Pioneer Senate President Marcel Niat Njifenji Dies at 91

Pioneer President of the Senate, Marcel Niat Njifenji has died at 91 on April 11, 2026 after an illness. He served as President of the Senate for 13 years, holding office from June 12, 2013 until March 17, 2026, when he was replaced in the Upper House by Senator Aboubakary Abdoulaye (Lamido of Rey Bouba).

In a tribute, Senate President Aboubakary Abdoulaye recalled Njifenji’s tenure and, on behalf of the Senate Bureau and staff, extended condolences to the bereaved family. Born in 1934 in Bangangté, Nde Division of the West Region, Marcel Niat Njifenji studied at École Supérieure d’Électricité (Supélec) in Paris, graduating in 1960 the same year French Cameroon gained independence.

Returning home, he worked as an engineer of roads and bridges, then moved into key national responsibilities and later became a CPDM stalwart, serving in high-profile ministerial roles. Among his major appointments were Minister of Planning and Territorial Administration and later Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Mines, Water, and Energy. A key technocratic chapter in his career came in 1974, when he was appointed Director-General of SONEL, at a time when Cameroon’s energy grid was fragmented.

Njifenji’s most critical constitutional role began in May 2013, when he was elected Senate President as the first-ever holder of the position. Under Article 7 of the recently amended Constitution, the President of the Senate is the designated successor to the Head of State in the event of a vacancy. For 13 years, he was widely described as a “silent guarantor”of the State’s continuity managing the Senate with the steadiness of an engineer rather than flamboyance.