Agreement: Minader seals partnership between Regional Bank and FBPC

The banana-plantain sector is to become the primary instrument of Cameroon's national import-substitution policy.

The conference room of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was cramped on Thursday, May 2, 2024, to accommodate all those who came to attend the signing of this partnership agreement between the national association of players in the plantain sector in Cameroon, represented by Samuel Tony Obam Bikoué, and the Managing Director of Regional Bank S.A., under the watchful eye of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Gabriel Mbaïrobe. The event was attended by Armand Ndjodom, Secretary of State in charge of roads at the Ministry of Public Works and promoter of the plantain sector in the East region, Boumba and Ngoko, Mrs Bambot Grâce Annih née Mbong, Secretary General of Minader, in the presence of several cooperatives and microfinance partners in the sector.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

In his speech, Minister Mbaïrobe recalled the government's efforts to encourage the growth of this crop, with the creation of a micro-plant production center in the Njombè Penja area in the Littoral region, and the construction of four processing units at Mvagan in the South region, Afanloum in the Centre region, Dimako in the East region and Bangem in the South-West. These four centers will support plantain processing to industrialize production in the sector. The signing of the framework agreement was attended by representatives of planters' organizations from Adamaoua, Centre, East, Littoral, North-West, West, South-West and South.

For the Reverend Pastor Charles Rollin OMBANG, ADG of Regional Bank, God is the first farmer, for he put Adam in a garden. The signing of this agreement comes less than two months after the opening of the first agricultural branch on the national territory, a choice positioning for a bank that aims to be the bank of farmers. With its listing on the Central African Stock Exchange, the Regional Bank aims to be the guarantor of this sector, the driving force behind Cameroon's import-substitution policy.

According to Samuel Tony Obam Bikoué, President of the Association of Plantain Sector Stakeholders, “there are two main aspects to this signature, namely the financing of our microfinance partners, who have been working alongside the sector for the past three years, and the second and most important aspect, the financing of all links in the plantain value chain. The aim is to turn this into a value chain in which each link plays its part and flourishes.

Cameroon lies between two major markets, Nigeria and the DRC. But to do things right, you need to go through a necessary and compulsory incubation period to succeed as an agricultural entrepreneur. The plantain festival will be held for the third time at the end of 2024, under the name Banana Tour, with Brazil as the country of honor, and will culminate in a gala match between former world soccer glories from the two countries (Brazil and Cameroon). The aim is to create a cluster in each region to create a homogeneous whole capable of pooling efforts for the benefit of all players in the value chain”.

The signing of this framework partnership agreement between the Cameroon plantain industry association and the Regional Bank promises to be the launching pad for the import substitution policy in the agricultural sub-sector, in line with the objectives of the SND30.

Clément Noumsi