The US Ambassador to Cameroon recognizes that there is a huge opportunity in Cameroon Economy and affirms that now is the time for Cameroon to take-off economically.
Business in Cameroon: Recently, in an interview with CRTV, you said that, at the request of the Cameroonian army, US military personnel would be present in Cameroon to provide advice and training to Cameroonian military. How many US military experts are present in Cameroon alongside the national army?
Michael Stephan Hoza: We can’t say the exact number, but the number of American personnel is consistent with the number the government wants to have in Cameroon. Let me just state that the security support here in Cameroon at the government’s invitation has indicated the need for training between both militaries. We both have a lot to learn from each other and so we jointly agreed on the number and then we brought the troops here. That number will be open as the fight against Boko Haram continues, but bear in mind that it isn’t just to fight against Boko Haram.
Cameroon’s Economy Minister, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, is expected to soon sign a loan agreement totalling 29.5 billion FCFA with the French Development Agency (FDA), states a presidential decree signed on June 4, 2015.
Camwood Corporation has just indicated its eligibility to benefit from incentive legislation on private investment in Cameroon that offers local and foreign businesses the opportunity to have various 5-10 year tax exemptions during the installation and operational phases of their companies. Camwood Corporation plans to build a wood processing plant in Cameroon that will create 250 direct jobs for an overall investment of 16 billion FCFA.
In late April, Cameroon produced 4.5486 billion cubic feet of gas. This figure indicates an increase of 4.77% relative to the same period last year, according to Société nationale des hydrocarbures (SNH).
The fleet of Cameroon Airlines Corporation (Camair Co), the national airline, has just added two airplanes. They were received on April 1, 2015 in Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon. The two MA60 aircrafts were purchased from Chinese manufacturer, Avic International. 
The Cameroon Commodities Exchange (CCX) scheduled to be launched by the government is slated to be opened in Douala, the country’s economic capital. Reliable sources have revealed that this was the suggestion made by the Eleni firm to the Cameroonian government which it has been assisting on the project.
Within the framework of the project to launch the Cameroon Commodities Exchange (CCX), the Eleni LLC firm which is advising the government on the project, has suggested the creation of storage and delivery centres for products traded on the CCX in nine Cameroonian towns and cities: Kumba, Douala, Yaoundé, Abong-Mbang, Foumbot, Bamenda, Ngaoundéré, Touborou and Kaele. 
The mobile phone service provider, Orange Cameroon recently increased its share capital, raising it from 15 billion FCFA to 46.8 billion FCFA, which is a 300% increase according to the legal notice. The increase was done partly by incorporating the revaluation differential and a part came from “free reserves”.
The Cameroonian government has just published a list of the banking establishments and financial organisations “authorised to provide guarantees and sureties for public contracts.” There are twelve banks and three insurance companies. Among the 20 insurance companies operating in Cameroon, Zenithe, Chanas and Activa were chosen by the government to provide this service for public contracts.
Since March 25, 2015, the Cameroonian parliament has been examining a bill authorising the Head of State, Paul Biya, to proceed with Cameroon joining the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on mutual administrative assistance in tax matters. 
The city hall of the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé, will host the 3rd International Agro-Food Fair from April 21-27, 2015. The event is being held under the auspices of the Ministry of Industry. Cameroon’s grand agro-food event will include an exhibit fair, conferences, B-to-B meetings, a packaging and standards workshop and a competition for the best agro-food processing project. 
On June 3, the Cameroonian Minister of Transportation, Robert Nkili, and his Chadian counterpart in charge of Infrastructure, Transportation and Civil Aviation, Adoum Youmousmi, signed the Agreement for the Creation of the Cameroon-Chad Railway Commission, to extend the rail service into Chad. 
The Cameroonian subsidiary of Nestlé is offering, in the medium term, to buy an additional 75% of raw materials, according to internal sources at the company. Mathematically, the project would correspond to a reduction in imports by around 70%. Currently, 84% of raw materials used in the Douala Nestlé factory as well as 59% of packaging used for processing Nestlé Cameroon products are imported.
On June 4, the Cameroonian Treasury Department has again issued Treasury bills for a total amount of 10 billion FCfa, as announced by the central bank in a press release. These Treasury bills, of which the interest is based on their nominal value, have a maturity of 26 weeks.
The British investment fund Actis LLP and the Cameroonian government, represented by the Ministers of Finance and Energy, have taken-over all of AES Corporation’s assets (AES Sonel, Kpdc and Dpdc) in the electricity sector in Cameroon. According to Basile Atangana Kouna, the Cameroonian Minister of Energy, the formalisation of the partnership agreement with Actis was concluded with the signatures of both parties, including one that concerns the shareholding agreement and the guarantee of the Cameroonian government to AES-Sonel’s lenders. 
Rostos Dos Camaroes no Brasil (Roca Brasil)”, 
The World Bank’s representation in Cameroon has just revealed in its economic report for the 2014 budgetary period that State grants for oil product consumption will reach 450 billion FCfa which is 3% of the country’s GDP. 
Starting on July 1, 2014, Cameroonian banks who fail to declare the account balances of their American customers to the American government by December 31 could see up to 30% of certain payments withheld by that country. This is the news that Citi Bank in Cameroon recently announced to representatives of other banks at a meeting held in Douala concerning the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA).
A team of heads from the ADB, the World Bank, the BDEAC and the FDA have just concluded a site inspection visit to the Lom Pangar Dam in Cameroon’s East region. Lenders were pleased with the progress of the construction project which is scheduled to be launched in July 2015.
According to the Inter-professional Organisation for Coffee and Cocoa (CICC), Cameroon exported 3,207 tonnes of cocoa in March 2014, compared to 8,046 tonnes a year earlier. This marks a substantial decline of close to 60%. In February 2014, exports of this product had reached 6,580 tonnes. In a month, therefore, Cameroon cocoa exports plummeted by more than 50%, which amounts to approximately 3,273 tonnes.