Promote, veritable investment platform

The conic-shaped hill of the Yaounde Conference Centre is once more the hub of international business exhibition dubbed PROMOTE.

Like any other trade fair, trade show or Expo, the 5th edition of the bi-annual business display is again offering companies the opportunity to showcase and demonstrate their latest products, services, study activities of rivals and examine recent market trends and opportunities.

Since last Saturday, December 06, all roads in Yaounde lead to PROMOTE. Statistics provided by the organisers talk of 1,200 companies both big and small drawn from 31 countries participating in the show.

Since its inception more than a decade ago, PROMOTE has registered quite an impressive leap in participation. Cameroonian business groups in particular have exhibited very high interest in the show growing from 500 in its maiden edition to 850 this year.

Of this number, 350 are of the Small and Medium Sized extraction. This year, 250 foreign companies have acquired stands at the exhibition ground. Turkey occupies the largest space so far with over 100 exhibitors followed by UBI Francs and the United States of America.

The massive participation of Cameroonian enterprises tells of their zeal to capture partners, notably from the international business sphere. In effect, exhibitions such as PROMOTE play three key functions: boost businesses, enhance countries’ macro-economies and improve social cohesion.

In this wise, the 2014 trade fair like the past ones ought to continue to develop and cultivate customer relations, search for partners and technical staff and position businesses.

Exhibitors are certainly aware that a trade fair like this one is a test market for new products or old ones that have not been well publicised. The Inter-progress International Foundation, the main organiser of PROMOTE is equally aware of the need for such a come together to have a serious impact on the various participating companies and their national economies.

Come to think of, the 2014 trade fair is emphasising on stimulating contacts between actors through exchange of visits of stands and conferences. That notwithstanding, questions continue to linger in the minds of many Cameroonians as to what impact has been made so far since 2002.

The whole idea of coming together in the real sense is not only to exchange contacts and exhibit products and services but above all to take advantage of the forum to build up business initiatives and grow.

Perhaps it is important for organisers of the fair to always devote a day or two to evaluate and to measure the consequences previous trade fairs have had on companies. What can one concretely point to as proceeds from PROMOTE is the normal question to pose.

This question is above all important for Cameroonian companies. The trouble is that many business groups get exited in negotiations with other partners where everything ends only at that level.

Negotiations are surely of no use if not implemented. Pierre Zumbach, the President of The Inter-progress International Foundation is equally concerned about the results from such a rendezvous. In his very words, the only important thing for them is to know if the trade fair was useful.