The Entrepreneur - Cameroon's Premier Economic & Business Journal

Not out of the Woods Yet? Akwaya - Another Bakassi in the Making

By Joachim Arrey

Prior to the dispute that pit Cameroon against Nigeria, the border region of Bakassi was unknown to many Cameroonians. The name Bakassi sounded as an extra-terrestrial name. The government of Cameroon which is notorious for leaving its border regions underdeveloped paid very little or no attention to such a remote area as Bakassi. Nigerians basically constructed schools in the region and the Nigerian population there increased tremendously over the years because of the great fishing and farming potential Bakassi had and still has. Today, there are no roads that can enable the average resident of Bakassi to identify himself with Cameroon. Given Nigeria’s good roads to Bakassi and considering that the livelihood of the people of that region depended on Nigeria, which is more developed economically, the many Nigerians and the few Cameroonians living in that area started to feel more emotionally attached to Nigeria.

In reshuffling the Government, I...had to issue firm guidelines...to give a new impetus to our economy...encouraging signs are beginning to show with improved oil and other commodity prices."... President Paul Biya

President Paul Biya Speaks to the Citizens of Cameroon
HEAD OF STATE’S NEW YEAR MESSAGE TO THE NATION
31 December 2009

Fellow Cameroonians,
My Dear Compatriots,

During the year just ended, Cameroon – like most countries – witnessed a context still strongly marked by the global economic and financial crisis.

A year ago, when we were beginning to suffer its early effects, I stated that at first glance the impact of the crisis could be relatively limited, as far as we are concerned. I however added that one could not rule out the possibility of some sectors of our economy being affected. (Click Here for Audio French Version)

NEPAD to Coordinate South-to-South Engagements

By Banke Adeoye

The NEPAD Secretariat is to serve as the lead facilitator and coordinator of the Africa regional process on South/South Cooperation and Aid Effectiveness, with focus on capacity development. The mandate was one of the major outcomes of the inaugural meeting of the Task Team on South/South Cooperation held in September 2009 in Washington DC. This African process will lead to the March 2010 High-level Event in Bogota, Columbia and subsequently the 2011 High-level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Seoul, South Korea.

Cameroon Business Reporter of the Year

Pierre-Alexis Kaptchouang, la plume d’or du business reporting 2009

Par Ben Nakomo et Bright Lokenge

Il compte désormais parmi les géants du plus beau métier du monde. En une dizaine d’année de carrière, le jeune Pierre-Alexis Kaptchouang a su s’inspirer des réalités de l’actualité quotidienne pour bâtir une carrière qui aujourd’hui témoigne de ses talents. Une carrière de journaliste qu’il embrasse à l’age de 19 ans, encore sur les bancs du lycée. Ses premiers papiers paraissent dans le périodique « L’Ouest Républicain » dirigé par le journaliste chevronné Michel Mombio. Même les conditions précaires et les conditions peu évidentes de la profession ne l’empêcheront pas à braver ce terrain rocailleux qu’il embrasse sur le tas.

Invest in Africa: Discover South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is the place to invest in 2010. It is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a 2,798 kilometres (1,739 mi) coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe; to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland; while Lesotho is an independent country wholly surrounded by South African territory. (See Media Club South Africa). Modern humans have inhabited Southern Africa for more than 100,000 years. At the time of European contact, the dominant indigenous peoples were tribes who had migrated from other parts of Africa about one thousand years before. From the 4th-5th century CE, Bantu-speaking tribes had steadily moved south, where they displaced, conquered and assimilated original peoples of southern Africa. At the time of European contact, the two major groups were the Xhosa and Zulu peoples. By UN classification South Africa is a middle-income country with an abundant supply of resources, well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors, a stock exchange that ranks among the top twenty in the world, and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centres throughout the entire region. South Africa is ranked 25th in the world in terms of GDP (PPP) as of 2007. Advanced development is significantly localised around four areas: Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, and Pretoria/Johannesburg. (See photo gallery).  Some key marginal areas have also experienced rapid growth recently. Such areas include Mossel Bay to Plettenberg Bay; Rustenburg area; Nelspruit area; Bloemfontein; Cape West Coast; and the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast...Discover South Africa.© The Entrepreneur Newspaper 2010. All Rights Reserved . Follow The Entrepreneur News on Twitter. See Our Events in Face Book.

Incendie du Marché central de Douala: 450 millions de Fcfa pour 450 hangars et magasins

Fritz Ntone Ntone l’a relevé hier lors d’une séance de travail avec les commerçants sinistrés, dont l’ordre du jour portait sur les modalités de leur recasement.

