WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/TPR/M/187 
WT/TPR/M/188 6 November 2007 
 
(07-4821) 
Trade Policy Review Body 
1 and 3 October 2007 Original:   French 
 
 
 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW 
 
CAMEROON AND GABON 
 
Minutes of Meeting  
 
Chairperson:  HE Mr Vesa Himanen (Finland) 
 
   Page 
 
I.
 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 3  
II. OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF CAMEROON 4  
III. OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF GABON 6  
IV. STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT 9  
V. STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS 11  
VI. REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVES OF CAMEROON AND GABON 
AND ADDITIONAL COMMENTS 15  
VII. CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 31  
  
 
     
 
    
 
    
 
Note:   Advance written questions by WTO Me mbers and the replies provided by Cameroon and 
Gabon are reproduced in document WT/TPR/M/187/Add.1 and WT/TPR/M/188/Add.1 and 
will be available online at http://www.wto. org/english/tratop_e/tp r_e/tp_rep_e.htm.   
   WT/TPR/M/187 
 WT/TPR/M/188 
 Page 3 
 
 
  I. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 
1. The third Trade Policy Review of Cameroon and Gabon was held on 1 and 3 October 2007.  
The Chairperson (HE Mr Vesa Himanen) welcom ed the delegation of Cameroon, headed by 
HE Mr Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana , the delegation of Gabon headed by 
HE Mr Paul Biyoghe Mba, and the discussant, HE Mr Luzius Wasescha of the Swiss Mission.  As 
usual, the discussant spoke in his personal capacity .  In accordance with established procedures, he 
had made available in advance an outline of th e main points he intended to raise (document 
WT/TPR/D/163). 
2. The Chairperson recalled the purpose of the Trad e Policy Reviews and the main elements of 
the procedures of the meeting.  The reports by  Cameroon and Gabon were contained in documents 
WT/TPR/G/187 and WT/TPR/G/188, respectively, a nd those of the WTO Secretariat in documents 
WT/TPR/S/187 and WT/TPR/S/188.  Questions raised by the delegations of Canada;  the Republic of 
Korea;  Brazil;  Hong Kong, China;  Japan;  th e European Communities;  the United States of 
America;  and Colombia had been communicated to the delegations of Cameroon and Gabon.  The 
advance written questions and the replies provide d by the delegations of Cameroon and Gabon were 
contained in documents WT/TPR/M/187/Add.1 and WT/TPR/M/188/Add.1. 
3. The Chairperson underlined the economic progress made by Cameroon and Gabon following 
their economic reforms and the rise in oil prices.  Their performance had given them the means to 
combat poverty. 
4. Cameroon and Gabon belonged to the Central African Economic and Monetary Community 
(CEMAC), whose common external tariff they applie d with a few exceptions.  Since the last Reviews 
in 2001, they had somewhat simplified their tr ade regimes by computerizing customs procedures, 
inter alia .  Nonetheless, Cameroon's tariff bindings still only covered 14 per cent of total tariff lines 
and were at the ceiling rates;  for 39 per cent of th e total tariff lines, the MFN rates applied by Gabon 
exceeded the bound rates.  According to the Secr etariat's reports, Cameroon and Gabon should 
comply with the rule of national treatment when ap plying internal taxes.  Moreover, the absence of a 
competition regime and the transfer of the monopolie s held by State-owned enterprises to the private 
sector through privatization had help ed to keep prices high in Gabon. 
5. Cameroon and Gabon were facing problems in partic ipating fully in the WTO, particularly as 
regards implementing the Agreements on Custom s Valuation and Sanitary and Phytosanitary 
Measures.  Consequently, appropriate technical as sistance from the international community in those 
areas would be beneficial. WT/TPR/M/187 
WT/TPR/M/188 Page 4 
 
 
  II. OPENING STATEMENT BY THE RE PRESENTATIVE OF CAMEROON 
6. After expressing his thanks, the representative of Cameroon
 stated that the current Review 
was taking place at a special juncture because of  the resumption of the multilateral negotiations.  
Cameroon was aware of the key role played by in ternational trade in promoting development and 
alleviating poverty, which was why it participated actively in negotiations at the WTO, in the EPA 
with the EU and in the central African framewo rk.  Cameroon had many expectations from the 
negotiating Round, particularly in the following ar eas:  agriculture and the sectoral initiative on 
cotton;  industrial products;  trade in services;  Aid for Trade;  and special and differential treatment, 
the cornerstone of the Doha edifice.  Camer oon hoped that the Round would lead to a concrete 
decision that took into account the interests of t hose developing countries that were not LDCs and 
could not be classified as emerging economies. 
7. On 7 September 2007, a new Government had ta ken office;  its priorities included boosting 
economic growth, promoting social progress and combating corruption. 
8. Economic liberalism ("community liberalism") and th e liberalization of trade had been part of 
the government's original political programme, draw n up and implemented prior even to the creation 
of the WTO.  Since 2001, Cameroon had forged  ahead with its economic and social reform 
programme, with the support of the international community.  Trade reforms included the elimination 
of quantitative restrictions on imports, licensing and other import and export authorizations;  freedom 
to fix prices and profit margins in accordance with market forces;  prevention and suppression of anti-
competitive trade practices;  reorganization of th e tax and customs regimes to make them more 
effective and consistent with th e subregional programme adopted w ithin the CEMAC framework;  as 
of January 2007, introduction of the ASYCUDA syst em and the installation of a container scanner at 
the port of Douala;  establishment in Douala of  the Single Window for Foreign Trade Operations 
(GUCE) and the initiation of the single electronic window's activities, intended to shorten considerably the time taken for import and export procedures. 
9. The 2002 Investment Charter, largely based on th e one adopted by the CEMAC, substantially 
strengthened the benefits and legal guarantees given to companies wishing to invest in Cameroon.  As 
regards investment guarantees, Cameroon was a party to the New York Convention on the 
Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral  Awards;  the Washington Convention establishing 
the International Centre for Settlement of Inv estment Disputes (ICSID);  the Seoul Convention 
establishing the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA);  and the OHADA Treaty.  As a 
result of its membership of th e OHADA, Cameroon had an arbitration mechanism – ad hoc and 
institutional – based on the most effective interna tional instruments such as the 1985 Model Law on 
International Commercial Arbitration of the Un ited Nations Commission on International Trade Law 
and the 1998 Rules of Arbitration of the Interna tional Chamber of Commerce.  Finally, Cameroon 
was party to the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement of  2000 (revised in 2005), which provided for an 
arbitration mechanism for the settlement of disput es between the African, Caribbean and Pacific 
States and contractors, suppliers or providers of services. 
10. At the legal level, work had continued with  the adoption and publication of the Code of 
Criminal Procedure;  strengthening of the benc h court system for commercial proceedings;  and 
Parliament's adoption of legislation on the administ ration of justice and the Supreme Court and other 
courts and tribunals.  In addition,  the Audit Court had begun its work. 
11. The adoption of all those measures reflected Ca meroon's determination to modernize further 
the national legal and institutional framework for bus iness in order to create an environment that was 
increasingly attractive and secure for investment.  Other reforms, inter alia , concerned the financial  WT/TPR/M/187 
 WT/TPR/M/188 
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  sector, taxation, State-owned companies with gradual withdrawal by the State, SMEs and SMIs, the 
forestry and environmental sectors, energy a nd water, telecommunications and transport. 
12. Against that background, in 2006, in its re lationship with the IMF and the World Bank 
Cameroon reached the completion point of the Heav ily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC) 
and, at the same time, qualified for the multilatera l debt relief initiative.  Reaching the completion 
point, whose impact could already be felt, placed  Cameroon in a favourable position to meet the 
economic and social challenges it faced, for exampl e, improving government finance and accelerating 
economic growth, particularly by developing the infrastructure;  boosting and diversifying products 
for export;  improving the business climate;  access to  education and public health;  and raising the 
population's living standards. 
13. Cameroon intended to pursue structural reform s to facilitate private sector activities, 
investment and economic growth.  Efforts woul d continue to be made  to expand financial 
intermediation, promote good governance, encourage regional integration and international trade, and 
modernize the infrastructure in sectors vita l to the economy (energy and transport).  
14. In collaboration with the private sector and ci vil society, the Government was finalizing and 
implementing, an internal trade development strate gy that focused on flexible distribution channels 
and the professionalization of the sector:  the introducti on of sectoral trade facilitation policies;  better 
consumer protection;  combating smuggling, coun terfeiting, fraud, and illegal shortages artificially 
engineered for speculative purposes.   The foreign trade strategy was part of the framework for 
implementing the rules and taking advantage of the opportunities afforded by Cameroon's 
membership of several international and subregional bodies. 
15. Regarding regional integration,  Cameroon made a particular point of pursuing negotiations 
with its partners in Central Africa in order to complete the institutional reforms within the CEMAC 
and implement the principle of freedom of movement  of goods and persons more effectively.  Other 
projects were also under way (revision of the CET, better application of the common rules of origin, 
further integration of labour markets and pr omotion of investment in the subregion). 
16. More generally, action to boos t and diversify exports would focus on:  promotion of the 
processing of agricultural products to give them  added value;  consol idating traditional trade 
partnerships;  seeking outlets for new products;  promoting a genuine and standard-setting "Cameroon 
brand";  developing new market niches following the ex ample of ethnic products.  In addition, special 
attention would be paid to devel oping new and modern forms of tr ade (fair trade, organic products, 
inter alia ). 
17. Cameroon was aware that the current level and rate  of growth were still not sufficient to hope 
to attain the objectives of the national poverty reduction strategy (SNRP) and the Millennium 
Development Goals within the prescribed time-limits. 
18. The authorities were proud to have drawn up th e Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) in 
2003 by means of a participatory process.  A second-generation PRSP (2008-2012), focusing on 
consolidation of the macroeconomic framework, pr omoting governance and strong growth that would 
create jobs, and mobilizing and promoting human re sources, should help to achieve the development 
goals (doubling per capita income  and reducing inequalities and pove rty).  Cameroon was counting on 
the WTO and its technical and financial assistance pr ogramme, in particular trade-related assistance, 
in order to achieve those objectives.  It also placed great hopes in the Doha Agenda. WT/TPR/M/187 
WT/TPR/M/188 Page 6 
 
