Discussions at the conference organized on Thursday 20 January 2022, as part of the activities of the African Business Week, mainly focused on the competitiveness of local production.

Experts from the Cameroon National Shippers' Council (CNSC) were invited to enlighten local producers on those provisions of the AfCFTA that could benefit their businesses. CNSC's representatives on the panel further used the occasion to emphasize the free assistance the CNSC provides to its partners for import or export operations.

Etienne Cham, CNSC's Sub-Director for the Promotion of Foreign Trade, dwelled mainly on the types of products that can be exported without having to pay customs duties explaining that "goods, just like people, need passports when being transported". Achille Yamen, Sub-Director of Training at the Cameroon National Shippers’ Council, hammered home the fact that all foreign trade procedures are available on the Cameroon Trade Hub website: www.cameroontradehub.cm, a state-owned digital portal whose data is frequently updated by the CNSC.

With recurrent cases of misleading information on applicable customs duties and taxes, as well as toll charges related to foreign trade operations, the representative of the Single Window for Foreign Trade Operations (GUCE) urged participants to use the customs duty simulator provided on the website www.simpa.guichetunique.org before any foreign trade operations. 

The conference equally provided an avenue for the promotion of products "Made in Cameroon" such as wine made from cocoa or garlic, chocolates, fruit juices, textiles, and many others, showcasing the rich diversity of Cameroon's agribusiness sector.