Land of Attractiveness For French Businesses

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Land of Attractiveness For French Businesses

02 août 2022 06:38

A myriad of French conglomerates as well as civil engineering and road construction companies have found better investment opportunities on Cameroonian soil.

Cameroon being an attractive business environment because of its relative stable democracy and its strategic location in the Central African Sub region, French investors have found it a safe haven for their investments. Thus, there is a strong and diverse presence of French companies, subsidiaries of French conglomerates owned by French nationals operating in Cameroon.

Plethora of French Companies

Statistics indicate that there are over 200 companies operating in Cameroon in diverse sectors like petroleum, agro-industry, wood, cement, telecommunications, public works and supermarkets, amongst others. In the agro-industry, the Castel Group through its SABC subsidiary is leading the brewery industry in Cameroon. It recently bought over Guinness Cameroon S.A to expand its presence in the sector. In Telecommunication, Orange Cameroon with over 9 million subscribers plays a key role in Cameroon’s economic development in 20 years of its existence. In the transport sector, Bollore Transport and Logistics is no light weight just like Total Energies in the petroleum sector while Carrefour is making strong presence in the distribution chain. Recently, the Minister of State, Secretary General at the Presidency inaugurated a multidimensional distribution centre PlaYce Yaounde, at the heart of the city. Constructed by the French Group CFAO Consumer Retail which is also the operator of the first ever hypermarket Carrefour with over 20,000 items including made-in Cameroon on display. Carrefour provides the opportunity for some 400 Cameroonian partners in the made-in Cameroon sector. In the road construction domain, Razel have found a lucrative and comfort zone in Cameroon especially as the country is involved in several infrastructure projects. In the agricultural sector, Plantations de Haute Penja, a subsidiary of the French company is leading the production and export of banana with 91,900 tons of banana exported during the first half of 2022 according to statistics of the Banana producer’s association.

Trade

France no doubt remains one of Cameroon’s leading trade partners. French expor...