It took an exceptional personality to pull off an event of international scale at a time when Cameroon, and indeed Africa, were celebrating the fiftieth anniversaries of independence — a time when all eyes were on the cultural, sporting, political and social activities linked to this major commemoration in the history of our continent.
Mrs Bibiane Motto Atsama, a passionate advocate of the agri-food cause and Managing Director of Reflex, rose to the challenge by organising SIALY (International Agri-food Industry Show of Yaoundé). A first edition that demonstrated the skills of its promoter, determined to make her mark in the world of agro-industry.
As if moved by one spirit, the sector’s promoters flocked to the esplanade of Yaoundé City Hall to support this initiative, presenting products of rare originality — proving that the future of agri-food is indeed in Africa. That is fair enough, but the challenges of competition still have to be met and international standards for packaging and product quality adopted, in order to be globally competitive.
Local promoters seem to have understood this well. The date set for the second edition, SIALY 2012, under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Technological Development (MINMIDT), a loyal partner of SIALY, looks very promising. Here’s to great ambitions.