Joshua Osih (born ''Joshua Nambangi Osih''; 9 December 1968) is a Cameroonian politician. He was the vice president of the main opposition party in Cameroon, the
Social Democratic Front (Cameroon)
The Social Democratic Front () is the main opposition party of Cameroon. It was led by Ni John Fru Ndi from its foundation until his death in 2023, and receives significant support from the Anglophone Southwest and Northwest Regions.
History
...
(SDF), and the first
Anglophone
The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the largest language ...
Cameroonian to serve as a Parliamentarian in
Douala
Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region (Cameroon), Littoral Region. It was home to Central Africa's largest port, now being replaced by Kribi port. It has the country ...
, capital of the
Littoral Region (Cameroon)
The Littoral Region () is a regions of Cameroon, region of Cameroon. Its capital is Douala. , its population was 3,174,437.
in 2013. He is also the chairman of Camport PLC in Cameroon.
Osih was the SDF candidate for the 2018 presidential elections in Cameroon.
Early life and career
Joshua Osih was born to Cameroonian father Rev. Dr. Reuben Osih, and Swiss national mother Therese Osih. Commonly referred to as Josh, Joshua is married to Tina Osih, and has three sons.
Osih holds an MBA in Leadership and Sustainability, and has more than 25 years of experience in the aviation industry, notably in operations and management. An established entrepreneur in Cameroon for the past 18 years, he conducts business in aviation, ecotourism, hospitality and aquaculture, and has over 200 employees. He is also the founder and managing director of the notable companies Camport PLC and Africa Travel Management.
Osih is a Member of the Cameroon Parliament for the Wouri Centre constituency in Douala. This constituency represents about 65% of all tax income in Cameroon, although it only has about 600 000 inhabitants of Cameroon's population of 23.44 million.
Parliament of Cameroon
The Parliament of Cameroon () is the legislature of Cameroon. A bicameral body, it consists of the Senate and the National Assembly.Social Democratic Front for the South West region. In 2006, he was elected 2nd Vice Chairman of the party. In 2012 and 2018 was elected in both instances as 1st Vice Chairman of the party. At the 2018 Extraordinary convention of the party that concludes the party's primaries, he was elected as the SDF's presidential candidate for the 2018 Cameroonian Presidential election.
As flag bearer for the SDF, he was the hope of millions of Cameroonians who have never experienced a democratic transition since independence and strongly believed that these elections would be the last chance for a democratic change to occur and liberate them from an 86-year-old incumbent,
Paul Biya
Paul Biya (born Paul Barthélemy Biya'a bi Mvondo, 13 February 1933) is a Cameroonian politician who has been serving as the second president of Cameroon since 1982. He was previously the fifth Prime Minister of Cameroon, prime minister under Pre ...
who had been in office for 35 years representing a 60-year-old regime.
In 2013, Osih became the first
Anglophone
The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the largest language ...
Cameroonian to serve as a Parliamentarian in
Douala
Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region (Cameroon), Littoral Region. It was home to Central Africa's largest port, now being replaced by Kribi port. It has the country ...
, in the Littoral Region of Cameroon. He was the vice president of the SDF until 24 February 2018. He is also the chairman of Camport PLC in Cameroon.
On Thursday 21 July 2016 on the TV programme ''Espace Politique'' aired on Cameroon state television network CRTV, SDF chairman
John Fru Ndi
Ni John Fru Ndi (7 July 1941 – 12 June 2023) was a Cameroonian politician who served as first and founding Chairman of the Social Democratic Front (SDF), the main opposition party in Cameroon, from party foundation in 1990 to his death in 202 ...
declared that Osih would be the SDF candidate in the 2018 presidential election in Cameroon. This was confirmed in the Bamenda Congress Hall when he defeated fellow candidate Forbi Nchinda in the election to represent the SDF in the 2018 presidential elections.
On October 28, 2023, Joshua Osih was elected for five years as head of the presidency of his political party the SD
See also
*
List of Cameroonians
List of famous or notable Cameroonians:
Presidents
*Ahmadou Ahidjo, Ahmadou Babatoura Ahidjo
* Paul Biya
Prime ministers
* Simon Achidi Achu
* Sadou Hayatou
* Ephraim Inoni
* Bello Bouba Maïgari
* Peter Mafany Musonge
* Philémon Yang
In ...