The Ad Hoc Sub-committee in charge of facilitating the implementation of the Guided Trade Initiative of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement, held its very first meeting today, 26 October 2022. This was at the head office of the Cameroon National Shippers' Council (CNSC) in Douala.

The meeting was presided over by Mr. Auguste Mbappe Penda, CNSC General Manager and Chairman of the said Sub-committee. Besides the sub-committee members in attendance was Mrs. Jacqueline Tchuente of AFATEX CIG, which holds the very first AfCFTA export certificate for Cameroonian products.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Auguste Mbappe Penda thanked the Minister of Trade, Mr. Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana for entrusting the sub-committee with such an important task. "This well-deserved choice is an acknowledgement of the role we play in promoting Cameroon's foreign trade", he added, before going on to outline the relevance of the various missions assigned to the Sub-Committee.

Thereafter, proposed activities for the November-December 2022 draft action plan were approved by the members. To that effect, an AfCFTA capacity building seminar intended for members of the Ad Hoc Sub-Committee and the Secretariat is scheduled for Wednesday, 16 November 2022, at the Douala Maritime Museum. Other planned activities will eventually follow in the month of December 2022.