FEICOM seeks Commonwealth support to boost local dev’t.

This was the focus of a special session organised by FEICOM in Yaounde yesterday. The event was in prelude to the celebration of the 2023 edition of the Commonwealth Day. The Commonwealth Day will be observed Monday March 13.

The Director General of FEICOM, Camille Philippe Akoa, told journalists that the Commonwealth has evolved and now has many departments that offer opportunities which regional and local councils could exploit for their benefit, in addition to what the government is doing through FEICOM to improve the living conditions of Cameroonians at the grassroots via decentralized collectivities.

As a member of the Global Advisory Council of the Commonwealth, Akoa said FEICOM management had opportunity to interact with global economic movers and lobby for investment opportunities for both decentralised collectivities and the central government.

Akoa lauded the Ministry of External Relations, MINREX, for including FEICOM as part of national actors in all Commonwealth related activities.

He stated that thanks to collaboration from stakeholders in government, FEICOM now has international certification and recognition in various aspects of activities it carries out, especially as it concerns the fight against climate change.

Climate change, Akoa said, is an added aspect to the theme of celebrations of the 2023 Commonwealth Day: “forging a sustainable and peaceful common future”.

The FEICOM boss was corroborated by His Excellency Chinmoun Oumarou, Secretary General at MINREX, who represented the Minister Mbella Mbella.

Chinmoun Oumarou assured that there were many opportunities now offered by the Commonwealth and member states have to use informed strategies in order to benefit from them.

Oumarou disclosed that the Commonwealth is a powerful organisation that now has not less than 216 billion people with a Gross Domestic Product, GDP of 13.1 trillion United States Dollars, USD, as at 2021. This is projected to grow to 19.5 trillion USD by 2027, he added.

Commonwealth Business Forum

Akoa sees FEICOM´s membership of the Commonwealth Business Forum as a lever through which regional and local councils in Cameroon could better their lot.

Reason why the Director General chose as theme of the special session, “Contribute to making Cameroon´s Regional and Local councils a better place with the support of international partner”.

Meanwhile, the Commonwealth Business Council, was an institution of the Commonwealth family that used the global network of the Commonwealth of Nations more effectively for the promotion of global trade and investment for shared prosperity.

It was formed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, CHOGM in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in 1997, and replaced in July 2014, by the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, CWEIC.

The CBC acted as a bridge for cooperation between business and government, concentrating efforts on specific areas like - Enhancing trade, mobilising investment, promoting corporate citizenship, facilitating ICT for development, promoting public private partnerships, among other opportunities.