[2][3] In 1959, the Yaoundé liaison was upgraded to a consulate general, and Ahmadou Ahidjo, independent Cameroon's presumptive leader, visited U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the White House, while on a trip to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to muster international support for Cameroonian independence.

[1] In July the next year, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Mennen Williams, visited Cameroon to reaffirm the countries' "positive relations".

[1] In addition, soon after independence, Cameroon had requested Peace Corps assistance with teaching and training in its underdeveloped education sector.

[6] From around 2013, bilateral relations increasingly emphasised joint counterterrorism actions against Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa, alongside other regional security initiatives, especially in the Gulf of Guinea.

[7] According to former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson, before 2012 – and before the increased emphasis on regional counterterrorism – the U.S.'s Cameroon policy focused on "finding ways to influence the Cameroonian government to adopt political reforms".

[10][11] In October, and citing similar human rights concerns, President Donald Trump terminated Cameroon's eligibility for preferential trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act.

[7] Most recently, in June 2021, the administration of President Joe Biden announced that it would impose visa restrictions on individuals believed to be obstructing the peaceful resolution of the Anglophone Crisis.

The bilateral United States Agency for International Development (USAID) program in Cameroon closed for budgetary reasons in 1994.

However, approximately 140 Peace Corps volunteers continue to work successfully in agroforestry, community development, education, and health.

The Public Affairs section of the U.S. Embassy in Yaoundé organizes and funds diverse cultural, educational, and information exchanges.

It maintains a library and helps foster the development of Cameroon's independent press by providing information in a number of areas, including U.S. human rights and democratization policies.