Franck Biya

Early life and career

Franck Biya was born on 21 August 1971 in Yaoundé, Cameroon. to Paul Biya and his first wife Jeanne-Irène Atyam. He was educated in Cameroon before attending the University of Southern California, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in political science and economics in 1994. He then worked as an intern at Bank of Central African States from 1995 to 1997. From 1997 to 2004, he was a partner of a forestry conglomerate named I.N.G.F.

In 2004, he established Venture Capital PLC, a private fund that focuses on the investment to foreign corporations, not only in Africa but also in other continents.

Possible succession

Franck has been frequently speculated as a potential successor to his father Paul Biya, who has served as president of Cameroon since 1982. During the 2011 presidential election where Paul was running for re-election, Franck was found to be campaigning for his father. He was speculated as a candidate in the 2018 presidential election, although this never transpired. Several supporters of Franck reportedly formed non-governmental organisations to support his bid, such as the Citizens Movement in Support of Franck Biya for Peace and Unity in Cameroon. Critics of the Biya family cited that Cameroon is not a monarchy and Franck is not in the line of succession to the presidency.

Personal life

Franck Biya is married and has 4 children.