Port decongestion preoccupies investors' forum

Businesses that flourished with the approach of end-of-year celebrations may have to wait until next year to have the experience.

This was the view of private investors during discussions ahead of the fifth plenary assembly of the Cameroon Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Crafts in Douala on November 20. The investors expressed the uncertainty in reaction to the level of implementation of the recommendations of the Fal Committee.

Musa Ndamba, Delegate for the Trade Section, disclosed during the statutory meeting that it used to take 11 days to get goods supplied from Europe and a few days for it to be delivered to its owner in Cameroon, but today it takes more than three months— a veritable handicap to an economy heading towards emergence by 2035.

It is almost a year that the seaport has not been functioning as it ought to. Efforts going on to decongest the Douala Seaport though effective, needs to be hastened up, the President of the Chamber of Commerce, Christophe Eken said during the plenary at the Sawa Hotel on November 21.

Reviewed measures to curb market fire disasters which has been a plague to the business community in the economic capital, especially at end-of-year periods focused on how to modernise the markets, promptly indemnify victims, check electrical supplies to and within the markets as well as beef up security measures within the markets.

They blame poor management of the markets to the recurrent happenings and called upon the councils to strengthen efforts in order to improve management of the business areas.

Another issue discussed was the on-going negotiations of the Economic Partnership Accord with the European Union. Government was called upon to step up its support to local companies so that they can upgrade to quality production and compete favourably when foreign products enter the country and the sub-region.

As concerns Services Section, football expert and erstwhile goalkeeper for the Indomitable Lions, Bell Joseph Antoine encouraged local council across the country to start to invest in the tourism and hospitality industry.

If more modern hotels are built, football stadia renovated and other facilities set ups, various regions will be able to bid favourably to host football clubs in 2019 when the country hosts the African Nations Cup. He told the people that it is what worked out elsewhere than waiting on government.