Govt to boost local wood transformation industry by 40%

According to Prime Minister, Philémon Yang, from the year 2015, the Cameroonian public administration will have at least 40% with locally manufactured furniture. He made this statement in a presentation at the economic and financial programme of Cameroon to members on November 25, 2014 in Yaoundé.

According to the head of government, through this decision, the State intends to give impetus to the local wood processing sector which continues to export wood mainly in the form of sawn blades or logs, despite regulatory provisions prohibiting this practice.

Being the 2nd export activity of Cameroon (with 13.3% of revenues) behind the oil exploitation (50% of export earnings), the forestry industry provides 45,000 jobs, but participates in only 6% of the formation of the country's GDP though, its potential remains very important.

Indeed, explained the experts, the contribution of the wood sector to the economic development of Cameroon will get a boost if economic operators develop formal units of 2nd or even 3rd transformation.

Moreover, in order to develop the potential of the processing of timber in the country, the Government intends to site two clusters-wood industrial zones specially dedicated to the wood in the eastern region, which houses the bulk of the country's forest resources and in the suburbs of the city of Yaoundé.

These will be explained to the competitiveness Committee, following the project, vocational training centres of woodworking, specialized financing structures, storage units, drying and woodworking and exhibition halls.