Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee and those of Economic Affairs, Planning and Regional Development yesterday examined two bills at the National Assembly.
Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee and their counterparts of Economic Affairs, Planning and Regional Development of the National Assembly have examined two bills forwarded to it by the plenary. The two committees met yesterday March 21, 2016 in separate sittings to securitized bills tabled by the government. Business began at 10 am with the Foreign Affairs Committee that examined the bill to Authorise the President of the Republic to ratify the agreement on trade facilitation concluded on December 7, 2013 in Bali, Indonesia during the 9th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Cameroon’s Minister of Trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana was on hand to defend the bill. According to the explanatory statement of the bill, it aims to ease border procedures of Member States so as to facilitate trade operations at exports and imports. Its implementation should thus facilitate the movement of goods through simplified customs procedures and enhanced cooperation between member States.
Meanwhile, the Committee on Economic Affairs, Planning and Regional Development also met at the 2nd floor Ngom Jua Commission Room where the Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development (MINEPAT), Yaouba Abdoulaye defended the bill to ratify Ordinance No. 2015/5 of 23 December 2015 to amend and supplement some provisions of the Law No. 2013/11 of 16 December 2013 governing Economic Zones in Cameroon. It emerged that the purpose of the Ordinance issued by the President of the Republic was to extend by three years, the transitional period granted by Law No. 2013/11 of 16 December 2013 for enterprises formally registered under the industrial free zone regime to be transferred to the economic zone regime. The explanatory statement of the bill indicates that 29 enterprises registered under industrial free zone regime would have been closed with about 4037 direct jobs lost, had it not been extended. The Minister of Labour and Social Security, Grégoire Owona sitting in for the Vice Prime Minister, Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Relations with the Parliament and the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Finance, Elung Paul Che assisted in the defence.
