Business

BBC:Privately-owned tech start-ups - or 'unicorns' - are worth more than a billion dollars and Africa has its first one in the shape of the Africa Internet Group.

While many think the next one will emerge from the obvious technology centres in Nairobi, Cape Town or Lagos, it is just possible that it may come from Buea - a small town in south-west Cameroon.

Njorku  developed by Cameroonian entrepreneur Churchill Nanje Mambe, a resident of Buea is among the best technology startups in Africa.Njorku is a job search and career platform for Africans worldwide, with a very unique business model and the first mover advantage in Sub Saharan Africa. The service went live in late March 2011, and within months was attracting thousands of users.-- Forbes Magazine

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Elangwe Pauline

15.Apr.2016

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Camair Co, should acquire a fleet of 14 new aircraft , according to first recommendations made by Boeing Consulting, recruited by the Cameroonian government to help in the restructuring of Camair Co, Cameroon's national carrier which has been in trouble with countless financial difficulties since the start of operations in 2011 .

The Director General of Camair Co, Jean Paul Nana Sandjo , in an interview confirmed the recommendations and said the air carrier will acquire an additional nine aircraft, to add to its fleet of five aircraft so far, thanks to the two new Chinese MA 60 planes commissioned in January of 2016.

 This recommendation made by Boeing consultant goes beyond expectations of senior management of Cameir-co , who made public a need of up to eleven aircraft to launch the company on the path to competitiveness.

A credit sum totaling 25 billion CFA francs , arranged by a local subsidiary of Ecobank ,for the realisation of the new jets and maintenance equipment will be expanded to 30 billion CFA francs . This financing , will be available to Camair Co after its restructuring and the adoption of a company recovery plan , according to government officials.

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Elangwe Pauline

14.Apr.2016

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The 13 claims they have raised have not been answered from the mobile operators (MTN,Orange and Nextell) . "Despite the outcome of the social dialogue they held on March 9, 2016 .Callbox operators demanded the Government to respond in writing to the 13 points quarreled in the procurement and marketing of telecommunication products system that was submitted on March 24, 2016 .

The indignation of callbox-operators was exacerbated by the reduction in their profit margin by MTN mobile network prior to February 2016. Previously  a call- box operator was making a profit of about 500 FCFA after selling call credit of 10,000 FCFA.

Today a they make a profit of only 400 FCFA after selling 10,000 FCFA of airtime according to André Kanomegne , President of (ADMC).an organization that campaigns for the rights of consumers in Cameroon. "This decline in profit margins of call boxers affect the consumer's income.Consumers are now obliged to pay 500 FCFA for 450 FCFA Airtime.

the callbox-operator as a result of this is obliged to overcharge theairtime credit to the consumer which causes inconvenience on the backs of consumers . This can not continue , " he explained .

(ADMC) has voiced out to join the Cameroon callboy operators union on April 15th in the sit-in out campaign at the agencies MTN , Orange and Nexttel all over Cameroon to advocate for regulations.

The telecommunications company has responded through a letter addressed to the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications ( MINPOSTEL ).In the correspondence, Philisiwe Sibiya , the CEO of MTN made clear that the increase in call- boxers commissions to 50% was an " impractical and irrational complaint which does not account for all expenses borne by the operator ".However , she indicated that in addition to 5% currently proposed commissions, MTN Cameroon regularly makes donations in products and foodstuffs such as rice , sugar , milk and other material rewards to distributors.

Her comments provoked outrage among distributors who claim this gesture is largely insufficient given the results they achieve every day . Long before MTN, Nexttel had sent a letter to call- boxers union on March 14 on this issue

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Elangwe Pauline

14.Apr.2016

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The 13 claims they have raised have not been answered from the mobile operators (MTN,Orange and Nextell) . "Despite the outcome of the social dialogue they held on March 9, 2016 .Callbox operators demanded the Government to respond in writing to the 13 points quarreled in the procurement and marketing of telecommunication products system that was submitted on March 24, 2016 .

The indignation of callbox-operators was exacerbated by the reduction in their profit margin by MTN mobile network prior to February 2016. Previously  a call- box operator was making a profit of about 500 FCFA after selling call credit of 10,000 FCFA.

Today a they make a profit of only 400 FCFA after selling 10,000 FCFA of airtime according to André Kanomegne , President of (ADMC).an organization that campaigns for the rights of consumers in Cameroon. "This decline in profit margins of call boxers affect the consumer's income.Consumers are now obliged to pay 500 FCFA for 450 FCFA Airtime.

the callbox-operator as a result of this is obliged to overcharge theairtime credit to the consumer which causes inconvenience on the backs of consumers . This can not continue , " he explained .

(ADMC) has voiced out to join the Cameroon callboy operators union on April 15th in the sit-in out campaign at the agencies MTN , Orange and Nexttel all over Cameroon to advocate for regulations.

