Ladies and gentlemen of the press,
Dear guests,
Thank you for kindly accepting the invitation sent to you.
It is therefore a real pleasure for me to address you on this solemn occasion, to inform national and international opinion that Cameroon is organising the fourth edition of the International Agri-food Industry Show (SIALY), from 6 to 16 December 2016 at Yaoundé City Hall under the theme: “Agriculture and industrial processing: drivers of development”.
Indeed, under the high patronage of the Prime Minister, Head of Government, this event, held for the fourth time in Cameroon, brings together as its main players agro-industry manufacturers, development support operators, research institutes, operators seeking financing and financiers themselves, etc., under the leadership of Mrs Bibiane MOTTO, promoter of the SIALY project and Managing Director of the REFLEX communication agency, exclusive manager of SIALY 2016.
The aim of SIALY is therefore to promote industry in general, and agro-industry in particular, and also to reflect on the strategies to be implemented for its development.
It is also the ideal place to present Cameroonian culture and tourism, potential sources of foreign currency, to the world.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Cameroon is rich in enormous resources that are just waiting to be developed. The agri-food sector is not only fascinating, it is also, above all, the essential path to growth and development for our country. The agro-industrial sector, which consists of processing agricultural products into semi-finished and finished products, accounts for more than 33% of industrial production, 22.2% of industrial value added and nearly 6% of exports.
And yet Cameroon’s agricultural potential offers a good foundation for the development of agro-industry, which has traditionally always been one of the key links in the national manufacturing sector.
Given the great potential our country offers, it was therefore necessary to highlight what has already been done and to reflect on adopting new policies to boost this important part of the national economy.
SIALY is also the ideal setting for developing business opportunities between foreign investors and agricultural processing project developers, as well as between agro-industrial project developers and financing bodies.
In addition, SIALY was designed to serve as an interface between operators in the agri-food industry and the public authorities.
As such, it gives agro-industrialists the opportunity to showcase their know-how and their agri-food projects, which may be supported and assisted by the State.
This platform will bring together all players in the sector to discuss issues related to the agri-food industry. The resolutions from this work could serve as a working basis for the public authorities, in order to encourage the creation of production structures and markets, and ultimately to create the wealth needed to revive the national economy.
For its part, the Government has undertaken actions to promote this sector, which has a high potential for employment and can create manufacturing value added.
In order to bring about predominant production that would lead to a sharp increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of around 23 to 24%, the Ministry of Mines, Industry and Technological Development has identified promising sectors to turn into so-called structuring projects.
These include:
– the palm oil sector, developed by the Oil Palm Sector Productivity and Competitiveness Improvement Project (APROCOM-PH),
– the cotton/textile sector, which is also an important part of the Cameroonian economy.
To boost this sector, the Government is putting in place a series of measures to encourage local processing of cotton production. These include:
– controlling and minimising risks and internationalising the cotton trade on the one hand, and on the other, the continuous integration of the textile and clothing industry;
– the industrial restructuring of spinning and weaving units and, finally, the migration of clothing and apparel activity from the informal to the formal sector.
Other promising sectors are also being restructured and developed with various private partners.
These include maize, cassava, rubber and sugar cane.
These agro-industrial projects are backed by a policy to develop the fertiliser sector, notably through the construction of a chemical fertiliser plant.
Holding this Show has therefore become an ideal space for reflecting on other development strategies for this sector.
The event will therefore be built around panel discussions, a trade fair showcasing agri-food products and inventions resulting from research, and cultural entertainment designed to showcase our heritage to foreign visitors.
These exchanges will also include B2B (business-to-business) meetings between professionals in the sector, in order to forge fruitful partnerships on the one hand and, on the other, to find solutions for the development of the agri-food industry.
SIALY 2016 will be attended by agri-food equipment suppliers, processing industries, project developers, financing bodies, research institutes, trading companies, higher education institutions, inventors and innovators, etc.
Several foreign countries have already expressed their wish to take part in this Show, including the Kingdom of Belgium, Italy, Tunisia, France and some countries of the CEMAC zone.
All that remains is for me to invite you, ladies and gentlemen, to come from 6 to 16 December 2016 to the esplanade of Yaoundé City Hall, to honour SIALY 2016 with your presence.
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, this is the information we wanted to share with you today. It is now up to you to bring it to the attention of the national and international public, who should also be made aware of the added value that organising this important event can bring to our country’s economy.
Finally, allow me to introduce Mrs Bibiane MOTTO, promoter of the SIALY project and Managing Director of the REFLEX communication agency, exclusive manager of SIALY 2016.
This is the organisation behind the project, which will support the Government for this event. It will certainly also be pleased to answer your questions.
Thank you for your kind attention.