 
  III. OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF GABON 
19. After expressing his thanks, the representative of Gabon
 emphasized that the joint Review of 
Gabon and Cameroon – members of the CEMAC and the Economic Community of Central African 
States (ECCAS) – highlighted the importance attached by the WTO to regional integration as a factor 
in strengthening the multilateral trading system.  Si nce 2001, Gabon had pursued its efforts to prepare 
its economy, despite its large debt, for the post-oil era and to make a significant reduction in poverty.  
While emphasizing the constraints encountered, the Review would allow Gabon to highlight 
substantial progress it had made (continued libera lization and diversification of its economy;  
completion of its ambitious privatization programm e;  bringing government finance under control;  
promotion of investment;  streamlining of trade f acilitation procedures;  and effective implementation 
of the Customs Valuation Agreement since 2004. 
20. While at the same time consolidating its political and institutional stability, through its 
Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (GPRSP), Gabon had continued with its economic 
diversification and good governance efforts.  In th at connection, the economic programme signed with 
the IMF in 2007 was based on eliminating structural obstacles to growth in the non-oil sector by 
enhancing the business climate and strengthening g overnance and transparency;  reorganizing the 
management of government finance in order to  guarantee a higher return on investment in 
infrastructure and improving basic social services;  and developing the private sector so as to achieve 
lasting and sustainable growth, a pr erequisite for eliminating poverty. 
21. After Law No. 14/98 of 23 July 1998 dete rmining the competition regime, the new 
Government Procurement Code had been adopted and implemented.  In order to boost investment, 
other codes – either already enacted or in the pr ocess of coming into force – had also been adopted 
(Mining, Forestry, Tourism Promotion, Fishing a nd Aquaculture Codes).  The Labour Code was being 
revised and should allow greater flexibility in the la bour market.  A draft law containing the General 
Taxation Code had recently been adopted.  The new code took into account the international taxation 
agreements signed by Gabon, community legislation within CEMAC and the OHADA Treaty;  the 
new Code provided for a Tax Procedures Manual to guarantee taxpayers' rights. 
22. Regarding good governance, in 2005 Gabon had acceded to the Extractive Industries 
Transparency Initiative in order to show its good fa ith and the transparency with which oil revenue 
was managed.  A pioneer in that field, it had published its second report. 
23. The satisfactory performance of government finance had allowed Gabon to pursue its 
considerable efforts to pay off its debt arrears.  Th e ratio of the stock of total public debt to GDP had 
been lowered from 76.9 per cent in 2004 to 44.1 per cent in 2006.  Gabon had also made an offer to 
advance payment of its debt amounting to US$2,182 billion, accepted by the Paris Club in July 2007. 
24. At the beginning of 2007, the Government had re duced its oil price subsidy by 70 per cent.  
The gain thus achieved was allocat ed to social actions (free supply of water and electricity to the 
poorest;  free schooling and text books;  benefits to citizens with limited means and child mothers;  an 
additional allocation for the purchase of antiretrovi ral drugs to combat AIDS;  support for micro-
credit;  and free health care in public hospitals).  The National Health Insura nce and Social Guarantee 
Fund gave free medical cover to peop le with limited means.  In add ition, the Government had decided 
to carry out a new census of the poorest households in order to reassess their benefits.  On the basis of 
its GPRSP, Gabon was considering increasing investment  of a social nature (health, electrification and 
drinking water supplies in rural areas).  The Gabon Housing Bank had introduced a home savings 
scheme that improved credit terms for access to owne rship of subsidized housing and refinancing of 
purchase loans granted by approved banks, providi ng the necessary security or guarantees to those 
banks.  WT/TPR/M/187 
 WT/TPR/M/188 
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  25. Gabon had eliminated most of its export duties and taxes, with the exception of those on logs 
and manganese.  Regarding other im port duties and taxes, the surcharg e applicable to 25 tariff lines in 
2001 now only applied to wheat flour.  Monopolies had been eliminated and the only remaining ones would soon disappear.  Sectoral reforms were de signed to create an attractive and advantageous 
environment for investment. 
26. In the forestry sector, the triennial programme initiated in 2006 concerned the following:  the 
establishment of a more diversified and producti ve timber industry;  the promotion of good 
governance by establishing transparent conditions for th e exploitation of forestry resources;  increased 
involvement of Gabonese nationals in forestry activiti es;  and a significant reduction in exports of logs 
in favour of products processed locally. 
27. A series of measures had been introduced to boos t development of agriculture and livestock, 
whose contribution to GDP remained modest.  The new agro-pastoral and rural policy was intended to 
ensure food security;  Gabon had joined the FAO Special Programme for Food Security for that 
purpose. 
28. The Government had revised its overall vision of tourism by inco rporating "ecotourism".  The 
ecotourism master plan would enable conserva tion and environmental protection aspects to be 
reconciled with economic considera tions.  The investment made in  developing ecotourism (with the 
creation of 13 national parks) would ensure that it played a key role in the diversification of the 
economy, taking into account other branches of tourism (business, congresses and conferences, 
cultural tourism and sports fishing).  In the area of the environment, the Government was continuing 
its policy of reconciling the objectives of econo mic development and environmental conservation 
through a number of strategies, including the biodiversity strategy. 
29. The Government had recently st rengthened its transport strate gy through a vast programme 
for the modernization and construction of new road, ai rport and port infrastructures that would lead to 
the development of many related activities.  In a ddition, Gabon was participating in implementing the 
Consensual Transport Master Plan for Central Af rica with a view to improving integration in the 
subregion. 
30. Telecommunications remained a dynamic sector  and Gabon was one of the first African 
countries to adopt fibre optics. 
31. The Investment Charter had simplified the forma lities for setting up companies.  Small-scale, 
industrial and commercial activities no longer requi red a commercial authorization, but simply a 
declaration at the Single Window of the Private Investment Promotion Agency.  The Agency had 
recently held a round table on the problem of private investment in Gabon and its findings and recommendations had been transmitted in order to be  put into effect.  A new Commercial Code was 
still being drafted, for which Gabon had received support and cooperation from the EU's BizClim 
Facility. 
32. Despite the reforms, Gabon was still finding it difficult to fulfil some of its multilateral 
commitments, for example, consistency between its tariff bindings at the WTO and the CEMAC's 
CET rate.  When signing the Marrakesh Final Act, Gabon had shown its determination and its faith in 
the multilateral trading system by binding all its tariff lines at relatively low levels, notably non-
agricultural products.  Gabon still found it difficult to  respect its tariff bindings, and that remained a 
matter of concern.  The best solution for this problem  of consistency would be to return to one of the 
pillars of regional integration.  It was the res ponsibility of the CEMAC, a customs union since 2000, 
to renegotiate the tariff concessions on behalf of a ll its members, pursuant to Article XXVIII of the 
GATT.  Such an approach would have the advantag e of strengthening regional cohesion and allowing WT/TPR/M/187 
WT/TPR/M/188 Page 8 
 
 
  members to be clearer and more cr edible in the eyes of their foreign partners.  Gabon had therefore 
officially requested the CEMAC to review the questi on in order to find a lasting solution as rapidly as 
possible in the best interests of the Community and in conformity with the rules of the WTO. 
33. In addition, Gabon's production capacity and export o ffer were limited.  It hoped that the Aid 
for Trade initiative would meet its expectations a nd would be the appropriate multilateral financing 
mechanism for rationalizing the interventions of vari ous development partners to the benefit of all 
Members.  Gabon was unable to participate in the majority of trade-related assistance programmes 
because of its income level, but it sought to benefit from the third stage of the JITAP so as to build its 
capacity in the area of trade.  Notifications, SPS measures, customs valuation, trade facilitation, 
intellectual property and copyright and neighbourin g rights, regulation of competition and consumer 
protection, inter alia , should receive special attention in the context of such assistance.  Gabon also 
would like special technical assistance to improve the integration of trade into its development strategy and its GPRSP.  The National Transfer of Technology Centre would also need support in 
order to play its role to the full.  Gabon counted on support from the international community to make 
good its shortcomings and insufficiencies so that its trade policy became an important and essential 
catalyst for its economy.  WT/TPR/M/187 
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  IV. STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT 
34. The discussant  highlighted five elements common to Cameroon and Gabon, the first of which 
was that they were the subject of a joint Revi ew, which inevitably gave rise to comparisons.  
Cameroon and Gabon had natural resour ces and oil and could enjoy the luxury of thinking about the 
post-oil era.  Both countries had underlined the n eed to strengthen regional integration;  which was 
essential in the context of a globalized market in whic h, in parallel with the WTO, trade partners were 
seeking to improve their trading situation in th e short term through re gional agreements.  He 
congratulated Cameroon and Gabon on  their determination to cooperate more fully within the WTO 
framework;  as trade interests became increasingly refined the greater the advantage for the two 
countries of participating in multilatera l efforts so as not to be margina lized.  He drew attention to two 
activities under the Doha Round that could be of in terest to Cameroon and Gabon and to which they 
could, if need be, bring their experience:  trade facilitation;  and trade a nd environment, Gabon having 
expressed its interest in ecotourism and Cameroon in the production of organic agricultural products 
and fair trade.  Africa's voice needed to be hear d on those two issues and he encouraged Cameroon 
and Gabon to take them up. 
35. Regarding Cameroon, the discussant considered  that it would be interesting to hold a 
discussion on the difficulty of attracting FDI, the source of growth and development.  Oil, food 
products (particularly cocoa) and timber allowed Camer oon to have a surplus in its trade balance;  its 
major export markets were Spain, Italy and France.  There was much more diversification of products 
in its import regime even though oil was still the lead ing product;  its suppliers were the EU (notably 
France), Nigeria and China.  Its trade with  other CEMAC countries remained marginal. 
36. The discussant emphasized that consideration of  how to improve Cameroon's commitments at 
the WTO should continue.  He underlined the importance for even the weakest Members of 
undertaking commitments thus giving them greater  credibility and weight and obliging larger 
Members also to make commitments, in order not to lose their own credibility. 
37. Reform of the infrastructure, access to cred it and governance should be pursued.  Services 
should continue to be privatized with the State s till playing a role by setting up monitoring bodies.  
The private-public partnership could bri ng growth and generalized well-being. 
38. Cameroon had only made five notifications to the WTO since 2001. 
39. The sharp positive escalation in duty in certain  industries obscured a relatively high effective 
level of protection and did not encourage the in ternational competitiveness of local goods.  He 
wondered whether export duties, which constituted a so rt of system of exceptions that was not very 
transparent or equitable, could not be replaced by in ternal taxes.  The tariff structure was far from 
encouraging investment in certain industries;  he  wondered whether that was done on purpose or was 
an indirect consequence.  The rates applied should be lowered in order to make those sectors more 
attractive to FDI. 
40. As oil wells were drying up in Cameroon it b ecame necessary to diversify the economy.  He 
wondered whether oil revenue could be directed to wards sectors of long-term interest.  The question 
of how to manage oil revenue w as common to both Cameroon and Gabon. 
41. Transport was a key sector in trade facilitation.  By improving the transport situation, large 
gains in productivity could be obtained and thus  enhance the economy's competitiveness.  He asked 
for information concerning the deep water sea port project in Limbé. WT/TPR/M/187 
WT/TPR/M/188 Page 10 
 
