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processing of hydrocarbons;
agricultural and agro industrial fish farming, industrial and artisanal fishing;
testing laboratory for analysis and control of raw materials and semi-finished products
used or produced by industry;
The basic schedule: Granted for a period of8 years to businesses that create a certain level of
employment and export at least 25% of their production and / or use national resources up to
at least 25% of the value of inputs,
SME schedule: Granted for a period of 10 years to companies that meet the following three
conditions: creation of a given level of employment; achieving a level of investment less than
or equal to one billion five hundred million CFA and contribution of a Cameroonian or a
Cameroonian corporation to the company's capital for up to at least 35%.
Strategic schedule : Granted for a period of 17 years to any investment activity carried out in
a field declared as strategic and that meets one of the specific criteria below;
Cameroon's economic needs and potentials are such that there are a great variety of good
investment sectors. Amongst other can be cited:
Agricultural production;
Production;
Stock breeding;
Trial, analysis and control of raw material laboratories for finished or semi finished
products used or produced by the industry;
Touristic restoration areas when they are integrated in a touristic pack or implanted in
a touristic site known by touristic administration.
The economy has enjoy a growth rate of 5% for some years, which has to increase;
Democratic institutions and the political stability make of Cameroon a country where
the risk concerning investment of minimal;
Its geographical location between west and central Africa, gives it a unique statistic
position in terms of trade exchanges. It gives access to several central African
countries and some regions of Nigeria;
It has abundant and qualified labour, which is cheap and endowed with a great
adaptation and initiative capacity which is indispensable for companies;
It has a regulatory and legislative frame which gives freedom to invest and the free
transfer of industrial and commercial benefits as well as salaries;
It has numerous natural resources (petroleum, gas, bauxite, iron, nickel, wood) and
agricultural products (cocoa, coffee, cotton, banana, hevea, palm oil, pineapple);
It has a vast privatisation programme of public and Para public companies whose list
is detailed in the chapter of privatisation.
Investment charter
In its efforts to build a competitive and prosperous economy through the development of
investment and savings, and performance objectives of its economic and social action, the
Republic of Cameroon has set the following guidelines:
The reaffirmation of the essential role of the State for the promotion of social and
economic development;
The acknowledgement of the entrepreneurs, investors and private company's key role
as crucial factors of creation of wealth and jobs must be subject to particular attention
from, not only the whole State machinery, but also from the entire society;
The pledge to preserve the freedom of enterprise and the freedom of investment;
The pledge to ensure flexibility and reversibility of decision making processes in the
sense of building the competitiveness of the economy;
The clarification of the role of the state and institutions in terms of economic and
social issues, as collective actors seeking full employment of national resources
through appropriate actions and taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of
the market, the private sector and the civil society in a bid to ensure a State of law and
good governance;
The re-centring and building of the role of the university and national scientific and
technical research system as critical factors of transformation and mastery of
economic and social structures;
The taking into account of specific or particular sectors which need measures, mindful
of constraints tied to conditions of exploitation and valuing of local resources;
The interest to have a trust worthy and efficient information system using new
information and communication technologies;
The pledge to promote a real partnership between the State, private sector and the civil
society as condition for the search of a better global efficiency of the economy;
The putting in place of an inciting and attractive law for investors which shall take into
account, on one hand, the specificity and imposition of production equipment and, on
the other hand, demands of competitiveness to exportation.
DEFINITION
In considered as investor according to this law, every physical or corporate body From
Cameroonian or foreign origin, resident or not, who acquires an asset for the exercise of its
activities in view of obtaining yields.
A company
Monetary claims
Every other corporeal and non corporeal property, movable or immovable, all related
property rights.
Since 1990, Cameroonian parliament has adopted a number of texts translating the will to
liberalise public life and the economy. Also, for most economic activities, the regime of
simple declaration replaced that of prior authorisation.
To improve the legal and institutional frame, in a bid to create an appropriate environment to
business, to attract more direct foreign investments, formalities in different administrations
have been reduced very much.
The charter of investment of CEMAC signed by member States on 17 December 1999 has
come to reinforce this regulatory framework. To this effect, it stipulates that member States
shall ensure the promotion of le901 protection, and reinforce the State of law. The community
court of justice ensures the rights and duties of treaty creating CEMAC and acts taken in
virtue of the treaty.
States adhering to the treaty of the Organisation for harmonisation of Business law in Africa
(OHADA), guarantee the application of procedures and orders of the common court of justice
and arbitration of this regional institution. They adopt their national laws and their legal
policies to the rules and regulations of OHADA.
Investment guarantees
Are guaranteed:
The freedom to exercise an economic activity in Cameroon for every physical or
corporate body, of Cameroonian of foreign nationality;
The enjoyment in the respect of laws and regulations in force of rights of every kind in
terms of property, concession, and administrative authorisation to every physical
person or corporate body no matter his nationality;
The free transfer out of the territory of revenue of every kind coming from capitals
invested;
The free choice of the legal procedure for arbitration and dispute settlement;
The free conclusion and execution of contracts useful for the interest of the investor in
terms of finances and commerce.
Since the 90s, the private sector became the muscle of the Cameroonian economy. In a view
to reinforce it, several 1 measures were taken, notably the adoption of a new investment code
and the implementation of a vast programme for the privatisation of public companies.
Since then every physical or foreign corporate body no matter his place of residence can carry
out economic activities in the country. It can, individually or in association with others
exercise this activity, either under common law or on one of the special regimes instituted by
laws and regulations in force. In any case, it benefits from the full protection of Cameroonian
law.
It also enjoys, in the respect of laws and regulations in force, rights of ail nature concerning
property, concession, and administrative authorisation.
ln the same light, every physical or corporate body regularly established in Cameroon can, in
respect with laws and regulations in force, conclude and execute every contract it judges
useful for its interests, notably on financial and commercial issues, determine its production,
distribution and trading policy and, in a general manner, accomplish every act of management
conform to rules of business practice in Cameroon.
To exercise an economic activity, it enjoys the freedom of hiring and firing which is done in
respect with social legislation and work in force.
The State guarantees every investor, physical or corporate body regularly established, to its
partners and leaders, to its foreign staff holder of a duly signed employment contract, as well
their legal families, entry, stay and free circulation and exit from the national territory.
It thereby issues every necessary administrative document to them. It also guarantees every
physical or corporate body non resident in Cameroon the right to freely transfer revenue of ail
kind form invested capital, and in case of cession of activities, the liquidation product or
cession of investment, while waiting that it should be in order with tax administration.
It also guarantees, in respecting the laws and regulations governing banking and exchange
operations, the freedom to transfer out of the national territory, funds corresponding to normal
and current payments for supplies and effective services, notably in the form of rights or other
remunerations.
Every authorised investment benefits from the guarantee of non commercial risks on
conditions of article 15 of the treaty to institute the multilateral agency for investment
guarantee, ratified by Cameroon.