The mixed commission session of experts from the two countries held in Yaounde yesterday July 23, 2013.
Cameroon and the Republic of Congo want to clear all obstacles to transport and trade between them and seek ways of federating their efforts and means to boost the sectors for the mutual benefits of the two countries. The first mixed commission session grouping experts in the domain held in Yaounde yesterday July 23 to jointly identify the obstacles, propose solutions and define what each party would do to reach the target.
Co-chairing the opening session with the Minister Delegate in Congo’s Ministry of Transport, Civil Aviation and Maritime Trade, Parfait Aimé Coussoud-Mavoungou, Cameroon’s Transport Minister, Robert Nkili, said the two countries need an integrated approach to solve noticeable problems plaguing their trade and transport. Yesterday’s session, he said, was to seek ways of implementing the recommendations of an enlarged mixed commission which held in Yaounde on December 19-21, 2012. He disclosed that North Congo exports its wood through Cameroon and quite often there are misunderstandings. “We need to examine obstacles notably administrative problems and over speeding in course of transporting the wood in areas like Mouloundou,” the Minister stated, adding that Cameroon is presently constructing a road linking Sangmelima to Ouesso in Congo to regulate circulation in the trans-African road. “We have also signed air transport accords and Camair-Co can fly from Cameroon to Congo and all these will ease the mobility of persons and goods between the two countries,” Prof. Nkili said.
It emerged from the mixed commission session that Cameroon and Congo share a lot in common and could improve their trade and transport ties for the mutual benefits of their economies and populations. Minister Nkili cited the Mbalam-Nabeba Iron Ore Project through which a 510-km rail line from the Mbarga mine in Cameroon and a 70-km rail spur line connecting the Nabeba mine in Congo dedicated to the transport of iron ore to the Cameroon coast will be constructed. There is also an envisaged construction of a new deep water iron ore export terminal at Kribi to convey the 35 million tons of iron to be mined annually. “We don’t need to wait for problems to start reflecting on solving them,” he said.
A view corroborated by Parfait Aimé Coussoud-Mavoungou who said there is need for synergy of strategies and means to develop win-win trade and transport between the two countries. “The CEMAC sub-region has so many common instruments like the maritime trade code, road code and civil aviation code and we need to use them to enhance in-depth and fruitful integration. Reason why transport, trade and public works officials of the two countries are leaving nothing to chance to realise the dream,” the Minister Delegate said.
