The Cameroon government is taking advantage of the women’s Africa Cup of Nations currently going on in the country to market its poorly developed sector.   The Ministry of Tourism and Leisure, organized today Monday, a very popular ceremony in Yaoundé, the nation’s capital. Chaired by the Prime Minister and Head of Government, the event was attended by Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), under the theme “Women, Sport and Tourism: Women’s sporting events and promotion of African destinations “.

Identified in Cameroon as a sector of growth and job creation, tourism, has been set up by the CPDM led government of Cameroon as an important lever for achieving the Sustainable Development Objectives noted Bello Bouba Maïgari, the Minister of Tourism and Leisure.

However, the Cameroon tourism sector is a complete mess and continues to record a sharp decline in the number of tourists in the country since 2013. The situation has become even more pathetic with the emergence of the Nigerian Islamic sect, Boko Haram. It is in an attempt to reverse the trend that the authorities have chosen the pretext of female Africa Cup of Nations to promote tourism in a country that avails itself of a rich cultural diversity.

By Rita Akana

The Vice President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), Pim Van Ballekom has inaugurated the bank’s regional office for the Central Africa Sub Region in Yaounde. Today’s ceremony was attended by the Minister of External Relations, Lejeune Mbella Mbella and the European Union Ambassador to Cameroon, Francoise Collet.

Minister Mbella Mbella and Vice President Van Ballekom held intensive discussions prior to the inauguration ceremony. Cameroon Concord News gathered that both men examined the long standing relations between Cameroon and the European Investment Bank and identified new avenues for further cooperation.

The European Union Ambassador, Francoise Collet noted during a press briefing that there would be a massive increase in the volume and nature of financial assistance from the European Investment Bank to public and private establishments in the Central African sub region.

CRTV

The Bank of England has warned that life will turn difficult for Britain’s most vulnerable, as inflation is expected to rise due to a slump in the pound following the vote to exit the European Union. Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, said Friday that inflation was likely to surpass the bank’s official two-percent target over the coming years. Carney said that the bank was “willing to tolerate a bit of an overshoot” to avoid unnecessary employment. He added it was not the bank’s responsibility to make decisions based on uneven social impacts of higher prices. “We care a lot about distribution but we are not a political entity,” he said, according to The Independent. Carney said that around 500,000 jobs could have been at risk if the bank had not cut interest rates in August.

The pound sterling has fallen by about 18 percent since Britain’s vote to exit the EU (Brexit) in June, the lowest level in 168 years. The Bank of England has signaled it may cut interest rates again later this year. The British currency has fallen as foreign investors wait for signs of the UK’s new trading agreements with the rest of the world. Food and Drink Federation Director General Ian Wright says the cost of importing goods is rising, and businesses will have to pass these costs on to consumers or risk losses.

“If these price hikes persist, there are pretty undesirable possible outcomes: retailers put up prices, manufacturers and or retailers take the hit, or consumers lose choice,” Wright told The Times. The Bank of England’s forecast in August show inflation hitting two percent in the third quarter of 2017 and rising to 2.4 percent in the second half of 2018. Some economists predict prices will rise even more rapidly. Some expect inflation will hit three percent by the end of next year as imports of food and fuel become more expensive.

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Transport Minister, Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo’o, and his new corporate executive staffs of Camair-Co met on Wednesday, October 12, 2016 in Yaounde with officials of the Audit Consulting firm Boeing. Amid tension with the new board chair of the airline company, Mefiro Oumarou, the transport minister reportedly told the Americans that President Biya has chosen Boeing and that the plan developed by Boeing has already been validated and stressed that the new Camair- Co leaders should rally behind Boeing as soon as possible and move towards the implementation phase.

Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo’o did announce the release of part of the funding needed to redress the airline company. Said the minister, “I am able to tell you that FCFA 30 billion is already available for Boeing to accompany Camair-Co in the implementation of this plan.”

The hard-line position adopted by Minister Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo’o has openly contradicted statements released by the President of the Board of Camair-Co, Mefiro Oumarou. Mefiro recently opined that there was need to put aside the recovery plan submitted to the President of the Republic by Boeing Consulting.

The Boeing plan hinted our informant in Yaounde will allow Camair-Co to fly to 27 destinations: 9 domestic, 13 regional and 5 intercontinental. There is a proposal to acquire new aircrafts over a period of five years by 2020. Boeing also requested the Cameroonian government to inject 60 billion FCFA in the computerization of the company and building sheds.

Culled from Cameroon Intelligence Report

Incidences of Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and Horn of Africa have been decreasing but waters off West Africa remain dangerous and criminal gangs in East Africa are still a lingering threat, according to a new report. These were some of the conclusions from a recent Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) meeting that convened 35 maritime experts to discuss the current state of maritime piracy off the east and west coasts of Africa in the runup to the upcoming African Union Maritime Summit in Lomé, Togo, later this month.

The OBP working group meeting noted that the upturn in kidnapping for ransom incidents in the Gulf of Guinea in the last quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016 appears to have been reduced through a combination of increased patrols by the Nigerian Navy, increased use of contracted security and a refocus of attacks away from piracy at sea and more towards inland infrastructure.

“While the waters in the Gulf of Guinea remain dangerous, regional nations are increasingly able to respond to piracy attacks through operational coordination across the zones developed through the Yaoundé process. Recent examples of these successes include the Nigerian Navy’s armed response to pirate attacks on the MT Maximus in February and the Vectus Osprey in August of this year. International actors are supporting the regional states by coordinating Maritime Situational Awareness for merchant vessels through the Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT – GoG) framework,” Oceans Beyond Piracy said.

Regarding the rule of law, Oceans Beyond Piracy said there is considerable frustration that regional justice systems are still not able or willing to hold pirates accountable. “As evidenced off the Horn of Africa, the commitment to arrest, prosecute and incarcerate pirates was essential in building trust between the shipping industry and regional states as well as sending a signal of regional resolve to address the issue based on the rule of law.”

For the Horn of Africa region, Oceans Beyond Piracy said it has recorded a decline in international counter-piracy spending from $7 Billion in 2010 down to $1.3 Billion in 2015, noting that an effective deterrence has been maintained due to more cost-effective counter-piracy measures and the overall decline in pirate activity. “However, participants agreed that piracy gangs are still organized and retain the capability and intent to attack international shipping. These criminal networks are currently focused on other criminal activity, but are watching to see if conditions at sea become favourable again for piracy attacks.”

In spite of emerging maritime crises elsewhere, Oceans Beyond Piracy said international forces remain committed to support countries in the Horn of Africa/Western Indian Ocean region to deal with piracy. “It is hoped that support for operational issues can be increasingly provided by regional partners and so-called ‘independent deployers.’ It was also stressed that capacity building plans for regional forces are still many years from effectively suppressing piracy on their own.”

The international fight against piracy has seen the apprehension, prosecution, conviction and incarceration of more than 1 000 pirates. Nevertheless, Oceans Beyond Piracy has urged shipping organisations not to become complacent and to sustain deterrence.

“As commercial shipping patterns return to pre-crisis norms, there is concern that a growing number of vulnerable vessels are not following recommended procedures such as transiting through the Internationally Recognized Transit Corridor in the Gulf of Aden. There are also clear indications that the use of armed guards is decreasing in all areas of the High Risk Area (HRA). These developments may risk creating opportunities for pirates to reassert piracy business models,” OBP said. “Shipping organizations still implore their members to remain vigilant and follow BMP4 recommendations while the HRA remains in effect.”

Culled from Defenceweb