Cameron Business Forum: Giving Sustained Attention To Recommendations

“The Prime Minister, Head of Government, His Excellency Joseph Dion Ngute, chaired the proceedings of the twelfth session of the Cameroon Business Forum (CBF) held on Thursday, 22 and Friday, 23 October 2026, at the Soaho Douala Airport Hotel, under the theme: "The AfCFTA and productive transformation: What reforms are needed to make Cameroon à major industrial and commercial hub in Africa?' This meeting brought together nearly 300 participants, from the Government, business and consular organi­ zations, the private sector, as well as technical and fi­ nancial partners. Discussions focused on improving the business environment and strengthening the com­ petitiveness of Cameroon's economy. Organized after six years of interruption, this session marked the revival of the institutional framework for public-private dialogue, against a backdrop of growing urgency to accelerate the structural transformation of the national economy and fully harness the oppor­ tunities offered by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The formal proceedings opened with a welcome address by the Douala City Mayor, followed by state­ ments from the President of the Cameroon Business Association (GECAM) and the President of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Crafts (CCIMA). In his address, the President of GECAM highlighted several persistent constraints hindering business de­ velopment, particularly in the areas of infrastructure, energy, taxation, access to finance, justice and land. He notably called for the payment of the State's do­ mestic debt and outstanding VAT credit claims, as well as stronger monitoring if the implementation of recommendations made by the Cameroon Business Forum. For his part, the President of CCIMA outlined six pri­ vate-sector priorities, focusing in particular on promoting Made-in-Cameroon products, controlling the cost of production inputs improving access to long-term fi­ nancing for productive investment, strengthening legal and judicial safeguards for investment, ensuring that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) becomes fully operational for business, and consolidating the Cameroon Business Forum as a genuine platform for partnership and economic transformation. In his opening address, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the private sector’s pivotal role in driving industriali­ zation, promoting local processing of raw materials, advancing the import-substitution policy and creating decent jobs. Emphasizing that access to a sufficiently large market is a key determinant of business compe­ titiveness, he highlighted Cameroon’s strategic position within the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), while underscoring the additional opportunities offered by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Referring to the instructions of the President of the Republic to step up efforts to improve the business climate, the Head of Government called for closer synergy between the public and private sectors to develop coordinated and sustainable solutions to the constraints affecting the national economy. Following the formal proceedings, two inductor state­ ments were given on the themes “AfCFTA: Challenges and Prospects” and “The Business Ready (B-READY) Project: Challenges and Prospects”, respectively. The first statement, given by the Director of the Sub regional Office for Central Africa of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, (ECA), highlighted AfCFTA’s potential to significantly boost intra-African trade by 2045. I also underscored Cameroon’s compe­ titive advantages, notably its geographical location, port infrastructure and capacity for industrial diversification, while stressing the need to develop regional value chains, expand local processing and enhance business competitive­ ness. The second statement, given by the International Finance Cor­ poration (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, outlined the rationale and objectives of the Business Ready (B-READY) fra­ mework, which assesses the business environment across three key dimensions; the regulatory framework, public services and operational efficiency. The statements highlighted Cameroon’s existing strengths, which could provide a solid foundation for modernizing its business environment, provided that further progress is made in improving the quality of public services, accelerating digital transformation and enhancing efficiency of commercial justice. In this regard, the World Bank Group reaffirmed its readiness to support reforms aimed at making the private sector a genuine driver’ of economic growth and job creation. Proceedings subsequently continued in parallel workshops fo­ cusing on six major themes. The first workshop, devoted to economic patriotism and com­ petitive import substitution, examined ways to better promote domestic production, notably by enhancing the competitiveness of Made-in-Cameroon products, developing local processing value chains and improving businesses’ access to Africa mar­ kets. The second workshop, on trade facilitation and the removal of barriers to intra-African trade, focused on simplifying procedures, ensuring better understanding of AfCFTA rules of origin, reducing non-tariff barriers and facilitating the smooth flow of trade along regional corridors. The third workshop, dedicated to the funding of trade and in­ dustrialization, explored mechanisms to improve businesses’ access to appropriate financing, particularly for small and me­ dium-s...