Date: April 24, 2024
Time: 10:00 am (Cameroon time)
Venue: Mansel Hotel, Yaoundé

1. Background

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), was enforced in January 2021 as a key initiative of the African Union to create a single market for goods and services across the African continent in order to boost intra-African trade and investment, create jobs, reduce poverty and increase economic growth. By ratifying the agreement, Cameroon recognizes the need for its  implementation within the established timelines. However, the current finance and digital sectors may pose a challenge for the successful implementation of the AfCFTA. Innovative financial instruments (blended finance, green bonds, trade finance facilities, mobile money, etc) may offer an opportunity to address some of the financial challenges facing entrepreneurs but a lot needs to be done in the digital side. Thanks to its market of over 1,2 billion souls, AfCFTA is today a great opportunity of Cameroon to improve its finance and digital sectors. With this in mind, the Nkafu Policy Institute, a think tank of the Denis and Lenora Foretia Foundation, is organizing an operational working session on “Impact of the African Continental Free Trade Area on Cameroon’s Digital and Finance Sectors.“

2. Objectives

The objective of this event is to discuss and explore how the African Continental Free Trade Area can impact Cameroon’s Digital and Finance Sectors. By bringing together key stakeholders from both sectors, this discussion aims to achieve the following:

• Raise awareness about the importance of the African Continental Free Trade Area in strengthening the digital and finance sectors in Cameroon,
• Explore digital and financial instruments offered by the African Continental Free Trade Area to facilitate trade and investment across the continent,
• Provide recommendations to upgrade Cameroon’s digital and finance capacities through the African Continental Free Trade Area.

3. Target audience

The meeting will bring together 20 stakeholders, including distinguished think tank leaders and researchers, policymakers, customs officials and representatives of civil society organizations, media.

4. Expected outcome of the event

A comprehensive understanding of the digital and finance sectors for the successful implementation of AfCFTA in Cameroon.

5. Contact details

Email: [email protected] / Tel: (+237) 654 86 72 54