By Ndumbe Bell Gaston In Douala
It was a triumphant entry in the city of Douala, Cameroon’s economic capital, for the first time since his recent appointment as the new Prime Minister of Cameroon.
Joseph Dion Ngute had two teething missions. He first visited the burning market of Marché Congo on Sunday march 17, and raised hopes to reconstruct the market to avoid future witch-hunts and economic devastations, before preparing the long hull of trying to restore confidence and collaboration in the public-private sector pendulum during the 10th edition of the Cameroon Business Forum which the Prime Minister chaired last Monday March 18.
The decision to reconstruct the market now made him seem to be a very pragmatic figure and, this among other reasons, for those who know him better, raised earlier hopes among economic operators and even politicians as the man they have been waiting for to do the magic to remove Cameroon from the plunged recent Doing Business Index (169th from 166th) according to the World Bank, to better heights.
The Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute was accompanied by about 15 ministers and other top experts similar to the Yang days but restructured the occasion into many workshops so as to further impact exchange of ideas and hasten decision taking in a forum that really meant business. The general theme was “Emergence and Development of Private Investment”.
Looking back at the balance sheet of this regular annual event it was reported that out of 200 resolutions taken since the forum’s inception, 130 were implemented by the Yang team but the resultant performances have been generally poor. So, the Prime Minister appealed strongly to the public-private dialogue to be one of quality and irreversible determination to impact strongly on future economic activities in all sectors so as to reverse the negative Doing Business trend by doing only those things that will improve private investment. In his opening address he then welcomed the exchange of views but that action must be privileged to follow accordingly.
Employers’ associations such as Gicam, e-Cam and other economic operators criticized the Minister of finance for not fulfilling many of his promises after earlier consultations with them in Douala. Economic operators who are also members of the Chamber of Commerce, among others, criticized the burdensome taxes recently enacted by the 2019 finance law. Economic operators wanted a new industrialization program so as to enable us import less and encourage the consumption of made-in-Cameroon goods in the near future.
The President of Gicam, Celestin Tawamba who represented a wider syndicate of employers’ associations stated that the business climate was extremely difficult and continued to produce adverse results in the economic landscape. He appealed that the crisis in the North-West and South-West be resolved speedily. The Minister of finance, Louis Paul Motaze stated that he understood what the public and the private sector were going through but appealed for sacrifices because the high taxation has been aggravated by the war effort. When that ends, things will get better. He appealed that both the public-private sectors should speak with one voice.
The President of e-Cam, Protais Ayangma was blunt to state that many people do not pay taxes and the taxes that are paid are being mismanaged. This makes investment performance difficult because two steps are taken infront and three steps behind. “Much of what is being said is politics” he concluded. You cannot have the bank of SMES. The gov’t takes money but gives back nothing. There are serious infrastructural problems”.
The honourable Christophe Eken, the President of the Chamber of Commerce wondered if a special Prime Ministerial text should be made to assure the implementations of C.B.F. resolutions.
The Coordinator General of the Cameroon Business Forum, Touna Mama, reviewing the past 10 years of the C.B.F., said they have evolved under difficulties. He, however, remarked that the present session has had a particular change in the structuring or form. They have improved the standard at the international level. “We held several meetings with the private sector in Douala and in Yaoundé. It is the private sector that chose this theme. This was in collaboration with the Minister Secretary General of the service of the Prime Minister where we decided to change from plenary to workshop sessions. We have never had this in 10 years. But I blame the private sector for one thing. The private sector does not blame itself. The C.B.F. recommended to the private sector to create a platform where they will be free to express their viewpoint. For 10 years now they never did so”, he said so disappointedly.
This 10th edition of the C.B.F. was charged with a lot of brainstorming on issues related to industrialization with a total convergence of views of the essential rules of the above segment for the emergence of our country. In order to achieve this, the issues to be addressed are all within the cost of factors of production, including energy and infrastructure, protection of local industries, access to finance standardization, upgrading of industrial habits, the training of human capital, management of essential incentives, the availability of raw materials and the guarantee of local outlets.
The five recommendations arrived at are to set up a public-private consultation platform for the development of agribusiness with a view of intensifying the processing of our raw materials from agriculture or animal origin. There is need for a semi-annual meeting of the administration concerned to take stock of the availability of local raw materials. The next recommendation is to adopt a strategy for the industrialization, planning and programming of major industries. The third recommendation is to elaborate a scheme for the provision of electrical energy at a competitive price; finding a targeted import control program in strategic sectors on products like maize textile and others for which local production exists and finally, establish and innovate for long term financing of industrialization. Professor Tuma Mamah spelt out the responsibility of every ministry and the time of execution in the newly created road map for 2019.
In his closing remarks, Joseph Dion Ngute reminded participants that he started by asking everyone to make proposals susceptible to produce the needed fruits of the emergence in 2035. Now, debates and rich exchange of information have taken place based on the various reports that have been followed.
He continued that the recommendations, when you look at them, clearly define the new industrialization policy of Cameroon and the outlines of a new development tax policy. The recommendations are also focused on improving the country’s performance on international trade. He congratulated everyone for the quality of work done for the short space of time. He said that the forum is becoming more and more credible.
“So, it is incumbent on us to improve the organizational framework”, for public-private dialogue.