Yaoundé Forum backs shift from transit corridors to industrial value chains ⁰

Stakeholders from the transport and industrial sectors, policymakers, investors and regional institutions have called for Central Africa’s transport corridors to evolve from transit routes into industrial integration platforms capable of accelerating local processing, strengthening regional value chains and expanding participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The call was made at the opening of the fifth edition of Pro Meet Up in Yaounde on June 1. Held under the theme “Central Africa 2035: Integrator Corridors, Catalysts for the Development of Sub-Regional Value Chains,” the forum brings together public and private sector actors seeking to identify projects that can transform logistics infrastructure into drivers of industrial production and cross-border competitiveness. Organisers say the objective is to move beyond discussions centred solely on transport efficiency by developing pilot projects capable of converting existing corridors into platforms for local transformation of raw materials and value-chain expansion.

The opening ceremony was presided over by Transport Minister Jean Ernest Massena Ngalle Bibehe, representing Prime Minister Dr Chief Joseph Dion Ngute, in the presence of the Minister of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts, Achille Bassilekin III, alongside economic operators and technical partners.

Chief Executive Officer of Pro Meet Up, Carole Mbessa Elongo, said the initiative aims to generate concrete projects within the next three months that can be presented to financing institutions.

For her, the region must now move beyond a model in which corridors derive value primarily from the movement of goods.

“Existing corridors have created value through transit, but the challenge now is to shift towards a new generation of corridors that support local transformation of products and raw materials,” Mbessa Elongo said.

She explained that the objective is to develop local industrial processing capable of serving both domestic markets and the wider AfCFTA market of 1.4 billion people.

The emphasis, she added, is now on implementation. “The focus of this edition is concrete action. Within the coming months, we expect to place bankable projects on the table that financial institutions can support to move regional industrialisation to the next stage,” she said.

According to organisers, the forum is expected to identify high-impact logistics and industrial projects, define implementation mechanisms, strengthen public-private collaboration and establish a framework allowing strategic corridors across Central Africa to join the initiative. The discussions also highlighted the role of payment infrastructure in supporting regional trade.

During the event, the integration of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) and the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) into the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) was also announced.

PAPSS Chief Executive Officer Mike Ogbalu described payment efficiency as a decisive factor in trade competitiveness, noting that delays and transaction costs directly affect business performance across borders.

“Payment costs and delays reduce the capacity of traders to rotate inventory and complete transactions efficiently. That is why reducing settlement timelines from several days to no more than 120 seconds can significantly multiply both trade volumes and transaction value,” Ogbalu said.

He explained that the system allows transactions to be initiated, processed and settled entirely within Africa, eliminating the need to route payments through external financial hubs.

“By keeping payment flows on the continent, we eliminate unnecessary conversion costs and delays. The immediate priority now is for commercial banks in the CEMAC zone to connect their digital channels so payments can become as seamless as sending an SMS,” he said.

Beyond payment facilitation, participants also discussed the physical and institutional conditions needed to support regional integration. Transport Minister Ngalle Bibehe said the theme of this year’s forum reflects the urgency of developing resilient and competitive corridors capable of supporting sub-regional integration.

He noted that Cameroon has intensified investments in ports, rail infrastructure and the digitalisation of logistics procedures to strengthen connectivity while addressing competitiveness and transport safety challenges.

Roundtable discussions and technical panels focused on corridor governance, industrial financing mechanisms, payment facilitation and the institutional frameworks required to support implementation across Central Africa.

Source: Business in Cameroon