 
  42. Gabon's economy was suffering from the Dutch disease:  oil revenue had not yet served to 
reduce poverty but to increase it.  He wondered whet her the serious problem of income distribution 
was related to management of o il wealth and governance.  There wa s a fund for future generations, 
but only 10 per cent of the expected revenue had in f act been paid into it;  he asked for clarification. 
43. If the reforms concerning governance, prom otion of competition and international 
competitiveness of local goods and services continued,  Gabon would be dynamic and have a healthy 
basis for diversification.  He wondered whether Gabon was considering creating a competition regime 
based on international rules and principles. 
44. In the case of a large number of tariff lines, the rate applied exceeded the bound rate and he 
asked for further details.  The mixed escalation of  the tariff overall was not likely to encourage the 
establishment of certain industries or enhance the competitiveness of local manufactured products on 
international markets.  The sharp positive escalation of duty in certain industries obscured a level of 
effective protection that was relatively high and di d not encourage the international competitiveness 
of local products.  The tariff structure did not  therefore encourage economic diversification. 
45. Gabon was a net food importer.  Policy in that area was intended to over-protect the de facto 
and de jure  monopolies, which was inconsistent.  More development in the agricultural sector would 
allow imports of foodstuffs to be  reduced;  he asked for further de tails regarding Gabon's objectives in 
that respect. 
46. He also wondered whether it woul d not be in Gabon's interest to increase competition in order 
to boost the competitiveness of its enterprises and whether the agricultural sector did not warrant 
special attention in the PRSP.  The agricultura l sector should be supported by improving the 
infrastructure.  Gabon could take advantage of the Aid for Trade initiative in order to finance such 
projects. 
47. Gabon had tourism potential and s hould develop its exceptional resources of fauna and flora.  
Tourism, however, suffered from an obvious lack of transport and hotel infrastructure;  the Aid for 
Trade initiative could be used to overcome that.  WT/TPR/M/187 
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  V. STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS 
48. The representative of Canada  drew attention to Canada's volume of bilateral trade with 
Cameroon and Gabon in 2006, as well as the large am ount of Canadian investment in Cameroon.  
Despite the improvement in its macroeconomic i ndicators since 2001, Cameroon still had to make 
efforts to derive greater benefits from its position.   Canada welcomed the measures taken to improve 
the business climate, even though, the results did not  come up to expectations.  Canada urged the 
Government to become less involved in the ec onomy by accelerating its withdrawal.  In 2006, 
Cameroon had reached the completion point of the HIPC Initiative.  Gabon remained a prosperous 
country because of its oil, timber and manganese rese rves.  Canada welcomed the efforts it had made 
to create a large-scale infrastructure.  As its ec onomy was still based on exploiting petroleum and in 
view of the exhaustion of de posits, Gabon should embark upon a fa r-reaching restructuring of its 
economy.  Canada encouraged Gabon to continue wi th its transparency programme and welcomed the 
relevant legal provisions.  Cana da also welcomed the commitment of Cameroon and Gabon to the 
African Peer Evaluation Mechanism set in place by the NEPAD.  She expressed the hope that 
Canadian companies would play a more important role in strengthening the economies of Cameroon 
and Gabon by providing them with expertise and know-how. 
49. The representative of the Republic of Korea  referred to Korea's volume of trade with Gabon 
and Cameroon in 2006;  she hoped that their bilatera l trade and investment re lationships would further 
expand.  Korea welcomed Gabon's structural refo rms since 2001.  While commending Gabon's efforts 
and recent good economic indicators, Korea concurre d with the Secretariat that the recent economic 
revival was due mainly to the rise in oil prices.  Therefore, Korea encouraged Gabon to continue its 
reforms in order to further diversify its economy and enhance international competitiveness of local 
goods and services.  To this end, reform of its tari ff structure could be one such measure.  Korea 
commended Cameroon's solid economic performance since 2001;  it should continue its economic 
reforms to improve its business environment and fu rther diversify its economy.  To attract FDI, 
Cameroon needed to extend its tariff bindings , reduce its bound rates, and expand its GATS 
commitments.  Korea would appreciate more tran sparency in Cameroon's customs clearance system. 
50. The representative of Brazil  congratulated Cameroon and Gabon for their economic growth, 
and efforts to achieve sustained growth and allevi ate poverty since 2001.  She noted that structural 
reforms had helped them to improve their infrast ructure;  Cameroon had become a middle-income 
country.  Cameroon's efforts had been complemented by a reduction in its external debt through 
reaching the HIPC completion point.  The rise in oil prices together with several reforms had allowed 
Gabon to reduce the net value of its domestic and exte rnal debt.  Sustainable development was key to 
Cameroon's and Gabon's agenda.  Cameroon's relative self-sufficiency in food supply had enabled it 
to tackle more efficiently poverty reduction, em ployment, and the development of its manufacturing 
sector.  Decreasing oil reserves had obliged Gabon to  redouble its efforts in revenue optimization, 
control of public spending, debt relief, and struct ural reform;  it had already drawn up strategies to 
develop non-oil sectors.  Despite their efforts, Ca meroon and Gabon still faced difficulties.  However, 
they should make good progress towards sustaina ble economic development and poverty reduction 
through their structural reforms, the help of  the international community, the results of a 
development-oriented Doha Round, more flexib ility on rules of origin, and the investment 
mechanisms from international in stitutions.  The representative reca lled that Brazil, Cameroon, and 
Gabon shared the same views in the DDA. 
51. The representative of Hong Kong, China  referred to growing trade with Cameroon and 
Gabon.  He encouraged Cameroon to consider incr easing the level of its tariff bindings.  He also 
encouraged Cameroon and Gabon to narrow the gap between bound and applied rates and to abolish 
their various import duties and taxes.  Hong Kong, Ch ina encouraged Cameroon to rectify the base for 
VAT calculation, which was not th e same for local and imported products, as this was inconsistent WT/TPR/M/187 
WT/TPR/M/188 Page 12 
 
 
  with the principle of national treatment.  H ong Kong, China encouraged Cameroon and Gabon to 
submit their notifications on State trading.  It  hoped that Cameroon's initiatives on standardization 
would facilitate its implementation of the TBT Agreement and that Gabon's CNTT standards would 
be in line with international standards.  It en couraged Cameroon to accept foreign test reports and 
certificates.  Gabon was actively pursuing economic reforms and had drawn up sectoral strategies to 
prepare for diversification.  In light of Cameroon' s considerable development in telecommunications 
and Gabon's initiative to liberalize certain teleco mmunications and transport services, Hong Kong, 
China encouraged them to continue their effort s towards liberalizing other services.  Hong Kong, 
China called for their more active participation in  the services negotiations;  it urged Cameroon and 
Gabon to table their initial and revised o ffers respectively as soon as possible. 
52. The representative of Japan
 appreciated Cameroon's and Gabon's efforts to maintain the stable 
political situation that had helped their econom ic development.  A lthough Cameroon and Gabon 
ranked low in the United Nations Human Developm ent Index, they had conducted socio economic 
reforms to fight poverty.  Economic cooperati on with Cameroon and Gabon was important to 
maintain stable and sustainable growth.  Alt hough Cameroon and Gabon enjoyed relatively free trade, 
they were highly dependent on exports of specifi c products and to specific countries, therefore, 
domestic industry could not enjoy significant bene fits, and external influence could threaten 
sustainable growth.  Thus, economic diversifi cation, which Gabon was already promoting, was 
required.  Japan was interested to know Ca meroon's and Gabon's future policies on trade 
diversification. 
53. The representative of the European Communities  drew attention to the adoption of Gabon's 
GPRSP in 2005;  pursuing those reforms was essentia l to build up production capacity and diversify 
its economy, which was over-dependent on oil and natural non-renewable resources.  The EC would 
like to know what measures Gabon wa s taking to diversify its economy;   its objectives to improve its 
economic situation;  and the con tinuation of good governance and bette r distribution of its wealth.  
The EC encouraged Cameroon to take advantage of the positive situation since 2001 in order to 
continue combating poverty.  It would like to know  the main outlines of Gabon's trade and regional 
integration policies and underlined the need to ra ise the low levels of productivity for agricultural 
exports.  All the reforms should come under the framework of regional integration and the EC 
encouraged Gabon and Cameroon to develop their leadership in building up the CEMAC and continuing to introduce reforms.  Community provis ions within the framework of the customs union 
and macroeconomic and sectoral measures needed to be implemented more effectively. 
54. The negotiation of an EPA with Central A frica would place the already close trade and 
economic relations between the EC  and Gabon and Cameroon on a more solid footing;  the EC had 
for a long time contributed towards the trad e-related technical assistance they needed. 
55. The EC would like Gabon to confirm that the import restrictions on meat products (and their 
by-products) from countries where avian flu had been declared were consistent with the 
recommendations of the OIE;  the EC  wished to see those restrictions  reviewed so that countries could 
regain their status as non-infected countries.  The EC  asked why a different taxation regime applied to 
imported and domestic products.  It encouraged Ca meroon to enhance the investment climate and 
would like to know the objectives of its frame work plan for developing standardization. 
56. The EC urged Gabon and Cameroon to play an act ive role at the WTO and to comply with 
their commitments on notifications.  The efforts made by Gabon and Cameroon to build their 
economic and trade capacity would yield their best resu lts if they were better integrated at the regional 
and multilateral levels.  WT/TPR/M/187 
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  57. The representative of the United States  said that Cameroon's and Gabon's decision to 
undertake jointly this TPR underscored their commi tment to regional economic  integration and to 
breaking down the trade barriers to regional trade.   He noted that Cameroon and Gabon were among 
the leading beneficiaries of the AGOA;  the major ity of their trade had been in the oil sector.  
Cameroon, and, more particularly, Gabon, faced ch allenges in diversifying their exports.  The United 
States had worked with both to help address diversif ication and to make the most of the AGOA.  The 
United States encouraged them to improve thei r business climate, enhance their international 
competitiveness, and incorporate business-enabling me asures and trade capacity  building strategies 
into their national development plans.  The United States recommended that Cameroon and Gabon 
consider pursuing the CET liberalization.  The United States expected trade with Cameroon and 
Gabon to expand, therefore, both countries had a majo r stake in achieving an ambitious result in the 
Doha Round.  New market access in services, indus trial goods, and agriculture  could further enhance 
opportunities for Cameroon and Gabon to broaden th eir exports.  The United States appreciated 
Gabon's participation in the services negotiations. 
58. The representative of Colombia  drew attention to Cameroon's positive economic 
development, as a result of which it had become a middle-income country, and to the reduction of its 
external debt with the completion of the HIPC In itiative.  Nevertheless, despite its numerous natural 
resources and its need to bring down the high level of poverty, its rate of growth was modest.  He also 
underscored the shortcomings in the fiscal regime and the narrow tax base.  Cameroon had high levels 
of tariff protection for agricultural products, th ereby not only lessening the competitiveness of 
domestic production but also penaliz ing consumers by making imports mo re costly.  It was extremely 
important for Cameroon to bind its tariff lines to prevent a slowdown in diversification, improve 
competition and growth in the production sector.  In the area of services, some shortcomings made the cost of doing business higher and harmed the enormous tourism potential of the country, inter alia .  
The discovery of new oil wells allowed Cameroon to re ly on external revenue in the immediate future, 
but long-term development imp lied economic diversification. 
59. The speaker underlined the importance of  oil for Gabon's economy and the modest 
contribution made by agriculture and the manufacturing sector to the GDP.  Since 1997, annual oil production had fallen but Gabon had made some progress in diversifying its economy.  The 
continuation of monopolies and the relatively hi gh level of customs duty did not encourage 
competitiveness or diversification.  For some tariff li nes, the rate of duty applied was still higher than 
the bound rate, to the detriment of the spirit of enterprise.  Colombia would like to know what 
measures were envisaged by Gabon to ta ke advantage of its oil wealth. 
60. The representative of Singapore
 said that Singapore's trade with Cameroon and Gabon was 
modest.  However, given Cameroon's and Gabon's abundant natural resource s and growing foreign 
private investment interest, he hoped that there was scope for further improvement.  Cameroon and 
Gabon were determined to address their challenges ( poverty reduction and integration into the world 
economy) through economic diversification, struct ural reforms, and defining a more attractive 
regulatory framework for investment.  Although th eir efforts had brought about positive economic 
results, further reforms could be undertaken, in particular on tariff escalation.  The representative 
recalled that supply-side constraints needed to be addressed urgently to allow developing countries to 
better integrate into the global economy and take advantage of th e developmental outcomes of the 
Round. 
61. The representative of Côte d'Ivoire  stressed the trade links between Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon 
and Gabon.  Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon cooperated on the banana issue.  Cameroon and Gabon had 
vast assets and natural resources.  They had undert aken structural and sectoral reform and adopted 
drastic measures against fraud and corruption.  Th eir medium and long-term economic and social 
outlook was promising. WT/TPR/M/187 
WT/TPR/M/188 Page 14 
 
