(Business in Cameroon) – The Cameroonian Trade Department announced the introduction of a special facility to support the population in this tough economic context. Minister Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana said the plan is to offer the lowest possible prices on a wide selection of food products.
“This consumer-friendly facility, set up as schools resumed, will cover a wide and diverse range of essential food items. It is being implemented across the entire national territory, spanning all regions and departments, and will continue for several more weeks,” the official said.
Let’s recall that the Minister previously launched a campaign, in line with its annual tradition coinciding with school resumption, to offer school supplies and various consumer goods at reduced prices. Initially scheduled to conclude on September 3, the promotional sale period was extended until September 30 due to robust demand. In Yaoundé, for example, the number of operational sales outlets has been multiplied by five. In addition to the Boulevard du 20 Mai, consumer goods are sold at reduced prices at the Tsinga junction, the esplanade of the Yaoundé III town hall (Efoulan), the esplanade of the Yaoundé IV town hall (Ekounou) and the Meec junction in Yaoundé VII. All these support measures demonstrate the government’s determination to make life easier for all Cameroonians, despite the economic context.
The political stakes are high for the government, which has been working with the sector for months in an attempt to control soaring food prices, estimated at 10.9% in August 2023 by the National Statistics Agency (INS). Soaring food prices also constitute the primary source of inflation, which reached an annual average of almost 8% at the end of August. According to the trade ministry, this surge in prices is the result of “successive crises that have led to unprecedented disruption in international market supply chains since the end of 2019.”
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