Some 35 media practitioners in Cameroon reporting for national and international media houses under the banner “Presse Economique du Cameroun, Press Eco”, have beefed up their knowledge on the national and international economy. This was during a two-day capacity-building workshop organised by Cameroon’s Directorate General of Customs at the Yaounde Mont Febe Hotel on November 11 – 12, 2010.
Placed under the theme, “Globalisation and the protection of the national economy: constraints, threats and opportunities”, the participants were edified on evolutions in the national and international economy. The target was to improve on the quality of reporting economy, which sometimes is hampered by the ignorance of the reporter on the functioning of some economic issues and trends.
Topics like “balance of payment: instruments of analysing and steering the economy”, 1996 – 2009 results of Cameroon’s balance of payment”, “Cameroon in the phase of globalisation: stakes and challenges” as well as “modern and dynamic Customs sector at the service of Cameroon’s emerging economy vision” were discussed. Paper presentations on these topics from imminent university dons and economists like Jean Paul Amang, Head of Division in charge of Balance of Payment at the Ministry of Finance, Prof. Désire Avom of the Department of Management and Economic Sciences of the University of Yaounde II, Dr François Collin Nkoa of the same University and Samson Bilangna, Head of the Computing Unit at the Directorate General of Customs, interspersed with questions from participants, made the workshop interactive and edifying.
Like in the opening, the Minister of Finance, Essimi Menye, said during the closing ceremony that it is his ministry’s duty to inform the public, which information, he said, passes through the journalists whom he reiterated must be versed with economy issues so as to effectively play their gate-keeper’s role. The workshop served as an opportunity for the Director General of Customs, Minette Libom Li Likeng and her collaborators to present evolutions in the Customs department with the injection of performance-enhanced and counter-fraud procedures like the global positioning system (GPS), among others.
On behalf of his colleagues, the President of Press Eco, François Bambou, appreciated the efforts of the Customs department to drill media practitioners for efficiency. Besides advocating many of such opportunities both from government ministries and other structures, Mr Bambou urged the Minister and other stakeholders involved in economic issues in the country to put in place an information focal point which would bridge the information gap between economic actors and the public. Participants were awarded end-of-seminar attestations to immortalise the workshop.