 
  62. The representative of the Separate Customs Te rritory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kimen and Matsu 
(Chinese Taipei ) noted Cameroon's and Gabon's good economic  performance since 2002.  They had 
made substantial efforts to strengthen their trade and investment regimes a nd to streamline laws and 
regulations.  Structural reforms had allowed Ca meroon to reduce its debt and achieve significant 
economic growth.  Its efforts to improve the tran sparency and management of its trade regime, 
together with growing oil revenues, had given it the means to fulfil the Millennium Development 
Goals.  Gabon's current economic reforms were seeki ng economic diversification;  its non-oil sector 
had contributed remarkably to wealth creation.  Although monopolies were still predominant, Gabon's 
privatization programme was a step towards a more  liberal trade regime.  Chinese Taipei recognized 
Cameroon's and Gabon's enormous challenges as sm all economies, and applauded their continued 
efforts;  however, further improvements were need ed.  Pursuing continuous programmes to further 
liberalize markets was the best way to fulfil long-term sustained economic growth. 
63. The representative of Mauritania  expressed the hope that the Review would serve as a 
springboard for the emergence of an advantageous partnership and a contribution to the economic and 
social progress of Cameroon and Gabon. 
64. The representative of Burkina Faso  said that, according to their macroeconomic indicators, 
Cameroon and Gabon were facing the same problem s as the majority of African countries.  
Nevertheless, their importa nt reforms to boost their economy shoul d be welcomed.  In an effort to 
control and consolidate its government spending, Ga bon had signed an agreement with the IMF;  it 
had had to take out new loans to finance large- scale investment.  Gabon had laid emphasis on good 
governance, more transparency, alleviating povert y and administrative and judicial reforms.  
Cameroon had implemented im portant commercial, legal and institutional reforms, inter alia , in order 
to put in place a more efficient and more compe titive market economy.  Burkina Faso urged Members 
and international financing institutions to sup port Cameroon and Gabon in their far-reaching reform 
efforts. 
65. The representative of India  said that Cameroon's positive economic growth remained 
inadequate to combat poverty:  its main asset sectors needed reforms and investment.  Despite 
growing trade, almost all of its traditional produc ts were exported unprocessed and almost all of its 
traditional production and export sectors were static or declining.  Cameroon was committed to further structural reforms to facilitate private sector  operations and to promote trade and investment.  
It would need to diversify the sectors able to attract  investments in order to ensure sustainable growth 
over a long period.  India asked about Cameroon's pr oposals to address impediments to higher inward 
FDI.  India's relations with Cameroon were through conclaves, partnerships, and bilateral initiatives;  
trade volume was modest but India hoped for furthe r exchange.  Gabon was an oil-based economy.  It 
would need to diversify its economy, coupled with economic and administrative reforms, to generate 
growth and create jobs.  It was likely to continue  feeling the effects of the Dutch disease for some 
time.  Bilateral trade volume with Gabon was modest , but India hoped that intensified relations would 
create steep upward trajectories with Cameroon and Gabon. 
66. The representative of Mali
 said that his country, Cameroon and Gabon shared strategic 
interests within the African and ACP Groups a nd in relation to matters of great importance 
(agriculture, market access fo r non-agricultural products, trade facilitation, Aid for Trade, inter alia ).  
Strict governance and efficient management of the national economy were the only ways of deriving 
maximum benefit from the vast potential of Came roon and Gabon in order to win the war against 
poverty through sustained economic growth.  Mali encouraged Cameroon and Gabon to incorporate 
trade into their economic and social development policies.  WT/TPR/M/187 
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  VI. REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVES OF CAMEROON AND GABON AND 
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS 
67. After expressing his thanks, the representative of  Cameroon replied to the questions raised by 
Members. 
(i) Economic environment 
68. The Government of Cameroon  intended to pursue the macroeconomic and structural reforms 
with the objective of creating a favourable e nvironment for investment and enhancing the 
competitiveness of the economy, not only by modern izing enterprises but also by adopting and 
implementing an appropriate stra tegy to build the economy's competitive capacity (improvement in 
certain World Bank indicators, introduction of a single window, more dialogue between the public 
and private sectors, reduction in factor costs, st rengthening the financial se ctor, putting in place basic 
and support infrastructures and completing the pr ivatization of some State-owned companies). 
69. In some strategic sectors (electricity and telecommunications), the State had gradually 
withdrawn and been replaced by private capital, lim iting itself to a monitoring role.  Privatization and 
the adoption of a new regulatory framework for bus iness was intended to attract other operators in 
order to encourage competition and thus improve the quality and cost of the services offered.  With  a 
view to attracting foreign investment, the Investment  Charter had been adopted and enacted in 2002.  
It should be noted, however, that Cameroon had a programme with the international financing 
institutions (International Monetary Fund and Wo rld Bank), which involved a certain number of 
constraints and obligations and explained why certain  instruments in the Investment Charter had not 
yet been introduced.  At the fiscal level, the Gove rnment had recently initia ted consultations with the 
private sector on fiscal reform.  Some recommendations would come into effect as of 1 January 2008 and were generally intended to lighten the tax burden on economic activities, promote wealth creation 
and attract investment. 
70. In the banking sector, the authorities had impl emented a privatiza tion, liquidation and 
recapitalization programme for banks so as to reha bilitate the sector, give them more means for 
regulatory action and strengthen their monitoring mechanism, applying the provisions of the Central African Banking Commission (COBAC).  The time taken to transfer capital was a maximum of 72 hours for amounts exceeding CFAF 100 million and was used to control the flight of capital by individuals whereas the transfer of company pr ofits was quite free subject to presentation of 
supporting documents. 
71. Regarding infrastructure, studies on the creation of two deep-water ports had been finalized 
and the Government was seeking financial resources.   Those two ports would supplement that at 
Douala, which was a river port with limited capac ity, and would provide more capacity for large 
vessels.  As to the highway infrastructure, Camero on was linked to the majority of capitals in the 
CEMAC member States thanks to cooperation with  the European Communities,  a major asset in the 
regional integration process. 
72. Attention should be drawn to two elements as  far as governance was concerned, the creation 
of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF) and the National Anti-Corruption Commission 
(CONAC).  At the practical level, Cameroon w as focusing on arresting and trying those who robbed 
the Treasury and those who were bad managers. 
73. For environmental matters, there was a framewo rk law on environmental management and a 
strategy to combat poaching.  In order to protect certain ecosystems, Cameroon had decided to 
manage its biodiversity through nati onal parks, animal reserves, zoological gardens and hunting areas.  WT/TPR/M/187 
WT/TPR/M/188 Page 16 
 
 
  The emergency action plan and the Inter Ministerial Committee on the Environment provided the 
context for action.  The Government had also dr awn up a strategy that was consistent with the 
principles of Agenda 21, adopted in Rio in 199 2, focusing on environmental assessment and a 
biological diversity strategy, together with an  action plan.  Moreover, there was a "Trade and 
Environment" Subcommittee within the National Technical Committee on follow-up to the WTO 
Agreements and the Ministry responsible for enviro nmental matters worked in cooperation with those 
responsible for multilateral negotiations. 
74. Cameroon attached great importance to the mu ltilateral trading system and, like Gabon, was 
party to the Cotonou Agreement governing cooper ation between the European Union and the ACP 
countries.  Like Gabon, Cameroon was a founding member of the Central African Customs and 
Economic Union (now CEMAC), and of the Econom ic Community of Central African States and 
played an active role in negotiating an economic part nership agreement with the European Union.  As 
far as its relations with the European Union we re concerned, there was the question of trade 
preferences and Gabon hoped that these would be give n a transitional period to be negotiated at the 
WTO as part of the special and differential treatment, particularly in the case of bananas. 
75. For historical and geographical reasons, border trade among Cameroon, Gabon and the 
CEMAC member States was highly developed.  In a ddition to specific products such as hydrocarbons, 
transborder trade was to a large extent informal and did not appear in the official statistics.  
Nevertheless, local products such as food products, mainly plantain  bananas and cassava by-products, 
crossed the borders with Gabon and neighbouring co untries every day and the figure of 3 per cent for 
intra-Community trade compared with the total vo lume of Cameroon's exports was much lower than 
the true figure. 
(ii) Trade policy 
76. Since 1997 Cameroon had been engaged in large-s cale reorganization of its ports with the aim 
of lowering costs and reducing the time taken to process goods.  This endeavour was being 
undertaken by the National Committee to Facilitate In ternational Maritime Transport, which brought 
together participants from the private and public  sectors dealing with ports.  The reform of 
Cameroon's customs was part of the movement to streamline procedures and reduce costs and had led 
to the signature of protocols of agreement with private partners the introduction of the transaction 
value and transparent procedures, the elaboration of codes of procedure and in early 2007 the start-up 
of the ASYCUDA (computerized customs system) w ith the support of the UNCTAD.  Real efforts 
had been made to harmonize customs controls and th e average time taken to process containers in the 
port at Douala was evaluated monthly by the Nationa l Committee to Facilitate International Maritime 
Transport.  With that aim in mind, preferential tr eatment could be given such as customs clearance on 
the importers' premises, direct release or release on the quay.  The recent introduction of a scanner in 
the port of Douala had helped to lessen the number of  physical inspectors of goods.  Prior to that, the 
creation of the Single Window for Foreign Trade Oper ations (GUCE) had allowe d all the operators in 
the customs clearance chain to be grouped together  and, from 2008 onwards, the introduction of the 
single electronic window should further streamline procedures for customs clearance of goods. 
77. Regarding the SGS, it was a customs ancillary  and not a body to replace the control of 
imports.  The SGS report was simply a communication of the quantity, value and quality of the goods, 
on the basis of which the customs service took a d ecision.  The SGS only inspected goods with an 
f.o.b. value of CFAF 2 million or more.  With rega rd to the application of administrative values, this 
was only done for a very limited list of products, an d it was the Government's intention to eliminate 
the practice by 31 December 2007.  In order to protect  the interests of operators and pursuant to the 
WCO recommendations on valuation, the customs servi ce was obliged to justify its rejection of the 
declared value.  If the user cont ested the value, the goods were re leased subject to a guarantee for the  WT/TPR/M/187 
 WT/TPR/M/188 
 Page 17 
 
 
  additional duties contested.  An appeal body, the Appeals Committee, was re sponsible for settling the 
dispute objectively and its decision constituted case-law.   The concept of origin was enshrined in the 
CEMAC Customs Code.  Upon import, customs duti es were imposed without taking into account the 
origin of the goods, except for special provisions appl ying to preferential tariffs.  Origin was based on 
the country where the goods were harvested, extracte d wholly or partially or produced, in the case of 
substantial processing.  Conservation, assembling, divi ding, packaging or slaughter of animals, on the 
other hand, did not confer origin on goods. 
78. With regard to the concern expressed on the pos itive trend in the tariff structure, Cameroon 
was introducing appropriate fiscal reform with th e participation of econom ic operators and civil 
society.  Cameroon had brought the revision of the Common External Tariff (CET) to the attention of 
the CEMAC and it should lead to more binding of  tariff lines in accordance w ith the WTO's rules in 
consultation with other States in the subregion.  WTO assistance in that respect would be extremely 
valuable.  Regarding the application of the Co mmon External Tariff by Cameroon (CEMAC-CET), 
waivers might be given for lower customs duties and taxes on basic necessities as part of the policy to 
alleviate poverty, but these measures were strictly temporary and did not have any trade policy 
objectives. 
79. Concerning discrimination, Cameroon's legislati on made all products subject to an identical 
fiscal regime as far as the applicable taxes were  concerned once they had entered Cameroon without 
taking into account whether they were imported or  domestic products.  Moreover, there was no dual 
taxation because of the technical exceptions mechanis m, which laid down the principle that a product 
could not be subject to the same tax twice.  The principle of non-discrimination was therefore firmly 
established in Cameroon's fiscal regulations.  As to  export taxes, with the exception of logs, which 
were subject to export duty in order to encourage local processing, all other products were exempt 
from export duty. 
80. Cameroon had ratified the WTO Agreements and accepted the international provisions in the 
Code of Good Practice attached to the TBT Agreemen t.  In addition, preparation of a framework for 
accreditation of laboratories was far advanced and sp ecified the criteria for accreditation, certification 
and assessment of conformity with standards.  Re garding the sanitary and phytosanitary measures in 
Article 7 of the SPS Agreement, provisions had r ecently been adopted to improve implementation 
including the recent creation of a national enquiry po int within the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural 
Development. 
81. Foreign suppliers bid for government procurem ent contracts, but some tenders were still 
reserved for national economic operators.  The Government Procurement Regulatory Agency 
published a Government Procurem ent Journal as well as related statistics intended for economic 
operators and the public as a whole. 
82. Pursuant to the Bangui Agreement and domestic  legislation, penalties were imposed on any 
person infringing copyright in Cameroon and they were even more severe in the case of a co-
contractor.  In principle, all countries that ha d signed the Bangui Agreement had common intellectual 
property protection legislation.  In general, inte llectual property rights were private rights and it was 
the responsibility of the injured party to lodge a co mplaint with the competent courts.  The Office of 
the Public Prosecutor might however initiate proceed ings where there was a th reat to public security. 
83. The law setting out the criteria for competition on Cameroon's domestic market established a 
National Competition Commission whose composition and operating procedures were determined in a 
decree by the Prime Minister of 6 May 2005.  The National Competition Commission was responsible, inter alia , for providing an opinion on all matters relating to competition policy in 
Cameroon, particularly draft legislation and regula tions liable to affect competition in the domestic WT/TPR/M/187 
WT/TPR/M/188 Page 18 
 
