He was appointed to the government of Cameroon as Minister of Agriculture in 1984.[3] He was the Minister of Finance of Cameroon from 1987 to 1990.[4]
After his stint as Prime Minister, Hayatou became National Director of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC), leaving that post on January 1, 2008. Despite the official retirement age at the Bank being 60, Hayatou was kept in his post for five additional years by BEAC Governor Jean-Félix Mamalepot.[5]