The Director General of the Cameroon National Shippers’ Council (CNSC), Mr. Auguste Mbappe Penda, was among some top state administrators in Douala this Thursday, 22 October 2026, to relaunch activities of the Cameroon Business Forum (CBF), the first of its kind in six years.

Chaired by the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Chief Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute, this year’s edition is placed under the theme “the AfCFTA and Productive Transformation - what reforms to make Cameroon a Major Industrial and Commercial Hub in Africa”. Speaking, Dr. Dion Ngute called on participants to make honest contributions to support the import-substitution policy, the government’s major reform to improve the business climate in Cameroon. He said the country’s position is an advantage not only to the Central African Sub-region, but to the entire continent, which could leverage this to facilitate the various elements of the AfCFTA.

Various speakers at the opening ceremony stressed the falling standards of business due to poor infrastructure, and highlighted the possibilities of turning the tide around with better planning. Noteworthy is that the CNSC is a major player in international trade flows, regularly organising workshops to train exporters on automated certificates of origin, as well as facilitating the activities of shippers along the major trade corridors of the Central African Sub-region.