On Wednesday, 1 November 2023, the General Manager of the Cameroon National Shippers’ Council (CNSC), Mr. Auguste Mbappe Penda, granted audience to a delegation from the American Embassy in Cameroon. The purpose of this meeting requested by the US Embassy was to sample potential sectors of interest for American companies and investors.

Speaking on behalf of the CNSC, Mr. Cham Etienne Bama, trade policy expert and Country Director of the Cameroon-Gabon CWEIC Hub, delivered a presentation on the key missions of the CNSC and elaborated on concrete actions taken to assist shippers and boost Cameroon’s foreign trade. Particular interest was placed on the construction of trade facilitation infrastructure and the organisation of capacity-building training workshops.

The U.S. embassy’s delegation led by Michael Obryon, Director of the U.S. Embassy Branch Office in Douala, noted that their visit to the CNSC mainly aimed at identifying sectors that could interest investors in the U.S. They were also impressed by the CNSC’s strategic role in the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and how much has been done to open up the Commonwealth market to Cameroon’s business community.

Discussions also extended into the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Points raised at this level centred on the impact of the loss of this preferred trade status by Cameroon and measures that could be taken to reinstate its eligibility.