Poverty Reduction, Economic Diversification, Afcfta to Dominate Vera Songwe's Visit to Cameroon

17 April 2019

Yaounde — The Republic of Cameroon and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) are on a footing towards greater cooperation following the arrival of UN Under Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Commission - Ms. Vera Songwe to the country for an official visit.

Ms. Songwe touched down on the Yaounde-Nsimalen International airport this morning and was received by Cameroon's Minister Delegate in the Ministry of External Relations in Charge of Relations with the Islamic World - Adoum Gargoum, who wished her a warm welcome to Cameroon.

Macroeconomic policies that would engender sustainable development will feature prominently in her discussions with Cameroonian Government authorities

Jobs creation economic diversification and industrialization, which represent the nucleus of ECA's priorities for the Central African subregion, will also come under review.

"We will be talking about what we can do to reduce the rate of poverty and increase growth" Ms. Songwe told the press as soon as she arrived.

"Linked to that is the big continental agenda - the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA)," which ECA would like to encourage Cameroon to ratify, having signed it on 21 March 2018, in Kigali, she intimated.

"With the AfCFTA it's a question of employment, value addition ... and economic competitiveness," she concluded.

Ms. Songwe is pronouncing a closing statement at the National AfCFTA Information and Sensitization Forum being co-organized by ECA and the Government of Cameroon in partnership with the European Union (which is funding the campaign), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the African Union.

She will meet with Cameroon's members of Governments, the civil society, the private sector and the up and coming tech/digital community in the country.

- Media Contacts

FOR ECA

Abel Akara Ticha - Communication Officer

UN Economic Commission for Africa

No 637 Rue 3.069, Quartier du Lac, Yaounde

Tel: 237 222504348

Email: akara@un.org

FOR THE REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON

Christiana Namondo Monoke

Service Head, Communication and Press Relations

Ministry of External Relations

703 Rue 1025 Hippodrome, Yaounde

Tel: 677682381

Email: iyahna2000@yahoo.co.uk

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.