The Cameroon business cartel, GICAM, has urged the government to use the Agro-pastoral Show, coming up from December 9 to 14, in Ebolowa to rethink the elaboration of policies to double food production as a way to reduce importation of foodstuffs. The association’s President, Olivier Behle, made this call during a press conference at its headquarters in Douala on Friday, November 5.
Behle expressed his association’s support to governments re-launching of agro-pastoral show, adding, “We are happy for its restart and it marks an important stage in the promotion and re-launch of agriculture in the country. Its objective should therefore be to strengthen Cameroon’s food self-sufficiency and drastically reduce the high importation of basic foodstuffs to balance national trade.” Allusion was particularly made to imported foodstuffs such as rice, which could be produced locally to meet home demand. Among the six issues tackled during during the news talk were Cameroon’s optical fibre network, compulsory state loan, draft law on subcontracting, HEC Executive Club, and environmental assessment.
For Cameroon’s optical fibre network to be largely sufficient and effectively operational, its management could also be put not only in hands of the public investor but also private entrepreneurs. To take the case of Yaounde and Douala where a loop of optical fibre is available, installing it in these two cities has come at a slow pace of business expectation. Today, the national telecommunications are still largely dependent on the microwave that offers very low capacity. On compulsory state loans, it was advised that Cameroon could resort to them in a context where acute funding problem arises, while the banking system and economy in general are in a situation of excess liquidity.
As regards the draft law on subcontracting and its implementing regulations, GICAM suggests that the terms of this law should be in harmony with the provisions of other laws, and with the above, being similar to the provisions on the governing public-private partnership. The draft law on subcontracting should be voted to allow for achievements by Law on Leasing, Law on the overall delay of payment. Also, local entrepreneurs on July 8, 2010, signed a convention with Groupe HEC Paris in Douala and it will hold a training session under the theme: “The culture of high performance, factor of social cohesion” to reinforce investors’ managerial capacities.
