(Business in Cameroon) - Japan may soon support the construction of a cocoa processing unit in Ebolowa 2, Southern region. Indeed, on March 3, 2022, Takaoka Nozomu, the Japanese ambassador to Cameroon, signed a partnership agreement with André Thomas Bengon, mayor of Ebolowa 2, for the construction of that processing unit.

According to the government daily Cameroon Tribune, Japan will specifically support the construction of three buildings for fermentation, drying, and storage. 

Cameroon’s Minister of Trade Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, who sponsored the signing ceremony, said Japan’s support to the project falls within the framework of the Aid to Local Projects Program implemented by the Japanese government in Cameroon since 1993. 

This processing unit will boost the volume of cocoa processed in the country, therefore contributing to the 50% processing rate targeted by Cameroon. During the 2020-2021 cocoa season, local processors processed 62,341 tons of the 292,471 tons of cocoa marketed during the season. This represented just a 21% processing rate. 

BRM