(Business in Cameroon) - The locality of Bangoua, in the Western region of Cameroon, hosted last March 6 the launch ceremony for the construction of an agro-industrial park estimated at CFA52 billion. Called "La belle folie", the project is led by Cameroonian economic operator and senator of the ruling party CPDM -Micheline Dsamou, in collaboration with foreign partners.

The good news for job seekers is that the project is expected to generate between 2,000 and 3,000 direct jobs, we learned. The agro-industrial complex will be built on 2,113 hectares, in Bangoua (113 hectares) and Badounga (2,000 hectares), and will include soybean, rice, and corn plantations; rice husking plants; assembly of agricultural machinery; processing units of chickens, goats, and pigs into sausage. It will also include livestock and fish farming.

According to the promoter, the project aims to boost local agropastoral production and reduce massive imports of food products, which weigh heavily on the country’s trade balance each year. It aligns with the government’s import-substitution policy and with the National Development Strategy (NDS 30), which underpins the structural transformation of the Cameroonian economy.

"La belle folie" is supported by the State of Cameroon, mainly through the Investment Promotion Agency (API). An agreement was signed last year with Micheline Dsamou to grant the project tax and customs exemptions ranging from 5 to 10 years, per the 2013 law (revised in 2017) on incentives for private investment in the Republic of Cameroon.   

Brice R. Mbodiam