The vision statement will be preceded by an analysis of its foundations and strategic focus. I- FOUNDATION AND STRATEGIC FOCUS OF THE VISION Th
The vision statement will be preceded by an analysis of its foundations and strategic focus.
I- FOUNDATION AND STRATEGIC FOCUS OF THE VISION
The foundation and strategic focus of the vision that will guide the national roadmap on trade facilitation in Cameroon (2020-2024) lie in the following strategic governance instruments.
1-The long-term national development vision of Cameroon (CameroonVision 2035)
It defines among other objectives, the strengthening of Cameroon’s trade, opening to the outside world and the expansion of markets, with a view to developing the productive fabric and attaining the level of a newly industrialized country.
2-Strategic framework for the operationalization of the first phase of the vision (GESP)
In connection with the National Development Vision, the GESP lays special emphasis on investment in infrastructure, especially in the area of transport; transport infrastructure being the driver of trade facilitation and the promotion of strong and sustainable growth, owed to the competitiveness generated by its good quality. The GESP also recommends that regulations be improved in order to simplify external trade procedures; with the objective of ensuring their compliance with more efficient standards, as part of the policy to diversify trade.
The National Development Strategy (2020-2030) as part of the planning of the second phase of the Vision will enter into force in 2020. It strengthens the above-mentioned guidelines of the GESP by emphasising the option of substituting imports by local production in order to generate endogenous, sustainable and inclusive growth. In this context, the structural transformation of the economy is envisaged at the end of the implementation period of this National Strategy, which is based on the maximum and optimal involvement of the country’s production factors in the development process.
3-The National Export Strategy
The National Export Strategy (2020-2030) constitutes the reference framework which should inform export development policies and optimise access to foreign markets. It reflects the will of public authorities to reduce the deficit in trade balance and ensure the promotion of local products. It is a tool that presents the strategic areas of intervention and proposes an action plan to be implemented in order to make the most of opportunities for the international market access offer, by providing economic operators with a set of elements to enable them to comply with the rules and procedures for external trade operations, to address the constraints they have been regularly facing.
To facilitate trade and the circulation of goods, the said Strategy notably integrates actions related to Trade Facilitation.
4- The Industrialization Master Plan
The Industrialization Master Plan (IMP) which was validated in 2017, seeks to make Cameroon to play a determinant role in the industrial revival of Africa. This will involve enabling the emergence of Cameroonian enterprises to a pan-African scale in order to capture the continent’s market shares.
The priority agro-industry, energy and digital sectors have been targeted based on the development of physical, cognitive and institutional infrastructure as well as adequate financing.
The facilitation of trade exchanges will play a strategic role in the process. The first stage especially involves the facilitation of trade with ECCAS countries and Nigeria, which will serve as a launching ramp for industrial development in Cameroon.
5- The Trade Facilitation Agreement
Ratified by Cameroon, this agreement contains provisions aimed at expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit. It also sets out provisions to enable effective cooperation between customs and other competent authorities regarding trade facilitation issues and the respect of customs procedures.
The implementation of technical measures prescribed by this Agreement is based on the principle of “special and differential treatment for developing and least-developed countries”, on the basis of which developing and least-developed countries are invited to freely choose the provisions that they will include in each of the categories A, B, and C, provided for by the agreement, according to their implementation capacities, as follows:
– Category A contains provisions that a country will designate to implement by the time the agreement enters into force;
– Category B contains provisions that a country will designate to implement after the transitional period following the entry into force of the agreement;
– Category C contains provisions that a country will designate to implement on a date after a transitional period following the entry into force of the agreement and requiring the acquisition of implementation capacity thanks to the provision of assistance and support for capacity building.
To ensure the harmonious and effective implementation of this mechanism, it is recommended that WTO member States should have a national roadmap clearly highlighting a national programme of reforms on trade facilitation.
6- The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA)
Cameroon signed the Agreement on the establishment of a continental free trade area on 21 March 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda. This agreement aims to integrate African markets and significantly increase the volume of intra-regional trade.
It paves the way for a unique continental market with the free movement of persons, capital, goods and services, essential for the strengthening of economic integration, industrialization, and the structural transformation of Africa, in accordance with the objectives and principles stated in the Abuja Treaty and with the aspirations of the 2063 Agenda.
The Kigali Agreement seeks to create a wider, fluid and secure market. It devotes an entire annex to trade facilitation with measures aimed at expediting, simplifying, harmonising and modernising the import, export and transit process of goods at the regional level. It also provides for the establishment or maintenance of a National Trade Facilitation Committee in each State party in order to facilitate coordination and the implementation of the provisions of Annex 4 of the said Agreement.
The taking into account of the application of the provisions of this annex on trade facilitation by NTFC will ensure better monitoring of the implementation of the AfCFTA at the national level and the coherence of synergies between national efforts and the continental initiative with regard to the simplification and harmonization of procedures in the regional logistics chain.
7- Policy guidelines on trade facilitation
In the Circular Letter of 24 July 2019 on the preparation of the State budget for the 2020 financial year, the President of the Republic instructed the continuation of efforts to facilitate trade and reduce the time for the movement of goods, in order to increase the competitiveness of our ports and airports.