To strengthen cross-border trade: Obasanjo expected in Cameroon.

The development was made known by the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of AFTEL LLC, Chief Agha Albert Ngwana, a local partner of this venture. 

AFTEL LLC, it should be said, is an international trade facilitation and project build, design and finance firm with focus on the Industrialization of Africa and financing of Sub-Saharan African projects. 

Going by the CEO of AFTEL LLC, who is instrumental in making sure the visit takes place, the trip of the former Nigerian leader is within the context of the successful launch of the Second Phase Developmental works at the Autonomous Port of Kribi, which makes the seaside town an epicenter of major developments in Cameroon, attracting investors from America, China, Türkiye, Canada, Germany and most notably a Consortium of businessmen from Nigeria. 

Chief Ngwana said Kribi’s untapped resources is a source of attraction for investors, especially President Obasanjo, a farmer/agriculturalist and champion of cross-border trade and the Africa Continental Trade Agreement, in areas of road and rail infrastructures, hospitality, and agriculture. 

“These different projects promise to transform the Port of Kribi as a hub for industrialization, cross-border transactions and to maximize import substitution ambitions,” he stated. 

Chief Ngwana added that the excellent relationship that Obasanjo enjoys with Cameroon’s Head of State, Paul Biya, as a friend and brother, is instrumental to his decision to visit Cameroon in order to support business magnets willing to expand their interests to Cameroon and Kribi in particular. 

“H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo promotes growth through a well-developed portfolio of friends and networks that invest in eco-sustainable projects,” Chief Ngwana said, noting that that Port of Kribi already is doing 80% business with Nigeria, thus offering a favorable ecosystem to such activities.

The CEO of AFTEL LLC said the visit of President Obasanjo is expected to feature a meeting with the Head of State, H.E. President Paul Biya, to solicit his blessing for the Consortium of businessmen to descend to Kribi. The effective rollout of projects from the Consortium of businessmen is expected to boost the overall Gross Domestic Product, GDP, and shelve unemployment rates in Cameroon by offering over 30,000 job opportunities and increase the rate of industrialization. 

The offshoots will also maximize import substitution and reduce international dependence with a common market that addresses all the needs of both Nigerians and Cameroonians through resource sharing, minimizing production and product costs for a very low level of survival, increasing citizens' incomes in general, and promoting the circulation of finished products between both countries and Africa in general.

These investments are expected to not only strengthen economic ties between Cameroon and Nigeria but also support local producers, enhance regional development, and position Kribi as a key hub for cross-border trade in line with the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA. 

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