The telecommunications company has responded through a letter addressed to the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications ( MINPOSTEL ).In the correspondence, Philisiwe Sibiya , the CEO of MTN made clear that the increase in call- boxers commissions to 50% was an " impractical and irrational complaint which does not account for all expenses borne by the operator ".However , she indicated that in addition to 5% currently proposed commissions, MTN Cameroon regularly makes donations in products and foodstuffs such as rice , sugar , milk and other material rewards to distributors.

Her comments provoked outrage among distributors who claim this gesture is largely insufficient given the results they achieve every day . Long before MTN, Nexttel had sent a letter to call- boxers union on March 14 on this issue

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Elangwe Pauline

14.Apr.2016

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MTN, telecommunications leader in Cameroon, announces a vast campaign to renew the identification of its subscriber-base. The campaign which will run till June 2016, seeks to confirm the identity of MTN subscribers and identify those who have not yet complied with the registration process. 

Through this new identification campaign, MTN Cameroon seeks to fully comply with the legal provisions on identification in Cameroon. As a matter of fact, since 3 September 2015, a Prime Ministerial Order gives new guidelines to mobile telephony operators with regard to the procedure on identifying their subscribers. 

MTN subscribers can freely verify the conformity of their previous identification with the new exigencies stipulated by the Government by sending “status” by SMS to 8758. In case the return SMS indicates that the identification is incomplete, the subscriber needs to re-register their SIM to avoid the suspension of their number from the network, come 1 July 2016. 

The new identification campaign shall witness an unparalleled deployment by MTN nationwide. Subscribers can have their SIMs identified by MTN Cameroon employees, equipped with specific mobile equipment, who shall ply the streets of towns and villages to identify subscribers quickly. In addition, they may go to one of the following sites:

• MTN Service Centres spread across the country,
• Special identification mega-centres created by MTN for this campaign,
• Sales points at the level of MTN’s Distribution partners.

 The identification process developed by MTN Cameroon over the last months warrants the exercise to last between 60 and 90 seconds per subscriber. 

MTN Cameroon invites its subscribers to respond massively to this new identification campaign, and contribute towards achieving the national mandatory objective to secure goods and persons in Cameroon.

(Afribizz)

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Elangwe Pauline

14.Apr.2016

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Government has at last descended its disciplinary axe on recalcitrant contractors.

 It is not clear if the victims expected such an extreme decision. But it is clear they are aware of the havoc they have been causing on government projects. The Minister of Public Contract did not appear to have any other option than signing the decision suspending contracting companies that have fallen into the dragnet. Up to 122 of them are guilty of failing to execute the projects awarded them by the government. 

This particularly concerns the 2013 and 2014 financial year. In fact, some Cameroonians who suffered the consequences of the non execution of public investment projects earmarked for these two years are still licking their wounds.  In 2013 for instance, none of the ten regions scored a mark that surpassed 50 per cent.

The year that followed was expected to produce better results, unfortunately the same scenario was observed. One of the drawbacks in the execution of the PIB was thought to be the procedure surrounding the effective functioning of the Public Contract system. At all stages of the public contract mechanism, there were problems and most of them had to do with inertia exacerbated by strings of corrupt actions.

In the face of this, government in order to put an end to the malaise announced more stringent measures to be taken including the compression of deadlines for contract awards, execution, evaluation and submission. This particular measure was to be compounded by a number of other measures including the capacity building of stakeholders in the contract award system and institution of a consultation framework between the Ministries of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development (MINEPAT), Finance (MINFI) and Public Contract (MINMAP) for monthly reviews of the programming and execution of public contracts.

The suspension of the 122 companies is surely the outcome of the application of these measures. The decision may appear to be extreme especially as government has been working towards encouraging local enterprises operating in the contract execution sector. But if one were to measure the damage caused on the population as a result of the non execution of these projects, one would readily understand and even wish that the sanctions go beyond simple suspension.

A mortuary building was abandoned in Laquintinie hospital, road, school and water supply projects dumped as well as street lighting projects. Now that the said companies have been sanctioned; what next? This question is extremely important. The whole issue should not be limited to simple sanctions but measures should be taken to ensure that such disasters don’t re-occur.

Government certainly knows that the whole issue of no execution of projects is complex. The complexity comes from the fact that the contract awards system is too interwoven and infected with corrupt practices at all levels of the chain. This entails that the much more still has to be done to give a lasting solution to this problem. The companies that have been sanctioned might just be scapegoats.

One of the things that have been holding back the execution of PIB is the exploration and exploitation of the sources of financing. Projects, one would imagine are executed with money and this money is lodged somewhere and must be released on time. This, contractors have often complained, is where the shoe pinches most. So, it is important to completely weed out the bad seeds at all levels. This is the real challenge.

Cameroon Tribune

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Elangwe Pauline

14.Apr.2016

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