By Bouddih Adams
Barrister Tanyi-Mbianyor Samuel Tabi has been designated Chairperson of African Bar Association (AfBA), Cameroon Forum (Chapter).
Barrister Tanyi-Mbianyor was a regular contributor on legal and literary issues to The Post Newspaper and presently sporadically contributes write-ups to the foremost English-language newspaper in Cameroon on global issues.
The installation of the Cameroon Forum new executive and handing over ceremony took place on January 10 over a zoom meeting at 4.00pm; Central African time. In attendance at the meeting, that was presided over by Senior Barrister Ajong Stanislaus, AfBA Vice President in charge of Central Africa, were senior lawyers from Cameroon, Morocco, Nigeria, Sierra Leon, Zambia, South Africa, the UK, Canada and other countries.
Representing AfBA President, High Chief Eddie Mark Ibrahim, was Barrister Rudolf Ezieni, AfBA Executive Director and Vice President in charge of Administration.
During the occasion, the outgoing Chairperson of the African Bar Association, Cameroon Chapter, Barrister Sessekou Doctor Enow Benjamin Agbor, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve; said he had confidence in the incoming Chair who had been his Vice since 2023. Barrister Doctor Enow Benjamin promised to be available to continuously assist the new executive.
Adding further weight to the occasion, Chief Charles Taku, AfBA Life Member and member of the Association’s Governing and Executive Councils, recounted how he and late Barrister Bonu Innocent were the first Cameroon lawyers who travelled to Nigeria in 1991 for an AfBA meeting. He encouraged the incoming executive to work hard, as pay for hard work is more hard work.
Other personalities in attendance were Secretary General of the Cameroon Bar Association, Barrister Serge Martin Zangue, representing the President of the Cameroon Bar Association, Barrister Mbah Erick Mbah; Barrister Gbaka Ernest Acho, President of the General Assembly of the Cameroon Bar Association; Senior Barrister Miyoba Bernadette Muzumbwe of Zambia; former Bar Council Member, Mafor Mbunya Gladys; Senior Barrister Nkafu Julius of the UK and many other senior members of the Bar.
Other AfBA country Chairpersons present were Barrister Nathelie Seya of Democratic Republic of Congo and Barrister Tejan of Sierra Leon.
Tanyi-Mbianyor’s Ascent
Barrister Tanyi-Mbianyor holds an LLB from the University of Yaounde II, Soa, Cameroon; an LLM in Common Law from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, Canada; a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Walden University.
He began his career in 2001 at Eno Law Chambers in Buea, Cameroon, as a pupil lawyer; in 2003, he founded Lex Lata Law Chambers, a boutique private law in Buea Cameroon.
A member of the Cameroon Bar Association and the Law Society of Ontario (student division), he has worked as a Human Rights Advisor at the Ontario Human Rights Legal Support Centre in Toronto; Manager of Human Rights & Community Engagement at Laurentian University Sudbury, Ontario; Manager of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at Boost Child and Youth Advocacy Centre in Toronto Canada; Executive Director of Grand Council Treaty #3 in Kenora Ontario; Programme Manager, Diversity and Inclusion at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, amongst others.
He was appointed Director of Cabinet and Personal Assistant to the Chair of African Bar Association Cameroon Forum in 2019; appointed AfBA Vice Chair for Cameroon in 2023; appointment AfBA Chair on December 19, 2025.
Barrister Tanyi-Mbianyor Samuel Tabi is a former President of Buea Summit Junior Chamber.
He is also a published writer, poet, playwright and aphorist (many of his works published in The POST Newspaper, Cameroon).
The new AfBA Cameroon Forum executive team consists: Barrister Chia Blessing Newu – Secretary General; Barrister Awungnjia Tetchounkwi – Treasurer; Barrister Sara Orelie Ngo Bitanga – PRO. The Chair is expected to do appointments within the coming weeks to complete the executive team.
About AfBA
Established in 1971 as a professional body uniting individual lawyers and national legal associations in Africa, the African Bar Association was designed to be a federation of national legal associations, corporate and un-incorporated legal entities and individual lawyers.
The Association seeks, among other objectives, to foster the exchange of opinions and experiences among members, formulation of policies that would better reposition the continent’s socio-economic and political development and advancement with the law as the bedrock for these developments and, breaking new legal frontiers. The Association brings together lawyers from the 54-African countries and their respective National Associations spread over the African continent.
The AFBA organisational structure consists of a 64-member Governing Council called the African Bar Council and the Executive Committee. These two arms form the highest decision-making organs of the Association.
The African Bar Association’s headquarters is situated in Abuja but its functional office is in Lagos, Nigeria.
Every year, AfBA holds a conference featuring a diverse range of training workshops, symposia, debate sessions, among others, addressing critical legal and socio-economic issues affecting the continent.
Last year the Conference held in Accra Ghana, while that of 2026 will take place in Praia, Cape Verde.
AfBA, Cameroon Forum Chapter executive