Fifteen (15) manufacturing and agribusiness companies operating in Cameroon have recently been granted the preferential tariff regime allowing them to export their products to CEMAC countries duty-free.
The beneficiaries include some big names of the local industry: Dangote Cement Cameroon, Guinness Cameroon, BVS (Boissons, vins et spiritueux), Scimpos, Socaver, Ok Food, etc.
The authorizations were handed to them on September 18, 2020, in Yaoundé, by Cameroon’s Minister of Trade Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana. Adding this number makes a total of fifty (50) local companies authorized under this tariff regime with 529 products approved for exports under the regime since 2014.
At the same time, 36 companies operating in Cameroon are authorized to export 249 products to the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).
When handing the authorizations on September 18, 2020, the Minister of Trade explained that it was a crucial step for the recipients’ access to the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), planned to be operational in January 2021.
“Companies that already have authorizations to export under the community preferential regime will be the first to have the ‘approved exporter’ status within the AfCFTA,” he said.
