The Regional Delegate of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Crafts, CCIMA, for the Centre Region, Daniel Etounga Manguele, has revealed that CCIMA is a public structure created for and managed by the private sector.

“It represents the private sector at the level of the state. It is therefore a liaison of the private sector at the level of public administration. It ensures public and professional interest missions notably economic information; training of economic operators; providing assistance; counseling economic operators and consulted by public authorities on all issues touching on the economic environment of enterprises.”

Manguele made the disclosure on December 7 during the open door day of CCIMA at the 5th edition of the International Exhibition for Enterprises and Partnership of Yaounde dubbed PROMOTE 2014. This year’s event has 1000 enterprises from 31 countries exhibiting their products and know-how at the premises of the Yaounde Conference Centre.

Considering the huge number of enterprises present, Manguele stated that it offers an exceptional opportunity for establishing contacts and signing of new contracts for the development of businesses in the country.

He said to fully carry out its mission, CCIMA in partnership with development partners, has put in place a number of accompanying tools for the technical, managerial and commercial capacity building of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, SME, and Very Small Sized Enterprises, VSE.

He mentioned such tools to include: Information and Economic Documentation Centre, CIDE; the Douala Pilot Incubation Centre, CIP; Reinforced Centre of AGOA Resources; Accredited Management Centre, CGA, and the project for Professional Resources Centre, CRP, on leather.

“These tools must be perceived as contributing solutions to the improvement of competitiveness of our enterprises; an unavoidable exigency to survive in this globalised world,” Manguele stated.

In addition to the above mentioned tools, the Regional Delegate also talked of other actions to improve on competitiveness of SME. These include a process to upgrade enterprises with the main objective being its modernisation in order to be apt to withstand competition within the framework of trade liberalisation.

Manguele said Sub-Contracting and Partnership, BSTP, which is autonomous today and has as mission industrial sub-contracting; promoting intra and inter partnership amongst enterprises; transfer of competencies, know-how and technology with 177 SME as members, is thanks to CCIMA.

A programme linking SME and VSE in the country with industrial enterprises in the western world doing the same line of business; organising enterprises in the domain of crafts with the goal of reinforcing their technical, organisational and managerial competencies, are some of CCIMA’s actions outlined by Manguele.

He called on heads of enterprises who are not part of the programmes, to urgently join.

Six thematic presentations at the occasion bordered on CCIMA as a promotional tool at the service of the Cameroonian economy; access to economic and trade information: what challenges to SME and VSE among others.

The conference was moderated by Charles Akoh, Chief of Service for Communication at CCIMA.