Cooking gas scarcity worries MPs

The Minister of Trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, has reassured Members of Parliament that government is mediating in negotiations for an agreement between the cooking gas distributor, SCTM, and its supplier, TRADEX S.A. for the former to give a bank guarantee that it will settle its FCFA 4 billion debt as well as payments for further supplies.

The Trade Minister was responding to a question raised by Social Democratic Front, SDF, MP, Hon. Cyprian Awudu Mbaya on the persisting gas scarcity affecting households. This was during general debates that preceded the adoption of the bill governing External Trade in Cameroon, at a plenary sitting yesterday March 29, 2016 presided over by House Speaker, Hon.

Cavaye Yeguie Djibril. According to the report of the Committee on Production and Trade presented in plenary by the Committee’s rapporteur, Hon. Joseph Owona Kono, the purpose of the bill is to regulate external trade activities in Cameroon in a bid to spur economic growth by contributing to export production while protecting domestic production against unfair import trade practices, amongst others.

Before the bill was adopted after a few amendments, two other bills had been adopted in the House Chamber, in the presence of the Minister Delegate at the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation in charge of Regional and Local Councils, Jules Doret Ndongo.

The first bill was to ratify Ordinance No. 2015/5 of December 23, 2015 to amend and supplement some provisions of Law No. 2013/11 of December 16, 2013 governing Economic Zones in Cameroon. The MPs also adopted the bill to authorise the President of the Republic to ratify the Agreement on Trade Facilitation concluded on December 7, 2013 in Bali, Indonesia during the 9th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation.