Today, 31 October 2022, as personal Representative of the Prime Minister, Head of Government, the Minister of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts, Achille BASSILEKIN III, launched an economic forum with Dutch and Cameroonian investors at the Cameroon Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industry and Handicrafts in Yaounde.
Organised on the initiative of the Embassy of Cameroon in the Netherlands, this mission aims at strengthening economic cooperation between Cameroon and the Netherlands in sectors of common interest. The said mission is a spin-off of the Cameroon Economic and Cultural Week in the Netherlands, held from 10 to 15 May 2022. During this Week, both parties agreed to capitalise on the major outcomes.
As part of their deployment in Cameroon, this morning, MINPMEESA first received in audience twenty Dutch investors of this mission operating in about 15 sectors including agriculture, agro-industry, wood processing, ICT and energy under the leadership of Mr. JAN HAK, head of delegation.
During the business forum, the representative of the Investment Promotion Agency (API) presented all the investment opportunities that Cameroon offers. Alongside this presentation, other themes were developed during sittings, as well as B2B meetings that promoted understanding of the mutual stakes of this economic cooperation. There is no doubt that the impact will be evident in the days to come.
While launching the Forum, Achille BASSILEKIN III, in the presence of CCIMA officials, the President of the United Councils and Cities of Cameroon, officials of the Embassy of Cameroon in the Netherlands and many business leaders, thanked the Prime Minister, Head of Government of Cameroon, for designating him as personal representative to chair the said Forum. He also expressed his gratitude to the Cameroon Embassy in the Netherlands for the worthwhile initiative. He emphasised on the fact that these are “opportunities in terms of partnership prospects that could be created; in terms of joint ventures, in innovative fields and above all subcontracting opportunities between Cameroonian and Dutch enterprises. These partnerships will undoubtedly lay the foundations for the consolidation of a denser local fabric that will facilitate Cameroon’s development in many sectors where the Netherlands has proven expertise, particularly in the agro-industry, wood and new technologies sectors.”
The head of delegation Mr. JAN HAK stated that he was pleasantly surprised by the excellent quality of the products and believes that this is the beginning of an excellent cooperation between Cameroon and the Netherlands.
As a reminder, the Cameroon Economic and Cultural Week in the Netherlands served as a framework for exchange, information, consultation and business relations in order to increase economic relations between the two countries. It was an opportunity to present the economic potential of Cameroon to the Dutch counterparts and, in exchange, discover various opportunities that this country offers. In this regard, by deciding to host the Dutch economic mission, the intention of Cameroonian authorities is to continue raising awareness among investors of this country on the strategic vision of Cameroon’s development, structured around the National Development Strategy 2020-2030 (NDS30), to acquaint them with priority sectors that need investment in Cameroon, to promote the establishment of business partnerships between economic operators of the two countries and, finally, to materialise avenues of collaboration explored during the Cameroon Economic and Cultural Week in the Netherlands
The Dutch economic mission is structured around two main phases. The first phase, scheduled to take place in the city of Yaounde, from 31 October to 02 November 2022, involves audiences with heads of ministerial departments (MINREX, MINEPAT, MINPMEESA, MINADER, MINDDEVEL) as well as with the Coordinator of the Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction and Development of the North West and South West Regions, a business forum at the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Crafts (CCIMC), chaired, on behalf of the Prime Minister, Head of Government, by the Minister of SMEs, Social Economy and Handicrafts, working sessions with the Chamber of Agriculture, Fisheries, Livestock and Forestry (CAPEF), the Cameroon Inter Professional Group of Entrepreneurs(CIPGE), and the mayors who took part in the Cameroon Economic and Cultural Week in the Netherlands.