The bills were received by House Speaker, Cavaye Yegui Djibril, on Friday March 22.

Serious work started at the National Assembly on March 22, 2013 after the putting in place of the House bureau for the year. Four government bills were tabled during a plenary sitting.

Private Investment Incentives

One of the major bills was that to lay down private investment incentives in Cameroon. With a view of making Cameroon emergent by 2035, the Head of State ordered the design of an efficient incentive system for private sector development. The bill therefore lays down the incentives regime for private investments in Cameroon, applicable to Cameroonian or foreign natural or legal persons, residing in Cameroon or not, in conduct of their activities or participation in the equity of Cameroonian companies, in order to encourage productive investment, promote job creation and develop activities geared towards strong, sustainable and shared growth.  It seeks to institute a single approval regime for all investors through which, during the establishment and operation phases, they are granted some common tax, customs, financial and administrative incentives, as well as special incentives for investment likely to help in achieving the priority objectives set by the Head of State. Two offices have been established to receive approval files, with one lodged within  the body in charge of promoting Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, for local SMEs, and the other in charge of investment promotion, for the other local and foreign investors.

Cocoa Agreement

Another bill was to authorize the President of the Republic to ratify the International Cocoa Agreement, concluded in Geneva on June 25, 2010. The agreement was first signed in 1972 and intends to strike a balance between world cocoa supply and demand, under conditions which, on the one hand, ensure that consumers have sufficient supply at good prices and, on the other hand, provide producers with outlets and fair prices. Ratifying the agreement will allow Cameroon to continue benefitting from ICO programmes on promoting research and development in the production, transportation, processing, marketing and consumption of cocoa and its by-products such as chocolate and cocoa liquor; promoting and providing financial assistance to develop projects of the sub-sector, and developing market transparency mechanisms.

Mutual Administrative Assistance

The third bill was to authorise the President of the Republic to proceed with Cameroon’s accession to the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters that was signed in 1988, amended by the 2010 protocol and open for accession by non-member countries in November 2011. It is a multi-lateral treaty that serves as the sole legal basis for multi-State cooperation. It aims at combating tax fraud and evasion through a multi-lateral approach to information exchange. Considering the negative effects of tax evasion and fraud that significantly undermine Cameroon’s development efforts, acceding to the OECD Convention would help strengthen the measures already taken by the country to combat the scourge, through efficient multi-State cooperation in order to contribute to economic recovery.

Cultural Heritage                       

The last bill was to govern heritage in Cameroon. It aims to ensure knowledge, protection, development and promotion of the national cultural heritage, in public interest and for sustainable development.  The bill is consistent with efforts to implement the cultural thrust of the Greater Achievements policy. It proposes a matrix for classifying tangible and intangible cultural property and addresses issues related to the ownership, management, inventory, recognition, classification and declassification of cultural heritage property. The bill provides for tax and customs benefits for promoters of cultural activities and the establishment of a Special Cultural Protection and Development Fund

Prior to the tabling of bills, the House held a session chaired by Deputy House speaker, Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka.