Sports and Business on President Biya's Audience Menu

President Paul Biya granted two more audiences on Tuesday in Paris. Sports and economic development featured prominently in the discussions.

Two audiences were granted yesterday at the 4th floor of Hotel Le Meurice in Paris by President Paul Biya. Making a total seventeen audiences so far, since his arrival in France for a Working Visit, the two audiences yesterday added variety to the subject matter of discussions. Sports took the limelight as the first audience at one o'clock was granted to Gevrise Emane, bronze medalist at the last Olympic Games in London.

The judo guru of French nationality is Cameroonian by origin. Aged twenty five years, Gevrise came to France at the age of two and a half years and started the active practice of judo at thirteen. She rose rapidly up the judo ladder in France and Europe, plucking many medals and honour for her adopted nation. After her audience with the Head of State, she expressed gratitude for the opportunity, adding that the subject of their discussions was primarily sports in general and judo in particular.

The ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in football also came up for discussions with the Head of State asserting that eventually, the Indomitable Lions will attain their natural top form. Gevrise Emane also had some projects for the future which she discussed with the President. These have to do with working in harmony with the Judo Federation in Cameroon in the area of building strategies for the better practice of Judo in Cameroon. The supply of judo equipments to clubs and the federation in Cameroon is part of her future project for the country.

Electric Cars

The Chief Executive of the Bollore Group, Vincent Bollore was the second personality to be received in audience by President Paul Biya, yesterday afternoon. The subject of discussion was the desire of the Bollore Group to accompany Cameroon on its economic emergence. With an employment strength of over ten thousand in Cameroon now, the group intends to ameliorate its performance in the railway sector, improve conditions for travellers and build new structures. Vincent Bollore also expressed interest in the development of the Kribi deep sea port and investments in other multiple sectors.

A new project on the pipeline which he presented to the Head of State had to do with solar energy and the use of this to run electric cars and buses in the cities of Yaounde and Douala. The vehicles which are expected to have a battery autonomy of over two hundred kilometres may be in operation in Cameroon within a period of four to six months. The business magnate saw the favourable investment environment in Cameroon as a major attraction for investors. He insisted that President Paul Biya has the appropriate communication talents and the political resolve to pull investors to Cameroon.

Mastery

The peaceful march towards prosperity and emergence is taking a decisive verve in pace and content. With over seventeen audiences so far granted by President Paul Biya since last Friday, the Cameroon destination is emerging as the prime choice for investors. All Chief Executives of numerous multi-nationals and French corporate bodies received in audience by the Head of State, come away with excellent impressions. The charm, the quality of hospitality, the words of wisdom from the natural communicator and the totality of all other sterling attributes of President Paul Biya, emerge as the strong points of Cameroon's economic marketing.

Audiences therefore are an appropriate weapon played to positive effects in favour of Cameroon's aspiration to economic emergence by 2035. It is with this background that one can understand the current prolongation of the Working Visit of President Paul Biya to France. Scores of top level personalities from the French business community are lined up, soliciting audiences.

The patriotic willingness of Cameroon's most eloquent promoter of the nation's values of peace, stability and a favourable economic environment ensure a collective synergy for fruitful results. President Paul Biya's natural skills of communication, his mastery of the realities on the ground, his astute understanding of the global dynamics of political economy place Cameroon on a golden stead, making it an attractive focal point for investors.

Audiences therefore are a practical expression of the resolve of President Paul Biya to attain the nation's economic objectives. They are an effective and appropriate methodology to explain to prospective investors, Cameroon's options and priorities. With audiences, the sometimes lengthy administrative procedures are dramatically short-circuited and results are readily available. The savvy Statement is decidedly on the economic steering wheel taking the nation towards emergence by 2035.