Y’de Int’l Economic Conference:

Biya was warm with his foreign guests

Cameroon commits to intensify trade links with Nigeria

By Mercy Neba in Yaounde

The government of Cameroon has taken a firm commitment with Nigeria to intensify trade links between the two neighbouring and brotherly countries. The commitment took the form of partnership accord signed between the two countries during the International Economic Conference that took place in Yaounde on 17-18 May 2016.

                Cameroon and her western neighbor took the commitment in fulfillment of the recommendations of the Yaounde Conference. Several participants at the conference observed that despite the long border separating them, the two countries were not doing enough business between themselves. The participants therefore urged Cameroon and Nigeria to take advantage of their proximity and intensify bilateral trade links with each other. This was enshrined in the final recommendations of the Yaounde Conference.

                In his intervention at the conference, the former president of the EU commission, Manuel Barroso, noted for instance that “African countries do not do enough business among themselves”.

                He pointed out that if Cameroon combined her 23 million people with the over 173 million people of Nigeria, they will offer themselves a vast market for import and export of locally made goods.

Mr. Barroso therefore, urged the governments of Cameroon and Nigeria to take measures to ease movements across their borders especially for business purposes. He suggested for instance that visas be given to business persons at entry ports or that on line procedures for visa be put in place.

Other conference participants also underscored the gains to the Cameroon economy, if she undertakes to exploit the vast marked afforded by Nigeria.

                To ensure that this and other recommendations of the two-day conference are not abandoned, the government of Cameroon was urged to create a commission to follow-up the engagements made during the conference.

                On her part, the Cameroon government pledged to facilitate procedures for investors. The pledge was announced by the MINEPAT, Louis Paul Motaze, who was the coordinator of the technical team for the Yaounde conference.

                “My ministry, under the high authority of the Prime Minister, will undertake to assure follow-up of the recommendations of the different round-tables of the Yaounde conference. We will do this in the soonest future, as a way towards fostering win-win partnerships,” Motaze pledged.