Cameroon Consul General in Lagos, Bibi Manga Bell, and the Director General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr Chinyere Almona, have called for closer ties between Nigeria and Cameroon.
The project was initiated by Tayim Atam under the supervision of the consulate of Cameroon in Lagos. Speaking on the launch of the platform, Bell said: “This is a platform where Cameroonian men and women will be meeting Nigerian businessmen and women to exchange ideas and do business.
“We invited the LCCI to show how important it is for us to work with local authorities in Nigeria. We are not here to interact with international companies, but to address our concerns directly and form a better relationship with Lagos State.”
The DG, LCCI, Dr Chinyere Almona, in his remarks, said: “We hope that there will be better collaboration between the Nigerian and Cameroonian business after this deliberation. We hope for more partnerships and the balance and improvement of trade between Nigeria and Cameroon.
Cameroonians and Nigerians have done business for years, there has been a constant flow of business and transactions across the border and, culturally, there have been engagements and interactions. So, we have always been together and work together, but we need to take it to the next level, we need to improve how we work so that it will be beneficial to the economies of both countries.”
Advising Cameroonians, she said: “If you want to do business in Nigeria, you must come through a formal channel, go through the legal route, the same applies to Nigerians doing business in Cameroon.”
Speaking with The Guardian, the Managing Director, Barry Callebaut, Blaise Kengne who spoke on the Cocoa business in Africa, said: “Cocoa business is tough this season, but compared to past two years, the cocoa price has tripled, which is good news for our farmers and we are expecting youths to engage in cocoa farming, knowing that it is becoming a good source of income.
“Shipping raw cocoa to foreign countries and importing chocolate doesn’t make sense. We will earn more if the transformation is done locally but I am happy that some countries in Africa are taking steps to cut shipping and start to refine.”
