(Business in Cameroon) - The Cameroonian subsidiary of the Swiss agro-industrial group Nestlé is planning to launch the extension works of its production plant in Douala, in the economic capital of the country. This investment, worth a total of FCfa 10 billion, was revealed during a recent agreement signing ceremony with the Cameroonian government, an agreement which will make available to this food industry the benefits provided by the 2013 law on promoting private investment in the Republic of Cameroon.

Although the details of this extension project have not been revealed, we know that Nestlé Cameroun has for some time been considering introducing the Penja pepper, local condiment certified a few years ago by OAPI, in the preparation of its famous stock cube Maggi. Which could require the purchase of new equipment.

Moreover, the extension of the Douala plant could just as well meet a simple need of production increase. This especially as it is the plant from which Nestlé supplies all the CEMAC countries which are Gabon, Congo, Chad, the Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea.

As a reminder, according to official information, the Maggi cube, a cooking stock much sought after by households, represents on its own 90% of the Douala plant’s production, through which Nestlé Cameroun makes a monthly turnover of FCfa 5 billion in the CEMAC zone.

Apart from Maggi cube, the Cameroonian subsidiary of the Nestlé group also produces the milk “Nido” packaged in sachets, which represents 9% of the entire production of the Douala plant, against only 1% for Nescafé, the famous coffee now locally produced from Cameroonian coffee. It is also possible that the extension of the Douala plant could lead to an increase in production volumes for the latter two brands.

Brice R. Mbodiam