Cameroon Consul General in Lagos, Bibi Manga Bell, has said Cameroon is more committed than ever before to strengthening business collaboration with Nigeria.
She said both countries have a lot to offer each other in the areas of economic development and cultural exchange.
She said this at the Cameroon Consulate in Victoria Island, Lagos during the launch of Cameroon Business Network and the 54th Cameroon Youth Day.
The aim of the platform is to foster strong and sustainable business ties between Nigeria and Cameroon, while promoting the consumption and export of high-quality Cameroon products and to bridge the gap between Nigeria and Cameroon’s business communities, fostering collaboration and facilitating trade. The project is initiated by Tayim Atam under the supervision of the consulate of Cameroon in Lagos.
Speaking on the launch of the platform, Bell said: “This is a platform where Cameroonian men and women will be meeting Nigerian business men and women to exchange ideas and do business.
“We invited the LCCI to show how important it is for us to work with local authourities in Nigeria. We are not here to interact with international companies, but to address our concerns directly and form a better relationship with Lagos State.
“We are to seek solution together; some of my compatriots are in Nigeria illegally. We have an agreement that a Nigerian can spend 90 days in Cameroon as well as a Cameroonian can spend 90 days in Nigeria without the need for visa and authorization, some of them are taking advantage of that and stay beyond the time stipulated.
“So, we need to tell them the truth that they need to go back to Cameroon after 90 days and may return after a couple of weeks, this is good for business so, the solution is not far-fetch, we must use the framework we have and to do business in Nigeria, the same thing also applies to Nigerians living in Cameroon. We must endeavor to live like a global citizen, living in a country and work in another.”
He added: “We have a lot of raw products in Cameroon being shipped only to the western world whereas Nigeria is just across the border. It’s better for our brothers to bring their technology. We need the banking system; why carrying money in hand bags all the time when transaction can be done online and it’s happening here in Lagos. You can be in your kitchen while managing your business, paying your bills, the children’s school fees. We have the services in Nigeria so, Cameroonians can come and learn, there is the Lagos Business School and a lot of opportunities that can benefit Cameroonians.
“We are not here just to issue birth certificates and other documents to Cameroonians, we need to foster commercial and economic relation and Lagos is a land of opportunities to ensure that and I will not leave Lagos without bringing business men and women from Cameroon and Lagos State together.
Also speaking, Director General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), said: “We hope that there will be better collaboration between the Nigerian and Cameroonian business after this deliberation. We hope for more partnerships and the balance and improvement of trade between Nigeria and Cameroon. Cameroonians and Nigerians have done businesses for years, there has been constant flow of business and transactions across the border and culturally, there have been engagements and interactions so, we have always been together and work together but we need to take it to the next level, we need to improve how we work so that it will be beneficial to the economy of both countries.
Advising the Cameroonians, she said: “If you want to do business in Nigeria, you must come through a formal channel, go through the legal route, the same apply to Nigerians doing business in Cameroon.
