Business

The Cameroonian government will launch, in the coming days, an international call for tenders, to recruit a consultant in charge of carrying out an audit on the telecoms network in the country, we learned from authorised sources.

The Prime Minister, Philémon Yang, has indeed just given his approval to carry out this first audit of the Cameroonian telecoms network. This decision marks a decisive step in the battle to improve telecoms services in Cameroon, which is spearheaded by the Minister of Posts and Telecoms, Minette Libom Li Likeng, who reached the top office of this ministry on 2 October 2015.

Indeed, within this ministry, top officials insist that even though there is a fierce competition between operators in activity in the sector in Cameroon to control a rapidly growing market, particularly with the recent arrival of 3 and 4G; this competition leaves unfortunately very little room for consumer service quality.

Proof of this are the numerous complaints from Cameroonian consumers, who are generally dealing with breaks in the internet service or even during calls, invoicing errors, etc. This situation even led consumer associations to take legal action, last year, against not only operators, but also the regulatory authority in the telecoms sector in Cameroon, accused of playing the wait and see game and permissiveness in carrying out its missions.

According to our sources, the announced audit is the result of discussions started months ago by Minister Libom Li Likeng, with all the actors in the telecoms sector. Indeed, we learn, the Permanent Public-Private Consultation Committee for the Posts and Telecommunications sector (CPPT) was created on 29 January 2016 within the Ministry of Posts and Telecoms.

The main objectives of this body, our sources specify, are to list the preoccupations of the users, the expectations of the private operators, register the malfunctions noted in the telecoms sector and propose to the government measures which could help with yield improvement.

BIC

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Rita Akana

07.Sep.2016

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Rita Akana

06.Sep.2016

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Improved soil management practices and better farming habits are putting smiles on the faces of women in Bafut, a community located about 400 kilometers (240 miles) from Cameroon's capital Yaounde. 

These innovations all fall within the field of "permaculture," a system of sustainable agriculture and design principles aimed at creating a more ecological relationship with the environment.

The innovation was brought to the women by Joshua Kankonko, who grew up in the area. Women say they are experiencing better harvests and putting more money in their pockets as a result.

Kankonko is the developer behind an eco-village built using only local materials. Farmers in the village have implemented permaculture practices aimed to benefit residents through better management of soil and environmental resources. Simple practices such as composting and erosion control are helping to increase yields.

"This is the way our parents used to farm. All the kitchen waste was thrown behind the house where the vegetables were harvested. Everything that we produce, we get from the environment then we give it back to the environment," Kankonko said.

Small plots, big yeilds

Pressures on scarce fertile lands in Cameroon's northwest have historically fueled tribal conflicts. Permaculture sets out to replenish the soil and maximize yields on relatively small plots thereby limiting the need for conflict.

According to Project Coordinator Sonita Mdah Neh, one of the best ways to do this is through natural and mechanical erosion control. Natural erosion control uses plans to hold the soil and moisture together.

Natural erosion control is done with vertiva grass. We can also use pineapple, so we use what we call a plant family meaning that you put two plants together and they form a web. When they form a web, they hold the soil and water together," said Mbah Neh.

Mechanical soil control means that local, natural materials like bamboo and other woods are used to create barriers.

The project also stresses the use of organic fertilizers and the use of different plants and practices to maintain or even boost the amount of nutrients in the soil.

"A lot happens in the soil which we don't see. There are a lot of interactions between soil organisms," she said.

A revolution

The system is already working. Farmer Justina Lum hails the system. She says within two years her yields have doubled. She says even at home she switched to using traditional cooking methods.

"Smoke is channeled through a chimney and therefore our eyes are not exposed to smoke. Besides, it uses less wood and is not costly to build," said Lum.

Kankonko remembers his mother who used compost manure to fertilize her crops. As a student in the University of Yaounde, he was already making a living from township gardening. After leaving university, he decided to bring his experience home to his Bafut community.

Kankonko notes that the entire experiment has been a success story, not only improving family incomes, but also restoring the natural environment that continues to suffer from irresponsible use.

But the sustainability of the system will depend largely on youth involvement. Kankonko complains that many youths do not think there is a future in agriculture but instead leave to pursue white-collar jobs in the cities.

DW

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Rita Akana

05.Sep.2016

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On 30 August 2016 in Yaoundé, during a ceremony to table and adopt texts governing the operation of the National Public Debt Committee, the Minister of Finance, Alamine Ousmane Mey, disclosed that the Cameroonian public debt is at FCfa 4754 billion at the end of July 2016. This represents only 27.3% of the country's GDP and is thus well below the accepted norm of 70% in the CEMAC area. 

In spite of these figures which seem to comfort local public authorities, Cameroon has been facing criticism for several months from Bretton Woods institutions. If in its different reports the IMF denounces a rapid indebtedness of the country (after the 2006 HIPC initiative), especially at non concessional interest rates; the World Bank has, in a report dated April 2016, already classed Cameroon among the Sub-Saharan African countries considered a high risk of debt distress.

Last August 30, the Minister Ousmane Mey pleaded for greater caution in the matter of public indebtedness and efficient and effective management of borrowed funds, taking into account the numerous infrastructure projects currently in progress or planned in the country, which always require significant funding.

As a reminder, the National Public Debt Committee was created by Prime Ministerial decree of 4 August 2008. Chaired by the Minister of Finance, the mission of this body is to co-ordinate, monitor the implementation of the national policy of public indebtedness and management of the public debt, ensure its coherence with development objectives and the capacity of the State.

BRM Cameroon

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Rita Akana

02.Sep.2016

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Tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd  is recalling  its new flagship Galaxy Note 7 devices amid reports that some of the premium phones are catching fire due to battery problems, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The person did not comment on the schedule or scope of a recall but South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, citing an unnamed Samsung source, said the company would announce a "global" recall during a press briefing at 5 p.m. (0400 ET). 

Samsung declined to comment on any recall plan for the high-end gadget, which has been the subject of online complaints from users claiming their phones had caught fire while charging.

Reuters

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Rita Akana

02.Sep.2016

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In Cameroon, 31 August 2016 is the official start date of the Compliance Inspection before Shipment Programme (PECAE) for goods imported to the Republic of Cameroon. In other words, as of this date, all goods to the country will no longer be shipped without prior inspection of their compliance with the standards in force in Cameroon. 

To implement this programme, which aims to clean up the Cameroonian market, often rife with questionable products, the government has set its sights on a consortium of companies composed of the Swiss outfit SGS and the British Intertek International. Practically, it will henceforth be up to these structures to carry out, at the exporters' expense, prior compliance inspection before shipment of goods to Cameroon, a country still lacking in state-of-the-art laboratories for verification of conformity of merchandise.

However, if this new measure will contribute to cleaning up the Cameroonian market in ensuring a certain security for consumers, it is feared that it will lead to a price increase of certain imported products in the local market, due to the cost of compliance monitoring before shipment being passed on to the final consumer.

BIC

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Rita Akana

01.Sep.2016

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