One year after merger: GeCAM Board of Directors, members assess progress.

The meeting was attended by both new and old members. The General Assembly, officials noted, was an ideal opportunity to appreciate the first results since GeCAM saw the light of day. 

It is the current Board that merged the defunct Cameroon Employers Association, GICAM and Enterprises of Cameron, ECAM.

After the verification of the quorum, a decisive exercise for the legality of holding the meeting, participants went down work. 

Eight issues were looked into viz; presentation of the Moral Report of the President of GeCAM; presentation of the new members of GeCAM, presentation of the GeCAM activity report, presentation of the summary of recommendations from this 2025 economic forum report and presentation of the Management Report of the Board of Directors amongst others.

Speaking at the meeting, GeCAM President, Celestin Tawamba, made  an in-depth analysis of the actions, achievements, and challenges encountered by the Board of Directors one year on.

He said it was a pleasant coincidence that the meeting took place in an election year. Tawamba urged the team to be at the center of political discourses. 

Moving forward, Tawamba emphasised the major constraints that marked the year. He highlighted the difficult economic context, the persistent infrastructure deficit that seriously harms the profitability and competitiveness of businesses, and the shortcomings in the governance of public administrations. 

He said this is reflected particularly in taxation deemed oppressive and a proliferation of administrative controls. These and more, Tawamba noted, create a gloomy business environment and hamper economic emulation.

He, however, concluded his speech on a reassuring note, solemnly declaring to the assembly that: "Our only commitment is defend the interest of company, actors in the private sector and we shall continue to do so".

The activity report of the organisation was presented by the Executive Director of GeCAM, Aline Valérie Mbono. Her intervention drew up a positive assessment of the deployment of the planned actions. 

Among the main achievements of the 2024 financial year, Mbono cited strengthening public-private dialogue through the designation of focal points responsible for relaying the concerns of GeCAM members to certain ministries.

The Executive Director also talked of the establishment of dedicated services within the executive management, guaranteeing specific monitoring of companies according to their size viz; Large Companies, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, SMEs; Very Small Enterprises, VSEs.

Additionally, Mbono talked of the organisation of the Cameroon Economic Forum in Yaounde in January this year. 

The Second Deputy Executive Director, Serge Alain Lonang, updated members on a summary of recommendations of the Cameroon Economic Forum.

Officials disclosed at the meeting that following the merger, GeCAM  has enlisted 31 new members, gained over 33 million followers on social media platforms.

At the close of the meeting, members adopted seven resolutions and expressed satisfaction with the momentum of the Tawamba-led executive.

One of the participants, Joseph Fotso, Managing Director of Canal 2 International, said he is hopeful that the resolutions taken will be acted upon.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3464 of Wednesday June 04, 2025