Kunio Okamura, Japanese Ambassador to Cameroon, talks on the challenges of wooing Japanese businessmen to Cameroon.

What is your impression after visiting Lake Nyos for the first time?

I was so impressed with the progress of cooperation between Cameroonian and Japanese scientists in degassing the lake. The research is to prevent a recurrence of the August 21, 1986 gas disaster in Lake Nyos and August 15, 1984 catastrophe in Lake Monoun.

The SATREPS NyMo degassing project ends in March 2016. Is there anything your government can do to assist Cameroonian scientists to continue monitoring Lake Nyos and survivors of the disaster?

It is up to the Cameroonian side to make another funding request. I understand that the Institute of Geological and Mining Research, IRGM, is preparing another project for consideration by the Japanese government. We are ready to look at it.

Let’s come back to the national level. What is the state of relations and cooperation between Cameroon and Japan? 

Relations between our two countries are excellent with a very long and good history. We will strengthen these relations and continue to support Cameroon.

Are there any specific areas in which Cameroon and Japan currently cooperate?

Until now, we have been doing many projects in education by constructing primary schools. We are also active in agriculture, the promotion of small and medium-size industries, health and sanitation, rural development and potable water projects. Our government is involved in major infrastructure projects with a concessional loan agreement recently signed between Cameroon and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, JICA, for the construction of the Batschenga-Lena Road in the Centre Region. The funding is alongside the African Development Bank, AfDB. We are also examining transport projects for possible funding.

Does your government offer small grants for micro projects?

Yes, there are such opportunities funded directly by the Embassy. In fact, a school was last week handed over to a community in the West Region. Its construction was funded by a small grant from us. There is also an ongoing project for safe water worth about 1 Billion FCFA for 500 people in a community in the Centre Region. We will continue to fund such projects.

How much funding is available in 2016 for micro projects?

It depends on the availability of good projects. We don’t have a prefixed amount. If the applications for project funding are good and are approved by our government, we go ahead in spite of the number. However, small grants are used mainly for rural communities with no restrictions on areas of activity.

Cameroonians patronise a lot of Japanese goods - vehicles, motor-cycles, electronics, etc. But the general impression is that Japanese businesses do not invest in the country.   

We try to encourage Japanese investors to set up in Cameroon, but their attention for now is on East Africa and South Africa, rather than Central and West Africa. This is largely because of the geographical distance. It is easier for Japanese investors to get to East African nations because of the shorter distance than travelling to Central and West Africa.

For now, is there any Japanese investor operating in Cameroon?

Some Japanese companies are exploring possibilities of doing business in Cameroon. An electrical tools manufacturer, Makita, in June 2015, started distributing its products in Douala. They are looking forward to spreading to other Cameroonian towns. However, the equipment is manufactured in Morocco. If things go well, Makita might in future consider manufacturing in Cameroon.

Would you encourage Cameroonian authorities to go to Japan to woo investors to the country?

It is possible, but I think what is better is to invite Japanese investors to Cameroon. Back in Japan, many delegations from all over the world come to woo investors to their countries. If potential Japanese investors come to Cameroon, they will find out more about local realities. We would like to encourage Japanese investors to come to Cameroon as much as possible.

This year, the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, TICAD, is to hold in August in Africa for the first time in 23 years. The conference will take place in Nairobi, Kenya. This will be an opportunity for Japanese business people to visit Cameroon before or after the conference to explore investment avenues. I will therefore like to invite them to come and discover Cameroon.

Talking about TICAD holding in Africa for the first time, does this suggest growing Japanese interest in the continent?  

Japan has growing interest in Africa. We look forward to strengthening cooperation with African countries.

What do you expect of this year’s TICAD conference?

The topics to be discussed at the conference are now under negotiation between the parties concerned. They include the Japanese government and co-organisers such as the African Union, the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, the World Bank, etc. But one topic to be certainly discussed at the meeting is how to promote private-private initiatives between Japanese and African business people. 

Prior to the holding of the conference proper, senior officials will meet in Africa next month to prepare it; to be followed in May by a ministerial meeting. In due course, the agenda for the conference will be finalised. Henceforth, the interval of TICAD conferences will be three, and no longer five years as has been the case since its foundation 23 years ago. This is a reflection of rapid changes in Africa and the world in general.