 
  market;  to discover, monitor and, where appli cable, initiate proceedings against and punish anti-
competitive practices defined in the law;  and to  provide the necessary expertise and assistance for 
judicial decisions on competition matters.  The National Competition Commission had contacted the UNCTAD, which had given its agreement in principle to help in building the capacity of its members 
and it also hoped to benefit from other types of assi stance in order to fulfil its task.  There was a 
synergy between the domestic competition policy and the regional policy and within the CEMAC a 
Regional Competition Council had been set up in which Cameroon was represented by the 
Chairperson and Technical Secretary of its own Commission.  There was also anti-dumping legislation and the relevant text had come into ef fect on 6 May 2005.  Nevertheless, there were still 
problems in implementing the WTO recommendati ons on dumping and Cameroon was advocating the 
establishment of a special safeguard mechanism (SSM ) that was sufficiently straightforward to apply 
and operational for developing countries.  Came roon sought technical assistance in that respect. 
(iii) Sectoral policies 
84. The rural sector was the leading employer with 59 per cent of the labour force and it played 
an irreplaceable role in generating income in the c ountryside.  In the area of agriculture, the policies 
implemented included the preparation and implem entation of a rural sector strategy involving 
operators in the sector;  support for farmers through Common Initiative Groups (GIC);  and the creation and maintenance of rural roads to transport products. 
85. A number of legal revisions had been introduced at the fiscal level, for example, exemption 
from the tax on companies and coope ratives engaged in production, processing, conservation and sale 
of agricultural products, livestock breeding, coopera tive unions, agricultural and pastoral trade unions 
and supply cooperatives, as well as agricultural credit banks;  exemption from VAT on imported 
agricultural inputs and machinery;  and declassification and reduction of the customs duty on imports of agricultural inputs and machinery.  In addition,  a number of programmes had been introduced with 
a view to modernizing and developing agricultura l vocational training and supporting young farmers 
setting up. 
86. Regarding the reforms undertaken in relation to cash crops, particularly cocoa and coffee, the 
law of 30 December 2004 amended a nd supplemented the previous law on the marketing of cocoa and 
coffee.  On 19 March 2006, a presidential decree had been signed with the aim of reviving those two subsectors, notably through a r esearch/development approach;  boosting production;  better control 
and quality promotion;  promotion of local consum ption;  and local processing with a view to 
increasing the value added. 
87. Under the programmes signed with the international community, the Government had 
undertaken to introduce stringent regulations on the a llocation and exploitation of forests;  to continue 
efforts to combat illegal exploitation of timber;  to  impose stricter customs controls of timber exports, 
with technical support from the SGS;  and to im prove traceability by marking products.  Regarding 
timber exports, the Government gave priority to lo cal processing, which explained why logs were the 
only product subject to the export tax, bearing in mind  that the law only authorized exports of logs up 
to a maximum of 5 per cent.  Cameroon was in fa vour of consultation in or der to adopt a regional 
approach to trade in timber or forestry products. 
88. There had been no major discoveries of oil reserves since 2005.  Government policy in the 
area of mining and energy, whose main objective was to improve the supply of energy in qualitative 
and quantitative terms, was to promote petroleum by-products, to ensure the permanent supply of 
local and international markets and to explore ne w deposits.  In cooperation with the World Bank 
(WB) and the French Development Agency (AFD), the Government was gradually putting in place 
the elements of its strategy and was working closel y with the World Bank to speed up preparations for  WT/TPR/M/187 
 WT/TPR/M/188 
 Page 19 
 
