Economic Cooperation: Cameroon Eligible For New Chinese-led Programme 

The Belt and Road Initiative offers opportunities for joint large-scale infrastructural and development projects.

Another avenue to attain a middle income economy is now available for Cameroon to take advantage of. The Belt and Road Initiative concerns Cameroon and Africa in general and is not just limited to Asia, Europe and the Middle East, etc. Receiving 27 African journalists on April 14, 2017 in Guangzhou, capital of China’s Guangdong Province, officials said it was part of efforts to boost ties with Africa.

“Countries involved will benefit from projects to be jointly designed, built and shared with China as well as with people along the Belt and Road. It is a win-win initiative as both sides will benefit from the projects,” explained Luo Jun, Deputy Director General of the Guangdong Provincial Foreign Affairs Office. He advised Cameroonian officials to find out the opportunities available from the Chinese Embassy in Cameroon. They can also propose projects from the 10 key areas announced at the December 2015 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Belt and Road Initiative was proposed by Chinese President, Li Jinping, and unveiled in 2013. It is a blueprint for global economic development, taking reference from the historic Silk Road that transformed international trade links in ancient times. The trade routes cover countries in Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Americas.  The five key cooperation areas are promoting people-to-people exchanges, enhancing monetary policy coordination and bilateral finance, and facilitating cross-border investments and supply chain ties. Other areas are planning and supporting large-scale infrastructural and development projects, and building facilities to enable connec...