YAOUNDE, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Fifteen foreign leaders will converge in Yaounde to mark Cameroon's National Day on May 20, also the 50th anniversary of the Central African country's independence, the government said on Monday.

Among the leaders invited by Cameroonian President Paul Biya are Liberia's Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, South Africa's Jacob Zuma, Senegal's Abdoulaye Wade, Burkina Faso's Blaise Compaore and the presidents of the five other countries of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa, or CEEAC.

In addition, there will be President of the African Union Commission (AU) Jean Ping, former UN secretary general Kofi Annan and former French minister for culture and justice Jacques Toubon, who was named by French President Nicolas Sarkozy as the secretary general of the committee organizing Africa's jubilee independence celebrations.

On the sidelines of these festivities, the eminent scholars from Cameroon, Africa and other parts of the world will hold an international conference on May 18-20, with a theme of "Africa, an opportunity for the world. Realities and challenges".

Cameroon was the first of the 14 former French colonies to win independence in 1960, following an armed uprising by nationalists. The Cameroonian president created a national committee in February to organize the anniversary.