Business

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development has opened a second phase of the National Business Plan in Yaounde, intended to raise a sum of FCFA 1500 billion that will ensure the country’s agricultural potentials at international scene. Minister Essimi Menye officially opened the business forum on Monday the 14th of September 2015 in Yaounde that was heavily attended by financial and technical partners as well as farmer’s groups from the world at large.

Minister Essimi Menye observed that the CPDM government was doing everything to ensure the modernisation of the agricultural sector of the country so as to meet the second generational standards. The modernisation project by the Cameroon government intended to run from 2014-2020 within which a sum of FCFCA 3500 billion will be raised is on a good foot as the Cameroon government has already raised a sum of FCFA 2000 billion. 

This has been made available with huge contributions from the French Development Agency,C2D, European Union and the World Bank that has made a cumulative investment of FCFA 400 billion in a bid to accompany Cameroon in her modernisation project. This ongoing second fund raising business come together, according the Agriculture boss is a platform for the government to raise FCFA 1500 billion, 300 of which has been pledged by the African Development Bank. The Secretary General of MINADER, Jean Claude Eko'o Akouafane on his part says government will start the six year modernisation project as soon as the needed sum has been attained.

As the government awaits the kind gestures from her technical and financial partners, His Excellency Holger Manicke, German Ambassador to Cameroon has reaffirmed his country’s support in ensuring the modernisation of agriculture in Cameroon. Worth noting is the fact that the second phase of the National Business Plan organised by the Ministry of Agriculture took place in the presence of a good number of cabinet ministers.

Details

Ngwa Bertrand

16.Sep.2015

Hits: 1381

All Councils or local governments from the Littoral, North West, West and South West Regions of Cameroon have begun technical partnerships with the Ministry of Public Works to improve on the country’s road network. The partnerships were materialised on 11 September, 2015, in Buea, South West Regional capital, with the signing of technical assistance conventions between each of the 142 Councils and the Ministry in charge of Public Works. By the conventions, the Ministry of Public Works will provide technical inputs meanwhile the councils will conceive and direct road maintenance needs. The wave of partnerships, begun on 25 August in Mbalmayo with other Regions, expected to hatch a new lease in constructing structures like bridges and mending existing degrading roads. 

Presiding at the conventions signing ceremony at the Buea Council hall, Patrice Amba Salla underscored that workshops had earlier been organised to prepare Councils in the management and preservation of roads as part of public assets. The Minister explained that the Head of State, President Paul Biya, has increased the financial packages for each council from FCFA 13 million last year to FCFA 28 million this year. The move is to help accelerate and better exercise the irreversible decentralised competences in the road sector. Minister Amba Salla praised the European Union (EU) for their multiple contributions in accompanying Cameroon’s decentralization drive.

Oliete Sergio, the EU’s Head of Infrastructure Section in Cameroon, amplified the front-line role of the Ministry of Public Works in Cameroon’s decentralization process. He later told the press the EU has invested some 178 million euros in Cameroon’s rural development including the decentralisation process.

Details

Ngwa Bertrand

16.Sep.2015

Hits: 1842

The Minister of Mines, Industries and Technological Development, Emmanuel Bonde has held a press conference to update the population on the latest development concerning the Lom Pangar Dam project. The Minister was targeting specifically mining corporations and inhabitants around the Lom Pangar Dam project site which has been identified as a risk zone.

As the partial filling of the Lom Pangar Hydroelectric Dam begins on Tuesday 15th September 2015, the Minister cautions all entities and individuals still operating within the area to leave before the exercise begins. During the meeting with pressmen, the Minister mentioned that the filling process would increase water levels to about three billion m2. He further explained that due to the fear of an overflow and subsequent submergence of the neighbouring environment, officials of the Electricity Development Company (EDC) have called on occupants of the area to evacuate. 

The mining operators however are resilient, arguing that they have full authorisation to operate in the area which is richly endowed with gold. The Minister’s warning includes inhabitants of Betare Oya, Belabo and Ngoura who have also been advised to move to a new site to avoid the risk of being submerged by the waters during the filling exercise.

Details

Ngwa Bertrand

14.Sep.2015

Hits: 1589

An inter-ministerial steering committee chaired by the Minister of Urban Development and Housing, Jean Claude Mbwentchou has visited the construction site of the Yaounde-Nsimalen highway to assess the evolution work. During the visit on 10th September 2015, the Minister Urban Development and Housing and that of Public Works, Patrice Amba Salla deplored the slow evolution of work.

They realised that the work which started in July 2014 and scheduled to end in 2019, has not reached up to 20 per cent of completion. The head of the control mission argued that the swampy nature of the area has delayed the works. 

He explained that due to the position of the embankment, they will need to do some extra work for two months before continuing with the initial construction work. A technician at the site mentioned that another problem was the construction of the Mefou bridge which he said may be moved to another area. After the visit, the steering committee also visited a construction site in Toutouli, a village in the Yaounde IV Council.

Details

Ngwa Bertrand

13.Sep.2015

Hits: 1708

Facebook has nearly 20 million users in major African markets Nigeria and Kenya, statistics released by the social network showed on Thursday, with the majority using mobile devices to access their profiles. Facebook opened its first African office in Johannesburg in June as the continent's growing population and relatively low levels of internet access present a large untapped market for the social network to earn advertising revenue.

The numbers, the first Facebook has published for Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation and Kenya, East Africa's most developed, show the two nations as important entry points on a continent of nearly one billion people. Nigeria had 15 million monthly active users as of June 30 this year, all of them using mobiles to like, share and upload content on the social network. In Kenya, 95 percent of the 4.5 million monthly active users did so via mobiles. "Mobile is not a trend; it’s the fastest adoption of disruptive technology in history of communication," said Nunu Ntshingila, Facebook's head of Africa, in a statement. 

South Africa has 12 million monthly active Facebook users, the data showed, and Facebook says with its strong advertising partnerships in Africa it would use the new office in Johannesburg to expand its business across the continent. Facebook said its active user population in Africa grew 20 percent to 120 million in June from 100 million in September last year. A large portion of these users were in North Africa.

Details

Ngwa Bertrand

11.Sep.2015

Hits: 1550

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon Cavaye Yeguie Djibril has granted audience to a delegation from the Chinese consortium, Anhui Construction Engineering Group Co. Ltd. The team led by the Deputy General Manager of the Company, Ke Shun Xu was at the National Assembly on the 8th of September 2015 to discuss the progress of construction works on some major structures linked to the Assembly. 

Rehabilitation work at the Yaounde Conference Centre and the Hotel des Deputes was top on the agenda for discussion. The rehabilitation work at the Yaounde Conference Centre which started in August 2015 is being financed with the sum of ten billion CFAF, donated by China. As concerns the Hotel des Deputes, renovation works will centre on its walls as well as other sections of the building. Facing the press, Ke Shun Xu indicated that he also discussed plans to refurbish the National Assembly in future.

Details

Ngwa Bertrand

10.Sep.2015

Hits: 1281