ICC opens new representative office in Cameroon

On 23 June, ICC’s World Council approved the opening of a new regional office (known as a national committee) in Cameroon. ICC Cameroon, which is located in Douala, works in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Artisans of Cameroon. The new office is led by Perrial Jean Nyodog, as Chair, and Ebenezer Njanga, as Secretary General. Mr Nyodog is also the CEO of Tradex, which trades in oil and oil by-products, while Mr Njanga is also the CEO of the Free Market Foundation of Central Africa.

John W.H. Denton AO said:

“We’re pleased to welcome ICC Cameroon to our growing community of regional offices around the world. As Cameroon is a critical economy in Central Africa, ICC Cameroon will equip local businesses – both large and small – with the expertise required to address emerging challenges and forge long-term solutions for the future.”

The opening of ICC Cameroon is the latest step in ICC’s regional expansion in Africa. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Denton convened a landmark Sub-Saharan Africa action group that brought together participants from close to 20 African countries to discuss a wide variety of regional issues, including operationalising the African Continental Free Trade Area. This past week, ICC joined the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and other partner organisations to launch a major survey to understand the unique challenges faced by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in least-developed countries (LDCs), such as Burkina Faso.

ICC Cameroon will add to the success of these regional initiatives, by strengthening dialogue with regional, continental and international business communities. Local commissions and working groups are being created by ICC Cameroon in the following areas: arbitration and law; banking and finance; e-Commerce and digital economy; energy and environment; intellectual property; international trade; marketing and communication; and transport and logistics.

Mr Njanga, ICC Cameroon’s Secretary General, said that his team is well positioned to strengthen commercial relations between Central African businesses and ICC’s global network of over 45 million companies.

“ICC Cameroon is looking forward to working with the ICC Global Headquarters in Paris and with ICC offices and members around the world to bring the perspective of Cameroonian businesses to ICC’s policies and standards for global trade,” said Mr Njanga. “This partnership will strengthen ties between Cameroon and the international business community, which will lead to improved development opportunities for all.”

Mr Njanga also noted the timeliness of the announcement as the world continues to respond to the economic and social consequences of COVID-19.

“ICC Cameroon’s action plan includes activities that will allow companies to efficiently tackle challenges and issues that negatively impact international trade – and more urgently – give support to Cameroon and the business community in our ongoing response against COVID-19.”

With the addition of Cameroon, ICC now operates national offices in 90 countries worldwide. ICC Cameroon becomes the latest national committee since ICC Vietnam, which opened in November 2019.