Business

The Cameroonian government and Préfarail Belguim ,a Belgian tram construction company signed an agreement for the construction of a tramway in Yaounde.

The implementation of this project will contribute to solving the difficult problem of mass transport Yaounde City is facing .The 50 km long tramway will be launched early next year 2015.Upon completing the project,the Belgian company is also hoping to propose the same tramway construction to the authorities of Douala city.

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Ngwa Bertrand

09.Dec.2014

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In a November 27, 2014 correspondence addressed to the Minister of Finance and the President’s Office, in copy, three Cameroonian breweries operating in Cameroon lament the “unrealistic” rate increase in excise duty on alcoholic drinks (this tax is intended to discourage the consumption of products not deemed to be essential), in the 2015 Finance Bill currently being tabled in parliament. This was revealed in an edition of the La Lettre du continent publication.

Indeed, with this tax increase hitting importers of such products as cigarettes, spirits and other luxury items, breweries’ fees could increase by 40%. Brasseries du Cameroun (SABC) of the France-based Castel Group, the Diageo Group’s Guiness and the Cameroon Breweries Union led by billionaire Kadji de Fosso fear “a market collapse” in the alcoholic beverage sector in 2015.

Indeed, Cameroon is a very profitable market for breweries. For example, although there has been some downturn relative to 2011 when sales reached 45.2 billion FCFA (around 68.7 million euros), Brasseries du Cameroun’s sales were still 26.9 billion FCFA (41 million euros) in 2013. The brewery market leader’s shareholders shared 25 billion FCFA in dividends last year.

Visiting Cameroon in August 2014, President of the Africa division of the UK company Diageo, Andy Fennel stated that Guiness is “[their] 4^th largest market in the world.” In Africa, Cameroon is also Diageo’s 2^nd largest market after Nigeria with its market of over 120 million consumers compared to 20 million only for Cameroon.

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Ngwa Bertrand

07.Dec.2014

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Billionaire Nigerian business man, Aliko Dangote was on Thursday named as the Forbes Africa Person of the Year 2014.

Dangote was feted at the unveiling ceremony held in Kenya’s capital city Nairobi. He bet a strong list of finalists to emerge tops for the coveted award. With businesses spanning across the continent Dangote was said to have made an impact not only in the industries he invests in but also to the lives of people.

During the ceremony ABN’s founder and vice chair Rakesh Wahi noted that the event is all about honouring exceptional leaders.

“This is our fourth Person of the Year Event. The mission of this event is to honour one exceptional leader from the African continent, who has made an impact not only on the industry he or she serves, but who also has touched the lives of people, and in doing so is a role model for future generations of business leaders,” said Wahi.

Among the finalists were Thuli Madonsela, South Africa’s Public Protector, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nigerian author,  Arunma Oteh, Director-General of the Securities & Exchange Commission Nigeria and Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank.

“Aliko Dangote is a lion of Africa in terms of business. He is second to none when it comes to investing in Africa, not just Nigeria. He is also a capitalist with a big heart. He puts his money where his mouth is and his foundation is a step forward for a man who wants to make a difference on the continent,” noted the panel of judges in selecting Dangote.

Speaking at the same event, Chris Bishop managing editor at Forbes Africa said, “For the fourth time I am honoured to celebrate the Forbes Africa Person of the Year. Every year we see tough competition and great debate in choosing winners of great import.”

This was Dangote’s fourth nomination for the prestigious awards. Other past finalists include his Highness Dr. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (2011), James Mwangi (2012) and Akinwumi Adesina (2013).

Also feted during the event was Donald Kaberuka, president of the African Development Bank. Kaberuka received the lifetime achievement award.

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Ngwa Bertrand

05.Dec.2014

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As activists mark Wildlife Conservation Day, elephants and hippopotamuses are trampling over farms and crops in northern Cameroon. Authorities face a difficult balancing act - conserve wildlife or protect property?