 
  the building of a natural gas-powered plant.  The strategy currently being prepared would, inter alia , 
allow existing potential to be developed to the maximum through appropriate incentive mechanisms, 
giving priority to hydroelectric power, natural gas and renewable energy;  and ensure that the sector 
became more transparent and better managed.  A new institutional framework had been introduced 
with the creation of the Electricity Regulatory Ag ency (ARSEL) and the Rural Electrification Agency 
(AER), which paved the way for competition in the sector. 
89. With regard to the Extractive Industries Tran sparency Initiative (EITI), Cameroon intended to 
manage the revenue earned from the oil and mining sectors more transparently.  The revenue from fixed charges, royalties on the surface area being worked and on quarries le vied on oil, gas and 
mining companies would be made available to th e public, the international community and civil 
society.  With this practice, Cameroon intended to  promote the petroleum and mining sectors so as to 
attract foreign direct investment in that promising area.  The mining sector, however, was still at the exploration stage and the exploitation of existing de posits was to a large extent on a small scale. 
90. The increased demands for transparency and the responsibilities placed on regional and local 
authorities were part of the stricter management of government resources in the implementation of the 
country's development policy.  All authorities, whet her regional or local, had to comply with that 
requirement, which could be found in the Nati onal Governance Programme introduced by the 
Government.  The 2001 Mining Code governed th e mining sector and had been drawn up with the 
assistance of the World Bank.  All mining projects were subject to a technical and environmental study that involved public hearings.  The provisions in the implementing decree included social 
requirements incumbent on any company wishing to work in the mining industry in Cameroon.  In 
line with these requirements, which could be found in  all draft mining agreements between the State 
and its partner, companies were called on to resp ect rules on hygiene, safety, protection of the 
environment and the cultural heritage, as well as th e rules specific to the operations proposed;  to 
maintain peaceful relations with the communities af fected by the mining development;  and to provide 
jobs, train professionals and carry out projects of a social nature. 
91. The implementing decree for the Mining Code included social commitments imposed on 
companies in the mining sector providing that 25 per cent of the revenue earned in terms of the ad valorem  tax and the extraction tax for all exploitation of mineral substances, as well as in the form 
of the compensation tax for the population affected by the activity, be redistributed with 10 per cent going to the surrounding population and 15 per cent to the local authority competent for the area.  The 
Government did not participate in mining but w as represented on certain governing boards by the 
Minister of Mining.  Mining agreements signed between the State and operators were not public, 
respected the customary confidentiality clauses for such contracts and were not ratified by the 
National Assembly.  Where there was a conflict of interest between the regulatory authority and the 
partner, the mining agreement provided for internati onal arbitration.  The implementing decree for the 
Mining Code gave the partner the right to dispose freely of its goods and to organize the company as 
it wished;  freedom to recruit and dismiss;  freedom to choose suppliers and providers of services;  free access to raw materials and inputs;  and free movement within Cameroon for its semi-finished 
and finished products. 
92. The State had no share in the capital of mining enterprises but the revenue generated by 
mining came from taxes on quarrying, ad valorem  taxes, fixed charges and area royalties, which went 
to the Treasury against remittal of a receipt a nd were redistributed with 25 per cent going to 
compensate the population affected by the activity (10 per cent to the surrounding population and 15 per cent to the local authority competent for the area);  25 per cent for follow-up support and 
technical control of the activities concerned went to engineers and agents commissioned by the Ministry of Mining;  and 50 per cent to the Treasu ry.  A programme for the securitization of mining 
revenue ensured that the revenue thus collected was redistributed. WT/TPR/M/187 
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  93. Regarding trade in services (postal services a nd the application of taxes and exclusive 
licences for foreign suppliers) that would create a possible advantage for domestic suppliers, the 1999 
law had been repealed and replaced by another of 29 December 2006 governing postal activities in 
Cameroon.  The new law was non-discriminatory and comprised three regimes (concession regime for 
government enterprises, authorization regime for priv ate operators, and declaration regime, applicable 
to internal public networks, internal private netw orks and independent pub lic and private networks, 
whose departure and arrival points were separated by at least 1,000 metres).  The purpose of the law was to remedy the shortcomings in the former la w in order to bring Cameroon into line with the 
international model for the reorganiza tion of postal networks and services. 
94. The Government also envisaged special measu res to promote tourism, for example, by 
making the relevant marketing plan operational in the short term for private tourism operators.  It was 
also intended to develop training of personnel in the sector;  to make Cameroon a more attractive and 
more competitive destination;  to adopt incentiv e measures to promote the hotel, restaurants, 
handicrafts and transport subsectors;  to develop the tourism industry by rehabilitating tourism sites 
and preparing a Tourism Investment Code;  to improve the mechanism for compiling statistical data;  
and to promote ecotourism. 
95. Port services had been liberalized and the vari ous ports had been organized into autonomous 
ports.  The role of the autonomous port of Douala  was limited to regulati on, organization and port 
safety.  The fees for port services had to be a pproved by the Advisory Committee for the Autonomous 
Port of Douala with a view to lowering port fees as far as possible.  Under the Uruguay Round, 
Cameroon had made commitments in the tourism an d business services sectors (maintenance of ships 
and industrial equipment, engineering services).  Gr eat hopes were placed in the national seminar to 
be organized in Yaoundé in November 2007 with  a view to making new commitments under the 
GATS 
96. The concept of Professional Civil Partnerships (SCP) was simply a form of joint professional 
activity under which two or more lawyers joined together under an agreement to exercise their 
profession under the control of the National Bar Counc il, which in turn ensured that the group met the 
required criteria, for example, they were qualified lawy ers;  had paid their dues;  were not subject to 
any disciplinary sanctions;  and were suitably establis hed.  In the case of the Certificate of Aptitude 
for the Legal Profession (CAPA), a foreigner could pr actise as a lawyer in Cameroon provided that a 
judicial cooperation agreement existed (reciprocal  agreement) between that person's country and 
Cameroon.  As far as the procedure was concerned the applicant sent a request  for registration to the 
Minister of Justice, who transmitted it to the Bar Council for examination.  The Council examined the 
application, gave its opinion and presented it to the Office of the President of the Republic. 
97. After adoption of the Investment Code, which gr anted considerable fiscal benefits to the 
sector both at the start-up stage through fiscal exempt ions and for the purchase of inputs classified in 
the first or second category, the Government was considering taking action in the short-term to 
complement that by private actors in the sector so as  to increase the rate of investment in industry and 
to build up the competitiveness of manufacturers in  order to diversify industrial production;  to 
increase the manufacturing value added;  and to raise the share of exports of manufactures, including non-traditional exports. 
98. Cameroon's accession to the multilateral trading system was not only longstanding but was 
also irreversible.  Likewise, the Government's determination to reform was unequivocal, despite 
certain shortcomings that might be seen as failure to  respect commitments but were simply delays that 
could easily be made good.  Cameroon once more expr essed its gratitude to the organizations in the 
multilateral trading system for the technical assist ance received, particularly for the training of 
government officials, those in the private sector an d civil society, but also for building capacity in  WT/TPR/M/187 
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  businesses and institutions through the creation of re ference centres and national enquiry points under 
the Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme  (JITAP).  Cameroon hoped that the technical 
assistance programme would as rapidly as possible deal  with the crucial issue of capacity-building, 
meaning the development not only of basic infrastru ctures but also of those related to market access 
and the capacity of developing countries to offe r goods.  The programme should not lose sight of 
other areas of intervention such as support for ta riff bindings and tariff technology within the EPA 
framework, support in relation to WTO recommenda tions on dumping;  and the implementation of 
commitments under the GATS.  Cameroon undertook to  redouble its efforts in order to meet its 
various commitments. 
99. After expressing his thanks, the representative of Gabon  replied to questions raised by 
Members. 
(i) Economic environment 
100. In a context marked by the slowdown in oil production, the Government had embarked upon 
a wide-ranging economic reform programme.  As a result of a benchmark programme followed by a 
14-month confirmation agreement, there had been a return to macroeconomic stability, external 
payment arrears had been eliminated and far-reaching structural reform had been undertaken to boost 
growth in the non-oil sector.  Following several mont hs of negotiation, Gabon had signed a three-year 
agreement (2007-2010) with the International Mone tary Fund (IMF), whose main objective was to 
seize the opportunity afforded by the high price of oil in order, to place public spending on viable 
bases while at the same time enhancing the economy's performance, alleviating poverty, and 
preparing for the post-oil era.  The programme's ai m was to move towards a permanently-sustainable 
fiscal situation (so as to avoid harmful oil-reve nue-related boom-bust cycles and to prepare for the 
eventual exhaustion of oil reserves);  to improve management of oil revenue  and public spending;  
and to remove structural obstacles to growth of th e non-oil private sector.  The aim was to incorporate 
all oil revenue and public spending in the budget, raise the quality and effectiveness of such spending, 
and remove structural obstacles to growth of the non-oil private sector by improving the business 
climate, especially governance and transparency. 
Reform in the management of public spending 
101. It was the Government's intention to adopt a three-year medium-term spending framework 
(CDMT) before the end of 2007 based on sectoral pr iorities so as to evaluate more precisely the 
recurrent costs related to investment spending and to improve the process used to determine spending 
priorities.  Decisive measures had been taken to  improve the follow-up and effectiveness of budget 
performance.  In order to raise the quality of government investment, the Directorate-General of 
Procurement (DGMP) had been given further res ponsibilities and the most recent measure taken had 
been to create a site on which a ll the invitations to tender for govern ment procurement, as well as all 
the contracts awarded, were published.  The DGMP  would continue to raise the percentage of 
government procurement awarded through tenders, the objective being to increase it from 35 per cent 
in 2006 to over 50 per cent in 2007 and 70 per cent in 2008.  In order to make the management of mining revenue more transparent and to enhance accountability in the petroleum and mining sectors, 
in 2004 Gabon had acceded to the Extractive Industri es Transparency Initiative (EITI).  It had signed 
a contract for the design of a model for mont hly calculation of oil revenue by applying fiscal 
parameters to prices and real costs on a detailed basis. WT/TPR/M/187 
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  Privatization programme 
102. The programme for the reorganization, priv atization and liquidation of State-owned 
enterprises, which had led to the privatization of  the SEEG (water and electricity), the Octra (rail 
transport), the SOSUHO (sugar), Ciment du Gabon (cement), Agrogabon (oils and soaps), Hevegab 
(rubber plantations), Sogadel (livestock) and Air Ga bon (air transport) continued in 2007 with the 
privatization of up to 50 per cent of the capital in Gabon Télécom, which had been sold to a private investor in order to improve the company's mana gement.  Gabon Poste had also been put up for 
liquidation and La Poste – a new State-owned enterprise – had been created.  The SOGATRA, a State-owned urban transport enterprise, was close to  bankruptcy and it had been decided to reorganize 
it without delay in order to seek a more efficient form  of management in the long run in the form of a 
concession or a management contract so as to guara ntee a high-quality public service to users in the 
long term. 
Diversification of the economy 
103. Bearing in mind the exhaustion of oil reserv es, Gabon had developed a strategy for the 
diversification of its economy based on:  increasing value added in traditional sectors (mining, timber 
and oil) through a strategy to increase production,  boost the subsectors and diversify the supply of 
finished products at the domestic level;  developi ng other sectors (ecotourism, agriculture and agro-
industry, fishing and aquaculture, industry, servi ces, more especially NICT);  and launching an 
ambitious infrastructure programme to support growth  (sealing, rehabilitation and maintenance of the 
road network, including the regional integration ne twork and the building and rehabilitation of ports 
and airports). 
Other reforms 
104. Reform continued in the forestry sector with the State taking back forestry permits whose 
holders had not complied with their fiscal commitments.  Civil service reform, begun in 2005, continued with the aim of more efficien t management by government officials. 
105. Together with its economic and financial pa rtners, Gabon was implementing a national good 
governance programme that included development of th e private sector and trade.  It had adopted an 
Investment Charter to promote the creation and expansion of enterprises without discrimination as to the origin of the investor or the sector of activ ity;  it had also signed bilateral and multilateral 
agreements, including that with the Multilateral Inve stment Guarantee Agency;  and had acceded to 
the arbitration mechanism of the United Na tions Commission on International Trade Law 
(UNCITRAL). 
106. Gabon would continue to improve the business climate through better governance and the rule 
of law;  more transparency;  development of the private sector;  reform of the fiscal system;  improved infrastructures;  lower costs for inputs;  adaptati on of trade legislation to current requirements by 
enacting the Forestry, Mining, Tourism, Fishing and Aquaculture Codes;  and revising the Labour 
Code.  It was the Government's aim to draw up  a Commercial Code that would give a better 
understanding of the overall legal framework for business and it sought technical and financial 
support from the WTO, its Members and other devel opment partners.  With regard to the poverty 
alleviation objective, an improved business climate would lead to net job creation, which remained 
low because of the extent of economic redundancies as a result of privatization and the low level of 
creation of new jobs in sectors that were expanding  (services, timber and building and public works).  
With the end of the privatization programme in si ght and the prospect of new mining developments, 
the net creation of jobs should expand.    WT/TPR/M/187 
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  107. The Government was endeavouring to increase the provision of training in terms of quantity 
and improve its quality by linking the training given more closely to the demand for skills by the growth sectors, involving the revision of curriculums in close consultation with the private sector.  In 
2005, a programme for the rehabilitation and buil ding of new vocational training centres was 
launched throughout Gabon with the aim of increasi ng the number of training courses in relation to 
current and future needs for skilled labour in the economy;  and to increase the number of places so as 
to absorb those who had left the traditional training courses. 
108. At the strategic level, all the above measures would only be relevant if there was strong and 
diversified growth, underpinned by a much higher le vel of Government investment mainly directed 
towards the financing of basic infrastructures and ra ising the quality of human capital.  That was why 
the strategic objectives of the economic and social  policy law were to promote sustained economic 
growth, to develop human capital able to res pond to the needs of the economy and its growth 
potential, to use the Government investment progr amme as a tool in support of production and job 
creation and, lastly, to open up prospects for jobs  and activities for the population remaining outside 
the organized labour market. 
109. The economy's structure nevertheless remained ma rked by the existence of monopolies which 
jeopardized the competitiveness of Gabonese comp anies.  More competitiveness was one of the 
Government's constant concerns.  The private m onopolies that arose following the privatization of 
State-owned or semi-public enterprises were de facto monopolies, even though they operated in a 
regulatory environment that had liberalized th e exercise of activities in those sectors.  The 
Government had chosen forms of privatization that limited any form of interference in the 
management of privatized companies.  Conseque ntly, its efforts to improve competitiveness in a 
situation of private monopolies were relatively constr ained because such an objective meant control of 
production costs and strict management of the comp anies concerned.  As far as production costs were 
concerned, the State's action in the economy thr ough taxation was also limited because any fiscal 
measure to benefit those enterprises would be seen as a form of subsidy.  When privatizing some 
State-owned companies, the formula adopted had allowed the Government to include a programme 
for maintenance of the installations and large-scale investment in order to lower production costs and 
the State was endeavouring to ensure that the commitments in the agreements signed with the 
purchasers were respected. 
110. The problem of the economy's competitiveness a nd the high cost of production factors were 
two of the main obstacles to attracting foreign direct  investment to Gabon and to regional integration.  
The Government had sought technical assistance in th e form of a study on the impact of all aspects 
related to monopolies, subsidies and fiscal incentives on the competitiveness of the Gabonese 
economy.  Gabon had acceded to the multilateral trad ing system and to many regional and economic 
communities;  it was linked to other countries through bilateral agreements.  At the multilateral level, 
Gabon was a founder member of the WTO and, bearing that in mind, it endeavoured to apply and 
ensure compliance with the WTO Ag reements' rules.  The pace at  which the rules were applied 
remained slow because they were complex or di fficult to implement.  Gabon highly appreciated the 
efforts made by the WTO in the area of technical assistance and building of institutional and human 
capacity.  Multifaceted assistance from the WTO should focus on a study of the impact of the 
monopolies on the economy's competitiveness and poverty a lleviation;  support for the integration of 
trade into the growth and poverty alleviation strategy ;  a study on the role of trade in achieving the 
Millennium Development Goals;  a study on the lin k between trade and sustainable development;  a 
mechanism to follow up and monitor commitments at  the WTO;  and technical assistance on services, 
databases and risk management. WT/TPR/M/187 
WT/TPR/M/188 Page 24 
 
 
  111. The effectiveness of participation in multilatera l trade required economic integration at the 
subregional and regional levels.  At the subregi onal level, Gabon was a member of the CEMAC.  At 
the regional level, its membership of the ECCA S allowed Gabon to have the critical mass needed 
because of the vast area covered by ten countries w ith a potential of 100,000,000 inhabitants.  In 
2006, the volume of trade between Gabon and the ot her members of the CEMAC remained modest.  
Gabon also had relations with the European Uni on under the Cotonou Convention, where the current 
deadlock justified the negotiations under way on th e Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).  At the 
bilateral level, Gabon had signed many agreements  with friendly countries on trade, investment 
promotion and protection.  At the customs level,  goods imported from those countries were taxed in 
accordance with the custom s tariffs in force. 
112. Regarding the free movement of persons, Gabon had expressed reservations because of the 
lack of computerized registry data and the impossi bility of interconnecting them.  The shortcomings 
of the authorities of CEMAC States as far as identifying their nationals was concerned was the main obstacle to implementing the provisions in the CEMAC Treaty.  The summit of CEMAC Heads of 
State in March 2007 had reaffirmed the determination to implement the Treaty's provisions.  The 
signature of agreements on judicial cooperation ha d led to the proposal on draft regulations for the 
CEMAC passport in 2007, opening up Gabon's borders to citizens of the Community by introducing 
an Equatorial visa.  A National Technical a nd Inter-Ministerial Committee was examining the 
practical ways of implementing the Treaty. 
Economic outlook 
113. Gabon's economic outlook was encouraging a nd the major macroeconomic objectives for 
2007-2010 were to maintain a growth rate excluding o il of around 5 per cent, while at the same time 
keeping inflation below 3 per cent.  Fi scal policy therefore played a key role. 
(ii) Trade policy 
Customs procedures 
114. Gabon used the Customs Valuation Agreement but faced problems and requested technical 
assistance on the organization of services, databases and risk management.  It did not have any 
national rules of origin for non-preferential purposes.  As a member of the CEMAC customs union, however, Gabon in principle used the Community rules of origin. 
Tariff protection 
115. Gabon had already indicated the timetable for resolving the problem of compliance with 
bound rates in consultation with the CEMAC.  It w as aware that the tariff structure was not effective 
and needed to be revised.  Such  a revision, however, could only be achieved at the CEMAC level, 
which was the only competent author ity for tariff policy.  The strategy for revising the tariff structure 
included renegotiation of tariff structures within  the CEMAC;  renegotiation of Gabon's tariff 
concessions by a high-level group of national expert s and, for this purpose, Gabon sought technical 
assistance from the WTO.  Gabon applied waivers from the CET in order to combat poverty or as an 
investment or protection incentive. 
Internal taxes (national treatment) 
116. The taxation regime applicable to imported produc ts differed from that applicable to domestic 
products because of the value added tax (VAT) and excise duty.  The VAT was based on all the 
amounts levied in a taxable transaction, including tax es and levies of all types with the exception of  WT/TPR/M/187 
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 Page 25 
 
