His Excellency Mr. Ia Al-Tijani, Ambassador of the Republic of Cameroon to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Permanent Representative of Cameroon to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), on Saturday 14 Safar 1444H corresponding to 10 September 2022G, visited the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

His Excellency the Ambassador was received by His Excellency Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, Secretary General of the Academy, who welcomed him and his delegation, and thanked him for this first visit to the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Academy. He also expressed to him the gratitude of Academy, and its great appreciation for the support and care it enjoys from the Government of the Republic of Cameroon, hoping that this visit will be an opportunity to inform His Excellency of the Academy’s vision, mission, goals, projects, and five-year strategic plan, which includes a clear formulation of all activities and programs that the Academy hopes to implement during the next five years.

His Excellency also expressed his gratitude to the Ambassador for the efforts he exerts to strengthen relations of cooperation and coordination between the member states of the OIC in general, and between the African Group countries in particular, praising the long and rich experiences of His Excellency in the diplomatic field and international relations, wishing for further compatibility, synergy, and integration strengthening the bonds of participation and communication. Then His Excellency presented his honorable guest with a brief overview of the qualitative changes that the General Secretariat of the Academy is witnessing after assuming the duties of the Secretary General more than a year ago, requesting the permanent delegations to the OIC to appeal to their countries to continue to support the Academy, and to support its strategic plan in particular, to enable it to carry out its intellectual responsibility of promoting the approach of moderation, spreading the culture of moderation, tolerance, coexistence and harmony among followers of religions and sects, and rejecting extremism, fanaticism, terrorism and violence in all its forms.

For his part, His Excellency the ambassador expressed his great joy and pride in this visit, which enabled him to witness the distinguished efforts of the Academy and its promising projects, wishing the Secretary General continued success in his duties, which is a source of pride and joy for every African. He also expressed his full readiness to strengthen relations of cooperation and partnership between the Academy and scientific institutions in Cameroon, and concluded the visit by recording his feelings in the honor book, where he said: “It is a pleasure to come today to visit the Academy, and I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the Secretary General and his team for the respect and appreciation he has for the Republic of Cameroon. We had discussions with His Excellency on issues of common concern, and I appreciate the distinguished initiatives of His Excellency that aim to advance the Academy and enable it to play its important role as intellectual reference for the OIC Member States. I am pleased to assure His Excellency that I will provide him with all the support he needs to successfully accomplish his mission at the head of this body. I also highly appreciate his good efforts to strengthen relations of cooperation, coordination and partnership among the member states of the OIC, especially with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. My sincere thanks, and my highest appreciation to His Excellency and his team for their dedication to serving Islam and Muslims.

At the end of the visit, the Secretary General gave the Ambassador and his companions a tour of the offices of the General Secretariat of the Academy and presented him with souvenirs.