Residents in Mayo Danay in northern Cameroon say hundreds of elephants and hippopotamuses have been causing enormous damage to their farms and villages.

Ledou Ahmadou from Bougay village told DW he had lost all his crops to the animals.

"The elephants and hippopotamuses have destroyed my sorghum and onions and continue to attack us in our villages," he said.

The animals left the 4,000 hectare (9,900 acre) Kalfou Wildlife Park for greener pastures. Senior administrative official Nkwenti Simon Doh said parts of the park had been converted into farmland and villages by local inhabitants. This was putting pressure on resources. Doh said three hippopotamuses had been killed as the animals moved out and he urged people to show restraint.

"I am calling on the population not to take the law into their hands by killing the animals. There will be enormous social and economic benefits if people help us to protect these gigantic animals," he said

Alexandre Breche from the World Wildlife Fund warned of dire consequences if government officials and people whose property has been destroyed continue killing the animals.

He told DW that Cameroon and the wider Congo basin was one of the world's natural treasures, the second largest rain forest in the world, and it was losing its big, emblematic mammals like the elephants.

"The forest elephant population has dropped by 60 percent in the last 10 years. We need the message to be sent, stop killing the elephants otherwise in the next 10 or 20 years we might not be able to see wildlife in the forest," he said.

Conservationists' concerns

Sone Noke works for Wildlife TRAPS (Wildlife Trafficking Response Assessment and Priority Setting), an NGO seeking to protect global biodiversity from the threat of the illegal trade in wildlife.

He defends his organization from the allegation that it is more interested in animals than in people, saying it was "a misconception." The issue was natural resources.

"Maybe in the next 10 years we will not have lions in Cameroon. Black rhinoceros are virtually extinct in Cameroon. So that is what we are talking about," he told DW.

Dan Challender, conservation scientist at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), speaking on DW's Africalink show, highlighted the role played by communities in present and future conservation of species threatened by wildlife crime.

"There are a number of case studies where communities have led conservation initiatives and it's proved incredibly successful," he said.

Wildlife Conservation Day falls on December 4.

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Ngwa Bertrand

05.Dec.2014

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Bolloré Africa Logistics, the French Group that virtually owns Cameroon Railway Company (Camrail) has presented and commissioned a new geometric version of a repair locomotive that will be used to detect faults on the railway tracks throughout the national territory.  The vehicle presented to the media today in Yaounde comes from the Austrian Plasser & Theurer species and is equipped with modern technology making repairs on rails much easier.

Speaking during the ceremony,the Minister of Transport Robert Nkili said the modern equipment has the capacity to detect faults and report them to the technical crew at the speed of light. Cameroon Concord gathered that the Cameroon Railway Company spent 2 billion 310 million Fcfa to acquire the machine.

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Ngwa Bertrand

03.Dec.2014

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At the close of the 46th general meeting of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), organised by Air Algérie earlier this month November Fatima Beyina-Moussa, managing director of ECAir (Equatorial Congo Airlines) was named President of AFRAA. She has headed the national airline of the Republic of the Congo since its creation in 2011.

A graduate of HEC Montreal with an MBA from the University of Ottawa, Beyina-Moussa obtained a DEA (postgraduate degree) in International Economics at Sciences Po in Paris and went on to become a consultant in Congo for Ernst & Young. She later joined the Bank of Central African States (BEAC), and then worked for the United Nations Development Programme before being named an adviser to the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Public Portfolio. One of the key matters she dealt with was the establishment of a national airline.

Next November, the national airline of the Republic of the Congo, ECAir, will host the 47th annual general meeting of AFRAA in Brazzaville. "In three years, we have been on a journey with our company. We have trained many Congolese people in aviation trades and our network is growing, along with our fleet. AFRAA represents continuity and complementarity. It is an excellent opportunity to promote our air transport policy and to stimulate discussions with our partners." Beyina-Moussa said.

Culled from Defence web

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Ngwa Bertrand

01.Dec.2014

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