 
  VAT itself.  That provision applied both to impor ts and locally-manufactured goods.  The provisions 
determining the VAT base were identical in the case of imports or locally-manufactured products.  
Regarding the rate of taxation, special situations had led the Government to take specific measures 
concerning the different taxation of some locally-m anufactured products and basic necessities, as well 
as certain activities.  The VAT re gime for some products was diffe rent and the situation stemmed 
from the concern to protect certain local industri es, previously operated by semi-public companies 
and currently under agreements between  the State and private operators. 
117. Following the Social Truce Agreement signed in 2004 between the Government and social 
partners, exemptions were given to locally-manufact ured products, meat and poultry, eggs, fresh or 
frozen fish, rice, cassava, banan as, basic necessitie s, milk, butter, margarine, yogurt, bread, edible 
pasta, canned sardines and mackerel, salt, and me dicines and pharmaceuticals.  The objective sought 
through these measures was to raise the population's living standards by removing tax on basic necessities.  Pursuant to the three-year agreem ent 2007-2010 signed between Gabon and the IMF, 
Gabon undertook gradually to modernize its taxation system, particularly the VAT regime, in order to 
bring it into line with best international practice. 
Excise duty 
118. The taxable base for excise duty on imports was the customs value plus import duties and 
taxes, except for VAT;  for locally-manufactured  goods, it was the selling price to the public 
determined by the manufacturer net of tax, with a reduction of 30 per cent.  The practice of giving a 
30 per cent reduction on the selling price to the public was a discriminatory measure vis-à-vis  imports 
and the objective was to protect certain branches of activity. 
Fiscal outlook 
119. In its GPRSP the Government had identified the bases for economic diversification.  The 
Paper listed the sectors in which the State was going to make further investment efforts and improve the business climate in order to promote diversification of the economy and attract private investment.  
The Government recognized that the high import ta xation did not encourage diversification of the 
economy because it made the cost of imported pr oducts essential for domestic industry prohibitive 
and, in the long run, it intended to lower the cust oms tariff and replace it by internal taxes, also 
revising the VAT and exemptions regime.  The re cent adoption of a draft law by the Council of 
Ministers revising the General Taxation Code (CG I) was a follow-up to the reform of the tax 
authorities' structures, which had led to the creati on of the Directorate-General of Taxation (DGI) in 
December 2002. 
120. The new CGI reflected and incorporated the Community law provisions (CEMAC and 
OHADA), recommendations by development partners (particularly the IMF), as well as the tax 
provisions in the successive finance laws not yet c odified, and provided for the transfer of competence 
for collecting taxes to the tax authorities.  In a ddition, it guaranteed and reinforced the taxpayers' 
rights through strict control of the authorities' pow ers and the procedures established.  The result was 
harmonization and unification of the procedural rul es;  a distinction between disputes concerning the 
taxable base and those concerning collection of tax es;  better definition of the rules concerning tax 
disputes, in particular, complaints to the authoriti es and the decisions taken by the latter;  and the 
introduction of the procedure for deferred payment and compensation.  Those provisions helped to 
modernize the fiscal mechanism by clarifying the re lations between the authorities and taxpayers and 
improving the business climate and fiscal governance. WT/TPR/M/187 
WT/TPR/M/188 Page 26 
 
 
  Export taxes 
121. Taxes only applied to two exports (manganese a nd logs).  Taxes on the export of manganese 
had been imposed in order to finance the conversion of mining sites.  As part of the industrialization 
of the timber sector, veneer and semi-processed wood were not subject to export taxes.  The aim was 
to encourage industries to process products locally. 
Standards, technical regul ations and SPS measures 
122. The Standardization and Transfer of Tec hnology Centre (CNTT), established in 2007, 
required technical assistance to develop standards a pplicable to Gabon.  In the absence of modern 
technical methods for controlling animal diseases and as soon as the OIE declared that an animal 
disease was present in a particular country, Gabon au tomatically imposed restrictions as a preventive 
measure.  Gabon belonged to the FAO's CODEX Alimen tarius.  It applied the standards adopted and 
any import restrictions imposed by Gabon strictly  complied with the OIE's recommendations.  The 
measures taken to extend restrictions also made it possible to prevent any fraud.  Renewed imports 
from a country that had been affected by an an imal disease could only take place after the OIE had 
announced that the disease had been eradicated. 
Government procurement 
123. The Government Procurement Code had gra dually generalized the bidding procedure for 
awarding government procurement contracts and the objective for 2009 was to keep the percentage of 
government procurement contracts awarded without any bidding procedure for exceptional reasons to 
less than 30 per cent of the total value of procuremen t subject to tenders.  There was no discrimination 
as to the nationality of the bidder.  The Directorat e-General of Government Procurement kept various 
statistics concerning the award, implementati on and monitoring of such procurement. 
Protection of intellectual property rights 
124. Pursuant to the revised Bangui Agreement of 1999, criminal proceedings for the imposition of 
penalties for infringement of industrial property right s could only be initiated by the Office of the 
Public Prosecutor if there was a complaint by th e injured party.  New legislation currently being 
adopted by Gabon's Parliament, however, would allow the customs to seize infringing goods 
automatically, and the law setting up the unit to  combat counterfeiting and unfair competition, 
situated in the Gabon Industrial Property Centre, w ould help to combat all infringements of industrial 
property rights in addition to the action taken by the Office of the Public Prosecutor.  All 
infringements of intellectual property rights such as copyright led to charges being brought without 
any complaint being lodged by the victim simply as a result of a report by officials of the ANPAC's 
anti-piracy unit. 
(iii) Sectoral policies 
Agricultural sector 
125. In its law on economic and social developmen t policy, Gabon set out its rural development 
policy, which was echoed in the PRSP and explaine d in more detail in the Agricultural Policy Law 
and the Investment Charter, whose objective was to lessen Gabon's food dependence and help to alleviate poverty.  Gabon intended to increase its agricultural production by 45 per cent by 2015.  
Measures had been taken to achieve that objective,  for example, the Agricultural Policy Law;  an 
Agricultural Investment Charter;  and a Special Food Security Programme (PSSA) with support from  WT/TPR/M/187 
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 Page 27 
 
 
  the FAO.  In practical terms, the agricultura l development strategy was based on a livestock 
component and a crops component. 
Mining and energy sector, forestry exploitation 
126. Gabon's policy on the export of logs, pursuant to the relevant law (the Forestry Code), was to 
give priority to more intensive local processing of  timber.  Since 2006, therefore, there had been 
quotas for the export of logs so as to increase the pe rcentage of timber processed locally from the 
current figure of 43 per cent to 75 per cent by 2012.   Gabon had introduced a tax mechanism for that 
purpose, which encouraged economic operators in th e sector to support the aim of industrialization for 
products of the second and third stage of processing,  higher value added and the creation of skilled 
jobs.  With that aim in mind, Gabon had reserved the possibility of raising export duties and taxes 
from 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent and was consideri ng reintroducing the export surcharge as a penalty 
if quotas were not respected. 
127. Measures to protect the forest ecosystem were  envisaged such as sustainable management, 
namely, the development and conservation of forest  ecosystems with a view to their rational and 
sustainable exploitation for all forests exploited (ten million hectares).  The Gabonese association for 
the Pan African Forestry Certification scheme (PAFC Gabon) had drawn up its certification scheme, 
which had been endorsed in May 2006, and a national handbook of indicative criteria (CI) for the sustainable development of forests had been intr oduced, together with the development by the 
National Working Group (GNT) of principles, crite ria and indicators (PCI) adapted to the Gabonese 
context on the basis of the ATO/ITTO's harm onized PCI.  Gabon was negotiating voluntary 
partnership agreements (VPA) with the European  Union under the FLEGT process.  As far as the 
traceability of timber was concerned, Gabon had introduced an information scheme for the 
management of waters and forests (SIGEF), partic ularly to cover the whole traceability chain in the 
timber sector. 
128. To monitor the timber sector, Gabon had initia ted negotiations on an agreement with the 
Société générale de surveillance (SGS), a Swiss company already operating in Cameroon, the Congo 
and the Central African Republic.  Another ag reement had been signed with the NGO World 
Resource Institute (WRI) for satellite monitoring of forests.  Prevention of illegal logging or non-
timber forest products and their by-products was based on the FLEG/AFLEGT process for Europe;  
for Asia a process that would be consistent with  national measures for sustainable development and 
governance still had to be implemented.  Gabon was actively combating unlawful exploitation of 
timber and its by-products and supported the introdu ction of a regional approach to trade in timber 
and forest products as a founding member of the Ce ntral Africa Forests Commission (COMIFAC).  It 
also played an active role in the current subregi onal process, harmonization of policies, legislation, 
institutions, forestry standards and taxation. 
129. In cooperation with the World Bank, Gabon had adopted a new transport policy underpinned 
by an intermodal master plan for transport (PDIT) , which defined institutiona l reform measures and a 
priority investment programme for the sector for the period 1998-2015 with the objective of 
organizing the transport system into a productive and rational sector that met the needs and imperatives of the market economy;  supporting the land management plan and contributing to regional and subregional economic in tegration;  protecting transport infrastructure assets;  reducing 
the cost of transport in the State's budget;  improving the quality and safety of transport services;  
facilitating movement in large cities;  building mana gement capacity in transport institutions;  and 
combating poverty and the social divide.  At the regional level, in 2004 Gabon had adopted a consensual master plan for transport in Central A frica (PDCT-AC) in order to speed up integration.  
The two plans required large-scale financing, wh ich explained why the majority of the projects WT/TPR/M/187 
WT/TPR/M/188 Page 28 
 
