As 7th edition ends:

Yaounde to host another PROMOTE in two years

By Rachel NtubeNgwese in Yaounde

The sixth edition of the international exhibition fair for enterprises and partnership dubbed PROMOTE ended on 19 February 2017 in Yaoundé with participants and visitors treated to several innovations in business opportunities for young entrepreneurs. According to Prime Minister Philemon Yang who officially opened the exhibition fair last February 13, over 900 enterprises from more than 11 countries took part in the fair.

                Amongst the foreign participants at the fair was the Italian deputy minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, Mario Gairo, who was guest speaker at the opening.

                In his message, he noted that Italy’s participating in the fair went beyond just classical assistance to Africa, to promoting economic partnership, favoring exchanges and establishing joint ventures and transferring technology.

                Acknowledging Cameroon’s interesting business potentials, he underscored Italy’s intention to create new businesses in Cameroon through joint ventures, with a view to providing more employment and apprenticeship opportunities for Cameroonians. 

                For his part, the promoter of the Fondation Inter-Progres, that organizes the Promote, Pierre Zumbach, noted that apart from the enterprises that exhibited this year, at least 14 government ministries in Cameroon equally set up stands at the exhibition ground.

When we visited some of the ministerial stands, the receptionists told us that by exposing at the fair they had as main objective to give greater orientation to visitors on how to better use their services and/or create partnerships.

                Apart from foreign exhibitors, local enterprises and handicraft stands exposed a variety of products that attracted the attention of visitors.

                The numerous sections at the Promote include cosmetics, dressmaking, electronics, communication, administration, restoration amongst others.

                The exhibition fair provided a variety of opportunities to all from the smallest holders to the biggest enterprises.

                Activities that marked this 2017 edition of the Promote included among others conferences and workshops that brought together representatives of enterprises to share experiences and establish business partnerships within the context of globalization.

                The representative of the Cameroon government in the organization, the Minister of Trade, Luc MagloireMbargaAtangana, explained that the periodicity of the fair has been reduced from three to two years. He announced that the 7th edition of the Promote will take place in February 2019.