(Business in Cameroon) - The Cameroonian Minister of Forests and Wildlife, Jules Doret Ndongo, has just launched a national tender for the recruitment of a service provider. The winning bidder will carry out repair work on the technical equipment of the Wood Promotion Center in Yaoundé.

Funding for the work, estimated at CFA103.5 million, will be provided by the Common Fund of the Forest and Environment Sector Program (FESP). In detail, the selected service provider will repair three dryers and 44 woodworking machines, renovate 9 sharpening machines and make the wood processing station operational. They will also install a centralized suction system for woodchips and sawdust produced by the woodworking machines.

This project comes at a time CEMAC countries are preparing for the entry into force of the ban on log exports, effective January 1, 2023. The decision aims to foster local processing of wood so that countries have more value-added. Under this plan, more wood promotion centers will be constructed across the CEMAC region.

In Cameroon, the wood promotion center is an entity of the Forestry Ministry. It is responsible for "the promotion of species little or not known for forest development; the contribution to capacity building of stakeholders in the forest products sector, support for SMEs in targeted sectors, awareness, education, and development of practitioners in the use of wood.” The center also ensures the provision of technical or promotional services to stakeholders in the forest products sector. 

BRM