Focused on the promotion of local products, this fair gave Cameroonian entrepreneurs the opportunity to raise issues such as the challenges of female entrepreneurship, road and energy infrastructure.
The Douala International Business and Commerce Fair (FIAC) is already underway at the Bépanda Omnisports stadium in Douala. This second edition places particular emphasis on the promotion of products and services promoting the “Made in Cameroon” labels. In addition to the exhibition, it is also an opportunity to discuss the business environment. Particularly for the actors who contribute to the promotion of this label. Around the theme, “Cameroon, lever of economic recovery, industrialization and national integration. », the fair attempts to demonstrate the role of made in Cameroon in the import substitution policy advocated by the government. But to fully play this role, entrepreneurs believe that conditions must be improved. From the discussions, it emerges the need to support the actors of made in Cameroon by focusing on the issues linked to their activities.
Roads and electricity
Nearly half of local entrepreneurs work in agriculture and the agri-food industry. These activities require good quality roads to transport foodstuffs from production areas to distribution locations. Electric energy is also needed to ensure the proper conservation of these foodstuffs and raw materials intended for the production of made in Cameroon. The stakeholders’ plea to the Minister of Commerce, who chaired the official opening ceremony of the FIAC, is therefore to promote the establishment of infrastructures adapted to the development of these activities. Road and energy infrastructures as well as telecommunications infrastructures whose network quality also generates financial losses for these players. This, in addition to constituting a brake on the emergence of real industries capable of competing abroad.
Female entrepreneurship
The threats weighing on women entrepreneurs are also an obstacle to the import substitution policy. The president of the association of ladies business forum, as well as the Federation of Associations of Women Entrepreneurs of Cameroon (Fasfecam) has drawn up a list of requests. In particular technical and technological support in the transformation and modernization of businesses run by women. Even more, taking into account the gender issue in economic policies; technical training in areas such as packaging, rules of origin, business management, international contract negotiation. Poir Elysée Bogning Deumany, “this is the real commercial challenge that we are facing against our competitors from other African countries who already benefit from all these facilities, and not putting ourselves in the same tune as these companies, created us from the start , a significant disadvantage. In the long term, an agency in charge of promoting female entrepreneurship in Cameroon would be welcome, but also a bank to support and finance the projects of women entrepreneurs with a guarantee fund and other facilities. » These actions by public authorities will make it possible to have a better contribution of women to the economic fabric. Because more than 90% of women entrepreneurs are in the informal sector and mainly carry out agropastoral activities.
