By Walter Wilson Nana
The development and emergence of Cameroon is also the pre-occupation of the Cameroonian Diaspora. To put things into perspectives, Cameroon Forum, a London-based organisation, headed by Cameroonian-born, Chris Nasah is championing the course of highlighting Cameroon’s investment potentials and strategising on how to bring investors into the country. On how successful his initiatives have been and how far they intend to go, Nasah tells us in this exclusive interview with iCameroon.com .
Read on!!
What is the Cameroon Forum all about?
The Chair of Cameroon Forum, Chris Nasah
It is a simple concept. The forum is a platform that brings together all the Diaspora organisations of Cameroonian origin in the UK. We bring them together so that we can work in a more strategic way for the benefit of our host community, which is the UK and also for participative development in our homeland – Cameroon.
On the ground in the UK, what has the Forum been doing?
We’ve one of our key objectives, which is networking, ensuring that the various groups come together. We’ve alumni groups who do projects separately. So, we’re looking out on them to work in a strategic manner. Recently, we had a programme with the Science Museum of UK, which was specifically on modern communication. We were out to exemplify the history of modern communication in Cameroon over the past seven hundred years. This will result in a permanent exhibition in London that will contain elements on Cameroon. We also brought together the Cameroonian community in the UK to welcome the 2012 Cameroon Olympic Team in London.
Tell us more about the recent business trip of Cameroon’s Minister of Commerce, Luc Magloire Mbarga to the UK, in which Cameroon Forum was also involved.
This was under the umbrella of the Commonwealth Business Council and Minister Mbarga of Commerce was part of it. That was in Gleneagles during the GB Summit. The Minister was opening up Cameroon’s potential markets to investors in the UK. We do believe in our country Cameroon and that it is a blessed land, significantly, endowed with a lot of natural resources. Comparable to other African countries, we are truly blessed in Cameroon. We at the Cameroon Forum believe that we can play our part by directing foreign investments to Cameroon, to ensure that the intrinsic value is transformed for the benefit of all.
What has been the feedback from potential investors on the requests made by Cameroon Forum about Cameroon?
We’ve had a number of potential investors come to Cameroon over the years. The Forum has organised members of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, Norchester Chamber of Commerce and London Chamber of Commerce to come to Cameroon. So far, some business opportunities have been realised. But we believe that there is more to be done. Part of our strategy has been to create a Cameroonian Diaspora Fund. The Diaspora in terms of remittances, send a lot of money back home already. We’re saying that we can strategically pull a lot of those resources in to a fund and that will ensure that we have a pull of resources, which we can deploy in a strategic way and pull other investors into it. It could even be Cameroonians, not only non-Cameroonians. The strategy is to have those already on board to keep coming and the new ones will also love to come. In this trip to Cameroon, I came with an inquiry from a firm, who wish to come and invest in Cameroon. They are interested in the energy sector. Specifically, they want to know more about the LNG Project, the Liquefied Natural Gas Project and another gas project with the SNH. I have got some information to take back to them. Hopefully, we shall be coming back with those potential investors in the country.
Have you been in touch with the Cameroon Chamber of Commerce, which is a potential partner to your activities?
Certainly, we have been working with the Cameroon Chamber of Commerce. In 2004, when they came to the UK, we received them. We do have links with them. The Vice President, Mr Ekoko Mukete is aware of our activities. We work very closely with him. We’re intensifying those ties every day. We have also had contacts with groups like GICAM, other related groups in the country. Besides working with the central government, we’re also interested in working with the regional services. The case of Buea Council is glaring, where we’ve brought investors in the area of tourism and we look forward to do more.
What is Cameroon Forum doing to be part of the much talked about emergence of Cameroon, especially in the areas of technology and ICT?
At our recent annual general meeting, there was a core group that specifically looked at energy. They are putting together a paper to present to government, which will address issues of alternative energy; solar, bio-mass, wine energy and tapping on our natural resources via the rivers and dams we have in the country. That’s in process. In terms of ICT, we prefer to define it as science and not only ICT. That’s why we have the project with the Science Museum in London. We intend to develop science centres in the country via the Science Museum in London.
What are some of the Cameroon Forum projects earmarked for 2013?
Incidentally, 2013 will be our tenth anniversary. We are looking forward to organise a meeting in London, which will not only involve heads of groups in London but also across Europe. We’re talking with heads of groups in the US. It is important that we gather the Diaspora together and specifically begin to work towards the Cameroon Diaspora Investment Fund. It is dubbed Cameroon Festival 2013, slated within May and June. Please, look out for it. We’re also working out on a workshop in Cameroon towards the close of 2013.
Recently, Cameroon Forum won an award. What is it all about?
We won the Best Entrepreneur of the Year Award. It was organised by an organisation in Scotland named The Africa Forum. Cameroon Forum was recognised for its work with the community in terms of its liaison with the authorities in Britain and Cameroon. And the extent to which we’ve built a platform for the diverse groups of Cameroonian origin in the UK. I was in Glasgow, Scotland, November 16 2012, to receive the award on behalf of the management and staff of Cameroon Forum.
To Cameroonians who are discovering Cameroon Forum for the first time, what are you telling them?
It is a testimony to the fact that the vision that we have is a valuable one. The mission that we have set on is one that will bear dividend for the individual, community and for the nation. This is an invitation for other Cameroonians to get involved. The best is yet to come.
What does it take to be a member of the Cameroon Forum?
There are different categories; the individual, which is a hundred pounds membership for a year. This goes with a series of benefits outlined in our website; www.cameroon-forum.org
One of them is free access to Cameroon Forum events, which we have throughout the year. We also have access to a mentoring programme for the younger generation and key investment opportunities and decision makers in the UK and Cameroon. There is also the group category, where groups can also become members. Benefits are similar. The other category is by invitation, which is honorary membership.
Interviewed by Walter Wilson Nana
