Cameroon: Christopher Lamora presents credentials as new U.S Ambassador

By Boris Esono Nwenfor [caption id="attachment_95089" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Ambassador Lamora is a career diplomat with three decades of experience in Africa, including in Cameroon where he previously served[/caption] Ambassador Lamora was nominated by President Joe Biden on April 15, 2021, and sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Cameroon on February 11, 2022. The new U.S Ambassador to Cameroon this Monday, March 21, 2022, met with Cameroon’s Minister of External Relations Lejeune Mbella Mbella to present his credentials to the Cameroonian authorities. In a video posted on the Facebook account of the U.S Embassy in Cameroon, Ambassador Lamora said he was pleased to be coming back to the country. “I am so happy to return to this beautiful country, Africa in Miniature, where I launched my diplomatic career nearly 30 years ago at the U.S. Consulate in Douala,” Ambassador Christopher Lamora said as quoted by the US Embassy in Cameroon. “The United States is a committed friend and partner of Cameroon, actively contributing to the country’s development, security, and prosperity, as we have for decades.  Our cooperation spans many areas, including health security, trade and business growth, environmental protection, humanitarian assistance, academic collaboration, and fighting piracy, human trafficking, and terrorism.  Cameroon faces several serious challenges.  We have many areas of mutual interest and while we may not always agree on all issues, the United States is and will remain a friend to Cameroon and its people.” Ambassador Lamora is a career diplomat with three decades of experience in Africa, including in Cameroon where he previously served.  His most recent assignment was as the Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. at the U.S. Embassy in Equatorial Guinea.  Before that, he was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Ghana from 2018 to 2021.  Before his tour in Ghana, Ambassador Lamora spent eight months as the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Central Africa and African Security Affairs.  His complete biography is available. Biography of Ambassador Christopher J. Lamora Christopher John Lamora, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, was nominated by President Biden on April 19, 2021, as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Cameroon.  The U.S. Senate confirmed him for this position on December 18, 2021, and he was sworn in on February 11, 2022. Ambassador Lamora has worked in and on Africa throughout his 30-year Foreign Service career.  His first overseas assignment, from 1992-to 93, was at the U.S. Consulate in Douala, Cameroon.  He also served at the U.S. Embassy in Bangui, Central African Republic, and in Washington as desk officer for the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Other assignments include Deputy Director of the Office of African Economic and Regional Affairs, Director of the Office of Central African Affairs, and Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Central Africa and African Security Affairs.  In this last capacity, he was also the U.S. representative to the International Contact Group for Africa's Great Lakes region. From 2018-to 2021 Ambassador Lamora was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Accra, Ghana, the fifth-largest U.S. embassy in sub-Saharan Africa.  For his Ghana service, he was chosen as runner-up for the 2021 James A. Baker Award for Outstanding Deputy Chief of Mission.  From September 2021 to January 2022, he was Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. at the U.S. Embassy in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. [caption id="attachment_95090" align="alignnone" width="680"] R-L, new U.S Ambassador to Cameroon Christopher Lamora presents credentials to Minister Lejeune Mbella Mbella[/caption] Apart from his Africa work, Amb. Lamora has served at the U.S. embassies in Greece, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala; as Director of the Los Angeles Passport Agency; and in three positions in the Bureau of Consular Affairs in Washington.  From 2007-08, as a Foreign Policy (Pearson) Fellow in the office of U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, he worked on issues including conflict minerals, the 2007-08 Kenya election crisis, and the Child Soldiers Prevention Act. Ambassador Lamora is originally from the state of Rhode Island and is a 1991 graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, where he majored in international relations with a particular focus on the Soviet Union and a minor in Russian.  He joined the Foreign Service soon after graduation and is the recipient of numerous Department of State honour awards.  He speaks French and Spanish and also studied Modern Greek.