992. He was elected to the National Assembly in the 1992 parliamentary election, but he did not serve his term and remained in his post as Director-General of SONEL throughout the 1990s. Eventually the company was privatized, and Niat Njifenji was replaced by an AES Sirocco executive in July 2001. In 2002, Niat Njifenji was elected as Mayor of Bangangté; he served as Mayor until September 2007, when he was succeeded by Célestine Keutcha Courtes.
In 2013, after years of delay, the Senate was established to serve as the upper house of Cameroon's Parliament; previously only the National Assembly existed. President Biya appointed Niat Njifenji to the Senate in May 2013. He was one of 30 senators to receive their seats by presidential appointment; the other 70 senators were indirectly elected. Biya appointed three senators for each region, and Niat Njifenji was one of the three to come from West Region.
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