Par Pierre Alexis Kaptchouang

La rencontre était organisée par le préfet du Wouri Bernard Okalia Bilaï, et avait réuni les Autorités administratives, commerçants, agents de sécurité, autorités municipales, et autres. Question de faire le point sur la situation et décider de la réouverture  ou non la du marché. Une rencontre qui a d’ailleurs permis de recenser quelques problèmes de l’heure. En effet, Au cours de cette réunion, les commerçants ont fait remarquer que certains de leurs collègues qui n’avaient pas été sinistrés ont été recensés ; tandis que certaines victimes véritables ne l’ont pas été. En réponse, le préfet du Wouri, président de la commission d’enquête, a réitéré qu’un communiqué avait été rendu public par ses soins, invitant toutes les victimes à se faire recenser.

IBM's second Africa innovation centre

Multinational IT giant IBM has opened an Africa Innovation Centre in Cape Town to foster the development of information technology and business skills, and to expand its customers and business partners in the region. The centre, which joins a growing worldwide network of 47 centres, will help local businesses develop and deploy new technologies that support key digital infrastructure opportunities in government, banking, insurance, retail, and travel and transportation industries. Based in Century City to the north of Cape Town, the centre will provide local customers, business partners, start-up companies, independent software vendors, IT professionals and the academic community with access to training workshops, consulting services, a broad technical infrastructure, and hands-on assistance to help solve business challenges and bring new technologies to market.

African Business: BMW to invest R2.2bn in Rosslyn plant

BMW South Africa is to invest an additional R2.2-billion at its plant in Rosslyn outside Pretoria, in order to introduce the latest vehicle and production technology at the plant and within the company's local supplier network. "The investment will enable maximum plant capacity to increase from 60 000 to 87 000 units, while securing production in South Africa for the future," the German automaker said in October, 2009.

Développement : Un partenariat gouvernement - secteur privé pour les infrastructures au Cameroun

Une nouvelle approche pour la réalisation des grandes infrastructures a été présentée par le Carpa comme alternative à la traditionnelle procédure de passation des marchés publics.

Par Pierre Alexis Kaptchouang

Créé pourtant depuis 2006, ce nouveau mode de financement de grandes infrastructures de service public Baptisé « contrat de partenariat » est différent du processus bien connu de passation des marchés publics. Il a été présenté récemment à Douala aux opérateurs économiques. Selon la présidente du Conseil d'appui à la réalisation de contrats de partenariat (Carpa), Pauline Nguene, à l'ouverture de la première édition des rencontres camerounaises du partenariat public-privé, il s'agit "d'un contrat à long terme (10, 20, 30 ans et même plus) par lequel,l'Etat ou l'un de ses démembrements confie à un tiers public ou privé,pour une période déterminée, en fonction de la durée d'amortissement des investissements ou des modalités de financement retenues, la responsabilité de tout ou partie des phases d'un projet d'investissement, notamment la concession des ouvrages ou équipements nécessaires au service public, le financement, la construction, la transformation des ouvrages ou des équipements, l'entretien ou la maintenance, l'exploitation ou la gestion". L’objectif, selon Pauline Nguene, étant "d'aligner le Cameroun sur ce phénomène qui est devenu mondial".

Cameroonian invents Coffee pulping Machine

By Bright Lokenge

A Cameroonian born technologist, Piam Fokam has invented a coffee pulping machine. The coffee pulping machine has the capacity to pulp 30 tons of coffee daily. It was presented to the public at the Chamber of Agriculture in Yaounde, December 28, 2009. The invention and a series of other agricultural machines are expected to revolutionise the rural setting in Cameroon. Cameroon is aiming to double its coffee production in the next few years. At its peak during the 1960s, According to Michael Ndoping, general manager of the National Cocoa and Coffee Board, Cameroon produced 120,000 tonnes of coffee each year but that level has fallen to around 40,000 tonnes today. “ By 2013, we want it to be at 80,000 tonnes" (Read Coffee News). Mr Fokam's invention is therefore timely in contributing to Cameroon's new vision for the coffee sub-sector. Most of Cameroon’s coffee is grown by small landowners on plots of two to 10 hectares, and nearly all of it is grown in mixed-cropped farms. Its unique profile comes from the rich volcanic soil as well as from the benefits of growing in a diversified crop environment. More about Cameroon Coffee . © The Entrepreneur Newspaper 2010. All Rights Reserved . Follow The Entrepreneur News on Twitter. See Our Events in Face Book.