(Business in Cameroon) - FCfa 9 billion. This is the amount of the investment that Producam will make in the town of Kékem, in the Western region of Cameroon. The foundation stone of this factory, which will be built thanks to the expertise of the Swiss company Buhler, was laid on 16 June 2016.

With an estimated processing capacity of 30,000 tons of cocoa beans a year, the Kékem factory aims to produce 12,000 tons of cocoa butter and 6,000 tons of cocoa powder annually. The project benefits from a Cameroonian government financial assistance of FCfa 1.3 billion, as well as significant tax and customs exemptions.

According to the Minister of Economy, Louis Paul Motazé, who presided over the foundation stone laying ceremony of this factory, the Kékem example will soon be duplicated in the town of Mbalmayo, in the Central Region.

As a reminder, Cameroon which has produced on average 200,000 of cocoa over the past 5 years, only processes around 25% of its production locally. The recovery plan for the sector aims to raise this level to 50% by 2025, by which time the country proposes to produce 600,000 tons of beans.

Brice R. Mbodiam