A year ago, precisely in February, 2010, public opinion held that what could not be achieved by the Inter-Ministerial Committee Extended to the Private Sector and the Prime Minister’s Investment Council could likely be accomplished by the newly created Cameroon Business Forum. This, in effect, concerns breaking down the walls of discord that have existed between the private and public sector that are incidentally the major actors in the country’s economic build up and developing an enticing environment for business to thrive.

During its first session, the public sector committed itself to four major reforms in this direction: simplify the procedure for business creation, simplify further the tax procedure, facilitate trans-border trade and intensify the fight against corruption in all its dimensions. The private sector, represented by the Confederation of Cameroon Business People (GICAM) on its part, expressed the desire to see nine major business-friendly reforms carried out within the framework of the CBF. Among these featured: publication of a circular recalling the revised procedure and requirements for the creation of a business enterprise, drawing up of a priority plan of action on fiscal reforms before the end of 2010, harmonizing maritime documents on facilitation standards of the CEMAC commission and promulgating of the law on electronic trade.

From every indication, at the end of that session, about 27 grievances were formulated and streamlined for execution. According to Philemon Yang, Prime Minister, Head of Government, 12 of the 27 have been executed within one year; are presently seven under execution and only eight have not been put in place. One major overriding reform carried out within this realm, is simplifying the procedure for business creation. To go by Cameroonian standards, this rate of execution is to say the least, satisfactory.

But this satisfaction remains relative to the private sector even though it has helped to push Cameroon’s position up the ladder of classification by the international business NGO, Doing Business. The whole trouble seems to lie on the absence of information on what is being done or what has so far been done. The CBF Steering Committee meets rarely and reforms carried out along the lines of agreed programme remain in limbo. For instance, few businesses were informed of the creation of the formality centre for the creation of enterprises within 72 hours. This is an important element that ought to be taken into consideration and which could further push Cameroon’s position on the Doing Business classification, maybe going beyond the five places recently gained. As the members of the CBF retire to their base, it will be important to consider integrating fully, the communication component in the whole process.