The Cameroon Economic Policy Institute (CEPI) of the Henri Kouam Foundation has stepped up efforts to strengthen local business capacity for continental trade by organizing an advanced training session for 26 Cameroonian entrepreneurs on the theme “Unlocking African Entrepreneurship through the African Trade Observatory (ATO).”
The capacity-building event, held on September 13 at Hotel Franco in Yaoundé, gathered a diverse group of entrepreneurs eager to explore the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The session was led by Henri Kouam, Cameroon’s leading AfCFTA trade expert and Executive Director of CEPI, who opened the event by expressing gratitude to CEPI’s partners, the Atlas Network and Phoenix Construction, for their ongoing support in promoting economic policy development and entrepreneurship empowerment.
In his presentation, Kouam offered participants a detailed overview of the AfCFTA, explaining that the landmark agreement, signed in Kigali in 2018, aims to establish a unified African market enabling the free movement of goods, services, capital, and people across the continent.
He also outlined the eight protocols underpinning the AfCFTA: trade in goods, trade in services, competition, intellectual property, investment, women and youth, digital trade, and dispute resolution, according to the report
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A highlight of the session was Kouam’s comprehensive demonstration of the African Trade Observatory, a digital platform that centralizes trade data and regulatory information from across Africa.
He described the ATO as a vital tool to “reduce information gaps for entrepreneurs and support strategic planning for exporters,” guiding attendees on how to navigate the platform, use HS codes to identify export requirements, and access country-specific trade rules.
Participants were actively engaged during the Q&A session, raising questions about market access, certification costs, and scaling agricultural productivity.
Many emphasized the need for stronger government support in areas such as research funding, fertilizer production, and seed development to enhance local competitiveness.
Entrepreneurs also suggested policy measures, including maintaining VAT exemptions for locally produced flour, improving transparency in export procedures, and publishing all import-export guidelines on the websites of the Ministries of Commerce, Economy, and Customs to make trade information more accessible.
CEPI assured attendees that it has begun liaising with the relevant ministries to guarantee that entrepreneurs have free and complete access to trade and export regulations.
Participants described the training as “practical and empowering” and urged CEPI to organize similar workshops regularly to help local businesses build the capacity, skills, and confidence needed to compete effectively under the AfCFTA framework.
As Africa advances toward deeper economic integration, initiatives like CEPI’s are equipping Cameroonian entrepreneurs with the knowledge and tools to trade, compete, and thrive across borders in the AfCFTA era.
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Image Credit: PAV-Pan African Visions
