Yesterday, Tuesday 13 December marked the official launch of the Cameroon Investment Week organized by Cameroon’s Investment Promotion Agency under the theme "Invest in Cameroon, Land of Opportunities". The launching ceremony of the forum took place at the Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers Conference Centre and was chaired by Professor Jean-Claude Ayem Moger, Technical Adviser at the Presidency for Economic Affairs. He was flanked by Mrs. Marthe Angeline Minja, General Manager of the Cameroon Investment Promotion Agency (IPA) and H.E. Jamal Saif Al Jarwan, Secretary General of The UAE International Investors Council (UAEIIC).

The promising event scheduled to run from 13 to 15 December 2022 consists of a series of high-level business meetings organized between Cameroonian public and private companies and leading investors of the United Arab Emirates. The main objective of this event is to highlight the attractiveness of Cameroon as an investment destination with a view to establishing win-win partnerships with UAE investors.

In his introductory speech, H.E. Jamal Saif Al Jarwan expressed his particular interest in Cameroon as a promising investment hub. “The numerous potentials Cameroon has are key to its development”, he remarked. This opinion was widely shared by other UAE high-end investors having investments in some African countries and definitely looking forward to investing in Cameroon. Particular sectors of interest include homeland and port security, food processing, oil refining, agricultural and infrastructural development, as well as logistics, just to name a few.

The Cameroonian delegation headed by Prof. Jean-Claude Ayem comprised of state-owned companies, professional associations and a number of successful business persons in search for new markets and investment partnerships. Alongside the National Refining Company (SONARA), the Union of City Councils of Cameroon (UCCC), SOTRABUS, CAMAIRCO, the Civil Aviation Authority and Group Tagidor, the Cameroon National Shippers’ Council (CNSC) actively took part in the discussions via CNSC’s Director for Trade Facilitation and Transport Observatory, Mr. Alex Nkondje, there to represent Mr. Auguste Mbappe Penda, CNSC’s General Manager, who was unavoidably absent.

The rich discussion sessions between the Cameroonian delegation and their potential investors ended with a group picture. The delegation was then taken for a site visit which started at the Abu Dhabi Port and ended at the Khalifa Economic Zone of Abu Dhabi (KEZAD). Day 2 of the forum shall consist of sector-based B2B meetings.