Investment Environment

The Cameroon Government has succesfully implemented major reforms in the domain of Governance;

Regulatory reforms

  • Liberalisation of the economy
  • Streamlining of administrative procedures
  • New regulatory instruments to govern investments:
    • A new Investment Charter
    • Streamlined Customs Procedures.
    • New Taxation Code
    • An Investment Code and an Industrial free zone which grants fiscal incentives to investors,
    • Pulic Private Partnership legislation which offers various forms of investments such; BOT, BOOT, BTTP etc…
    • A flexible labour code  that allows the hiring and firing of workers without excessive state intervention.
  • The ratification of the treaty for the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa  “OHADA” which enhances the security of investments;
  • The creation and commissioning of the Accounts / Audit Chambers of the Supreme Court.
  • Ratification of major investment treaties such as; MIGA, ICC, CIRCD etc…
  • Beneficiary member of the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA)

Institutional reforms

  • Creation of Public / Private sector institutions to improve on the business environment (Cameroon Business Forum[cbf].)
  • Creation of institutions to oversee Good Governance.
  • CONAC – To fight Corruption;
  • ANIF – to fight against money laundering.
  • Creation of market regulation institutions within the electricity, water and telecom sectors to ensure market transparency.
  • Privitisation of inefficient state-run enterprises (more than 150 of them were privitased)
  • Creation of new National Agencies to facilitate partnerships and promote investments such as:
  • The Investment Promotion Agency;
  • A council to follow up economic partnership agreements
  • The National Agency for standards and quality;
  • Pilot One-stop-shops which simplify the procedure for the creation of business,
  • A Special committee which works to reduce the cost and duration of transit of goods at the ports.
  • Creation of and out of court dispute settlement mechanism to facilitate the solution of investment disputes at (GICAM)
  • Liberalisation of the economy
  • Streamlining of administrative procedures
  • New regulatory instruments to govern investments:
  • A new Investment Charter
  • New Customs Code
  • New Taxation Code
  • An Investment Code and an Industrial free zone which grants fiscal incentives to investors,
  • Pulic private Partnership contracts based on the formula of Build-Operate Transfer (BOT) and other related mechanisms
  • A Liberal Labour Code which regulates employment and facilitates productivity
  • The ratification of the treaty for the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa  “OHADA” which enhances the security of investments;
  • The creation and commissioning of the Accounts / Audit Chambers of the Supreme Court.

Ten Reasons to invest in Cameroon

  1. Cameroon is a crossroad of people, situated at the turning point of West and East Africa, open on the Atlantic Ocean, abounding in touristics sites and sunny beaches. The climate is favourable to agriculture, animal breeding, fishing etc…
  2. A liberal political system, democratic and open to multipartism, guarantees basic freedom for all.
  3. A transparent legal system that guarantees freedom to invest and the protection of investors, ensuring free transfer of income from invested capital,
  4. A dynamic and skilled labour force and a very liberal and flexible labour code which permits negociations between the employers and employees,
  5. Availability of numerous natural resources (oil, gas, bauxite, gold,…) and agricultural products (coffee, cocoa, cotton, bananas, pineapple, rubber, palm oil, etc …)
  6. A vast and ambitious program of privatisation of public and parastatal enterprises.
  7. An ambitious move towards economic reforms, aiming at streamlining fiscal and customs procedures,
  8. Availability of an important electricity network and water supply,
  9. Modern means of communication: -road networks linking the different areas of the country; -well developed railway network, -air transport network that links Cameroon to nearly all European and African capitals, -a liberated maritime network, -a modern telecommunication system.
  10. Measures taken to facilitate the creation of companies by the existence of: -a one stop shop that streamlines administrative procedures, -a liberal investment code which offers important economic and fiscal advantages, -legislation encouraging the creation of industrial free trade zones.