ECA to play pivotal role in retooling Cameroon’s industrial masterplan

Abstract

Cameroon's Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development, Mr. Gabriel Dodo Ndoke has solicited the support of the Sub regional Office for Central Africa of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in the updating of Cameroon’s Industrial Development Masterplan (PDI, in French) and coordinating the contribution of a league of development partners in the implementation of its next phase. The PDI is seen as a switchboard for Cameroon’s sustainable development, especially with the advent of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which requires a transformation of production systems in favor of the manufacturing sector from any country that wants to reap substantial benefits from it. The Government of Cameroon considers its Industrialization Masterplan as indispensable for achieving the status of an upper middle-income country by 2035. According to the Minister, the plan is being reviewed against a backdrop of three urgent goals for the country: accelerating the pace of economic growth, regaining Cameroon’s leadership in the industrial sector and cushioning the country against structural or systemic shocks, through deeper economic diversification.