Laws on importation of motorcycles revised

According to agreements, motorcycles operators are now obliged to standards and other practical obligations.

Eight prior and periodic penalty payments on the activities of import, distribution and marketing of motorcycles in Cameroon have just been enacted by the Minister of Commerce, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana.

Such penalty has been attributed to major crimes such as the fact that: "it is forbidden to expose to market motorcycles or their parts on the sidewalk or on any other part of the road, Or even: "every motorcycle to be imported in Cameroon for commercial purposes must be the equipment with accessories such: a fuel tank; a two place seat including that of the driver; two mirrors; a troubleshooting keychain.” These are just the selected pieces of the circular which, from sources close to Min-commerce, permits traceability, visibility and security for the benefit of developers, actors and users of this sector of activity.

The purposes for this has been listed in an order dated August 5, 2013, establishing an approval for the importation of motorcycles and their parts to Cameroon.

In detail, still according to our source, all these provisions put particular emphasis on: compliance with national and international standards in force; the conclusion of concession contracts with constructors and the existence of safeguards and services after sale; the availability of adequate premises and material storage, conservation and marketing facilities; respect for administrative procedures in force, materialized by the possession of administrative documents and techniques required, the actual payment of duties and taxes tax-customs.

All these provisions are intended to provide better guidance on a sector which, over the past years, has witnessed a very large expansion in Cameroon.

Illustrative purposes, Government and Union sources indicate that the rolling stock, in the only cities of Yaoundé and Douala, has exceeded 100,000 engines. In the same vein, between January and December 2012, official statistics reported imports of about 50 tons of motorcycles, representing a value of 9.3 billion.

Imports of spare parts and accessories in the same period were then valued at 2,656 tons to 2.5 billion, representing a significant increase from the 848 tonnes imported five years earlier.