Doing Business in Cameroon

Subject (Course): International Trade and Business in Cameroon. Douala and Yaounde.

Syllabus:

1. Introduction to the Republic of Cameroon (Central Africa).
2. Doing Business in Yaounde (Ongole) and Douala.
3. Cameroonian Economy.
4. International Trade of Cameroon.
5. Port of Douala
6. Business and Investment Opportunities in Cameroon
   - Agriculture and agribusiness sector
   - Housing and construction sector
   - Business services in Cameroon
   - Mining sector
   - Tourism
7. Cameroon Investment Promotion Agency (CIPA)
8. Case Study.
   - Cameroon Telecommunications.
   - How to invest in Cameroon
   - Cameroon Breweries.
   - Fadil Group.
9. Introduction to French
10. Access to the Cameroonian Market
11. Business Plan for Cameroon

Objectives of the subject "Doing Business in the Republic of Cameroon":

1. To analyze the Cameroonian economy and foreign trade
2. To evaluate business opportunities in the Republic of Cameroon
3. To explore Cameroon's trade relations with the student's country
4. To know Cameroon's Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)
5. To examine the profile of Cameroonian Companies
6. To develop a business plan for the Cameroonian Market

Sample of the subject - Doing Business in Cameroon:

Subject Description (Doing Business in Cameroon).

Cameroon: 40% of CEMAC's GDP

The Republic of Cameroon is situated in Central Africa, sharing borders with Chad, the Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Nigeria.

1. The Republic of Cameroon has an area of 475 440 Km² and a population of 20 millions of people.
2. Languages: French (80 % of the population) and English (20 %)
3. Independence: 1960 (France)
4. Capital: Yaoundé (2.5 millions of people).
5. Douala (largest city: 3 millions of people, Port of Douala)

The main religion in Cameroon.

1. Christianity: Catholicism (4 million) and Protestants (3 million, 27% of the population).
2. Islam (mainly in North)

Cameroon belongs to the Central African Economic Area of the African Civilization.

Cameroonian economy:

1. Cameroonian economy is based mainly on the primary sector (42% of the gross domestic product).
2. The main sources of revenue in Cameroon are agriculture, livestock, fisheries, forestry, mining, and industry.
3. The fighting against corruption and poverty is a preference of Government of the Republic of Cameroon.
4. Agriculture is the main sector of the Republic of Cameroon, employs 70% of the workforce and contributes 42% to the formation of the gross domestic product of Cameroon.
5. The main cash crops are cocoa, coffee, cotton, bananas, rubber, potato, and pepper.
6. GDP growth: 5%
   - Tertiary sector (47.8% of GDP)
   - Primary sector (22.5%)
   - Secondary sector (29.7%)
7. Cameroon represents 40% of CEMAC’s GDP and 39% of the total CEMAC's exports.
8. The inflation: 2,3%
9. Most dynamic economic sectors: trade, construction, agriculture, manufacturing, and extractive industries (oil and gas)
10. Cameroonian currency: CFA FRANC
11. The objective of the National Investment Corporation of Cameroon is to mobilize and focus on national savings.

The Republic of Cameroon has four independent ports. The Autonomous Port of Douala represents 95% of shipping freight and international trade of Cameroon.

Telecommunications sector develops very quickly in the Republic of Cameroon. The Cameroon Telecommunications is a public company owned 100% by the State of Cameroon. Created in 1998, Cameroon Telecommunications (CAMTEL) is strongly implicated in the development and modernization of telecommunications markets in Cameroon. CAMTEL just signed an agreement with a Chinese company.

Brasseries du Cameroon (Cameroon breweries) is a food processing company specializing in the manufacture and distribution of soft drinks. The company is the leading industry in Cameroon. Created in Douala (Cameroun) in 1948, became an affiliated company of the Castel Group in 1990.

Trans-African Highways related to Cameroon:

1. Tripoli-Windhoek Corridor
2. Trans-Sahelian Highway
3. Lagos-Mombasa Corridor

Cameroon has preferential access to:

1. Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC)
2. Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS)
3. African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)
4. Trade Agreements with Egypt, South Africa, Switzerland, China, Russia, India
5. Cotonou Agreement

Cameroon is a member of:

1. Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
2. New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)
3. African Development Bank
4. Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
5. Niger Basin Authority
6. Islamic Development Bank
7. Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA)
8. African Union (AU)
9. Commonwealth (since November 1995).
10. World Bank (WB), the United Nations (UN), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Trade Organization (WTO)