(Business in Cameroon) – The third edition of Mboa Paris, billed by organizers as the “first business and socio-cultural fair of the Cameroonian diaspora in Europe,” is set to open today, May 28, 2025, at the Beffroi de Montrouge. Running until May 31, the event will feature exhibitions, workshops, cultural activities, and conferences, providing a platform for members of the Cameroonian diaspora in Europe to showcase their entrepreneurial, associative, and cultural initiatives.
“The vision of Mboa Paris is based on the idea that the Cameroonian diaspora, scattered across the world, can be a driving force for development in Cameroon. This community, rich in experience and resources, is essential to contributing to the emergence of their country of origin,” according to a statement on the event’s website.
“The African diaspora as a whole is today the leading investor on the African continent and therefore a genuine economic lever,” explained Fatimatou Ousmanou, president of the Mboa Paris Association. “Cameroon, at the same time, has the reputation of having one of the most dynamic and highly qualified diasporas in sub-Saharan Africa. (…) Unfortunately, despite the various existing initiatives carried by its members, there is still no sustainable ecosystem to foster connections and exchanges between these different actors, even though they are a true engine for Cameroon’s development.”
A key component of the fair, exploring avenues for the Cameroonian diaspora to contribute more effectively to the development of Cameroon, is a roundtable scheduled for May 31, 2025. The discussion will center on the theme: “How can the Cameroonian diaspora in Europe be a driver of Cameroon’s economic transformation through structuring investments?”
The panel for this discussion will include prominent figures such as Ahamadou Sardaouna, CEO of Cameroon’s Housing Corporation (SIC); Rebecca Enonchong, founder and CEO of the tech company AppsTech; Marguerite Fonkwen Atanga, CEO of CCA Bank; and Henry Fokwen Rocher, CEO of Moulin de France bakeries in Cameroon.
BRM