 
  planned within those two framew orks had not been implemented and Gabon therefore called on the 
international community to assist in completing them. 
Mining sector 
130. In Gabon, the issue of a mining permit required the applicant to undertake an environmental 
impact study that took into account the situation of the site before, during and after the exploration 
and/exploitation of the mineral resources.  When th e activities ended or the mine was closed, the site 
had to be rehabilitated.  The envi ronmental study comprised a site inventory before work begun;  a 
technical description of the mining site, the work and activities planned;  a monitoring programme;  
an emergency plan if the activity was risky;  a nd a quantified programme fo r rehabilitating the site 
and making it safe again.  The quantified rehab ilitation programme involved the annual deposit of a 
sum with a local bank to cover the costs of rehabilita tion and making the site safe.  In order to attract 
foreign investment in the mining sector, Gabon ha d revised all the texts governing mining and had 
adopted a new Mining Code (Law No. 005/2000 of  12 October and its Implementing Decree 
No. 1085/PR/MMEPRA), which gave investors tax benefits throughout the survey period excluding 
the costs for issuing the title and an annual surface area royalty. 
GATS commitments 
131. Among all the countries of Central Africa, Gabon was the only one to have undertaken 
specific commitments in 2004.  These commitments in  the area of services covered a large number of 
sectors. 
132. The discussant
 thanked the two delegations for having provided a large number of details to 
allow a certain number of problems to be resolved .  He asked the two Ministers to explain the 
difficulties and problems concerning interministerial  cooperation in their experience, particularly 
when preparing the Review.  The second question concerned negotiations on the phasing out of 
preferences and he asked whether, in their view, a response could be found.  He noted that the two 
Ministers had emphasized the need for technical as sistance and its usefulness.  He hoped that their 
visit to Geneva would enable them to obtain tangibl e results in that area and that the WTO's resources 
were in fact available to their countries.  He ha d noted with interest in the reply from the Gabonese 
Minister the concern to undertake a study into de facto monopolies and would like to know a little 
more on that question.  He felt that the Minist er had been fairly reticent regarding the many 
commitments undertaken on services and asked him to state which were the two or three main sectors that showed promise for the future.  He ended by  congratulating them on the efforts undertaken so 
dynamically in order to facilitate trade, thereb y making Cameroon and Gabon in teresting partners in 
the WTO negotiations. 
133. The representative of the European Communities
 (EC) thanked the Gabonese and 
Cameroonian delegations for their very comprehensive replies to the questions raised by the EC.  The 
EC wished to underline the need to raise the lo w level of productivity that hampered Cameroon's 
competitiveness on the international market.  It enc ouraged Gabon to pursue the measures to diversify 
its economic base, as well as its aim to improve the economic environment.  To achieve those objectives, external technical support was needed, in cluding trade-related technical assistance, and the 
EC as well as the Member States were ready to help  through targeted operational technical assistance 
and by continuing cooperation within the EDF framework.  The European Communities strongly 
urged Gabon and Cameroon to continue to play a role in building up the CEMAC and to pursue the 
implementation of reform in the field, particularly in the context of the current customs union and also 
in the efforts made on both sides to finalize negotiations on an economic  partnership agreement 
between the European Union, Gabon and Cameroon.  WT/TPR/M/187 
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  134. The representative of the United States  thanked the delegations fo r the information given and 
expressed her appreciation of being able to take part  in the Review of their trade policies because the 
United States was keenly interested in helpin g Cameroon and Gabon and in seeing what policies 
could enhance their development. 
135. The representative of Canada  thanked Cameroon and Gabon for th e high level of participation 
in the Review of their trade policies and for the clear and frank replies given.  Canada was extremely interested in the economic and social developmen t of Cameroon and Gabon and in the essential role 
which trade and investment could play in that respect. 
136. The representative of Côte d'Ivoire
 thanked the delegations of Gabon and Cameroon for their 
excellent presentation during the Review.  He drew  attention to the assets which political stability and 
above all the substantial mining resources in both c ountries represented and to the development of the 
two countries within the CEMAC framework.  Both  countries, as well as the CEMAC as a whole, had 
the benefit of a common language (French), which w as an extremely important tool.  He encouraged 
the two countries to cooperate within the CEMAC with a view to their own development and the 
development of the region as a whole.  He also thanked the WTO and the Secretariat for having 
organized the Review, which had allowed the two countries to revise their positions and to describe 
the future outlook in order to be able to complete  their development preparations and to finalize the 
agreements currently being signed (EPA). 
137. The representative of Cameroon  thanked all the Member States that had taken the floor and 
took note of the encouragements and comments.  It was recognized that Cameroon had assets and 
dynamism and the Government would do everything possible to move ahead.  It was aware that there 
were some shortcomings in the economy and that the level of competitivene ss was low, therefore, it 
was determined to carry on with the reform progr amme initiated.  Cameroon was committed to the 
IMF and the World Bank and showed its determination and desire to learn.  It also called on the 
international community to support its efforts.  With  regard to inter-minist erial cooperation, he said 
that the Government was united and had not encount ered any particular difficulties in involving all 
components because they worked as a multidis ciplinary team.  There was a problem of 
communication at the WTO and in all multilateral organizations, and the focus and emphasis should 
be on those for whom the reforms and rules were intended (economic operators, civil society and, 
more generally, the population). 
138. Regarding preferences, Cameroon was a producer  and exporter of bananas, the leading ACP 
country together with Côte d'Ivoire.  In his vi ew the problem of preferences was rather one of 
understanding and it was hoped to find an agreement that would allow the WTO spirit to prevail.  
Cameroon was not seeking to benefit from such a regime eternally but simply required a period of adaptation.  Likewise, he hoped that the question of preferences would be resolved in a calm and 
serene manner, taking into account the past, which was not Cameroon's doing.  Turning to the 
problem of technical assistance, Cameroon did not ye t have the expertise and much remained to be 
done so the visit to Geneva was an opportunity to make contact.  He strongly urged the international 
community to assist Cameroon and provide it with  support.  He concluded by emphasizing that 
Member countries could count on Cameroon's fu ll, whole-hearted and committed adhesion to the 
WTO and to all other forms of multilateralism. 
139. The representative of Gabon
 thanked those delegations that had taken the floor and expressed 
support for Gabon in its endeavours to become prope rly integrated into the global economy.  With 
regard to cooperation, there had been satisfact ory progress and WTO-related mechanisms had been 
introduced.  A national WTO commission in Gabon bro ught together several ministries.  Likewise, 
there was a standing national committee to examin e problems relating to th e Economic Partnership 
Agreement with the European Uni on.  In general, the same memb ers belonged to the two committees, WT/TPR/M/187 
WT/TPR/M/188 Page 30 
 
 
  with a few exceptions.  The exercise had therefore b een prepared by all the departments concerned as 
fully as possible with a Gabonese delegation that co mprised almost all the ministries concerned. 
140. With regard to the phasing out of preference s, the question had been before the WTO for 
several years but also in the ACP member countri es with the Economic Partnership Agreement.  If 
Gabon could be given support and a large measure of assistance to  allow its economy to produce  
goods of value other than those currently produced , that might provide a solution for the phasing out 
of preferences following the introduction of mechan isms to build the economy's production capacity.  
The opening up of markets was irreversible, with a move towards liberalization, which made market 
access an important element.  There were real oppor tunities in the various sectors and resources to be 
exploited, processed and sold, but there were enor mous problems in achieving a satisfactory level of 
production.  The raw materials existed, as did the potential, but to turn them into reality it was 
necessary to train manpower, build human capacity and give the country the necessary infrastructure.  
Improving existing structures in order to redirect Gabon towards more equitable trade would make the 
unavoidable but sensitive question of eliminating pref erences less painful.  There was much food for 
thought and Gabon was open to all suggestions. 
141. Regarding the need for assistance, all de veloping countries had a large pool of human 
potential but they needed to be trained in modern  techniques.  Gabon had to train its citizens, both 
men and women, and become familiar with all those techniques, which was not an easy matter 
because trade negotiations were not particularly si mple.  Turning to the de facto monopolies in Gabon 
(private monopolies), some of those had in fact gone from being a public to a private monopoly.  
Monopolies existed because supplies were insufficien t, that was why WTO assi stance was needed in 
order to ascertain why other investors from all origin s did not come to Gabon.  Diversification of the 
economy went hand in hand with diversification of the actors and investors and there was little 
diversification in terms of origin or countri es despite the liberalization and elimination of de jure  
monopolies.  Gabon needed to know the real cost of production and the cost of opportunities and to 
relate production costs and the cost price to the investment. 
142. In Gabon's case, the market was small.  Neve rtheless, Gabon had entered the era of regional 
integration and with the CEMAC there were 30 milli on permanent consumers.  It was not therefore 
a priori  a problem of the market because with the fr ee movement of persons and goods everything 
would gradually fall into place so that an i ndustry could first set up in Gabon and then in 
neighbouring countries.  Despite the efforts Gabon ma de to improve the business climate, the pace 
was still slow.  The WTO could easily help Gabon to undertake the impact study on private 
monopolies caused by supply shortages, for example,  in the water and electricity sector.  The 
monopoly given to the company had been abolished over two years previously, but no other company 
had expressed an interest despite the serious pr oblem of access to water, which was sometimes 
difficult in rural areas and led to floods because no other economic operator had become established 
there.  Lastly, with regard to the problem of services, an offer had been made in the case of 
telecommunications, where the infrastructure wa s sufficiently advanced (fibre optics were 
underexploited in Gabon).  Gabon was one of the Co ngo Basin countries and environmental problems 
were of the utmost concern.  Offers had been ma de in that respect but had not yet been finalized.  WT/TPR/M/187 
 WT/TPR/M/188 
 Page 31 
 
 
  VII. CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 
143. This joint Trade Policy Review of Cameroon and Gabon had enabled a better appreciation of 
their overall development objectives and the role of trade in attaining them.  Our dialogue had been 
stimulated by the full and open engagement of the high-level delegations of Cameroon and Gabon, 
and the perceptive contribution of our discussant. 
144. Members had noted the encouraging recent econo mic performances of Cameroon and Gabon.  
The rise of world prices of petroleum since 2003 had benefited economic growth, fiscal performance 
and reduction of external debt in both countries.  Cameroon and Gabon participated in the Central 
African Economic and Monetary Community (C EMAC), and enjoyed non-reciprocal trade 
preferences.  Their inflation had been low, foster ed by their common restrictive monetary policy.  
Members encouraged Cameroon and Gabon to pursu e their socio economic reforms to alleviate 
poverty.  Further structural reforms would contribu te to attracting the foreign direct investment 
needed for the diversification of both economies, in the context of their declining petroleum reserves.  
Improvement of governance and infrastructure would also help.  Gabon was encouraged to address 
the anti-competitive effects of monopolies. 
145. Members appreciated the firm commitment of Cameroon and Gabon to the multilateral 
trading system, including the Doha Development Ag enda.  They welcomed efforts made by both 
countries to improve their customs procedures and fac ilitate trade, but urged them to fully implement 
the customs valuation agreement.  The tariffs of Cameroon and Gabon were based on the common 
external tariff of the CEMAC;  their relativel y high rates and their structure had undermined 
competitiveness and economic growth prospects.  Me mbers had encouraged both countries to simplify 
their tariffs under the CEMAC, and urged them to better conform with the na tional treatment principle 
in the application of their internal taxes.  Camer oon had been encouraged to enlarge the scope of its 
tariff bindings on non-agricultural products and to re duce its bound rates.  Gabon had been invited to 
address the issue of the significant share of tari ff lines on which applied rates exceed bound levels.  
Both countries had been invited to make notifi cations in a more timely and complete manner. 
146. Further information had been sought on the incentives schemes of Cameroon and Gabon, as 
well as on the administration of their new mining regi mes.  They had been encouraged to improve the 
sustainability of forestry activities.  Member s had commended Cameroon and Gabon for the 
liberalization of their telecommunications services, and encouraged them to develop tourism and enhance their commitments under the GATS.  Further clarification had also been sought on a number 
of issues, notably:  contingency trade remedies;  te chnical barriers to trade;  SPS measures;  export 
taxes;  government procurement;  and pr otection of intellectual property rights. 
147. Members had expressed their appreciation for th e responses to their questions as provided by 
the delegations of Cameroon and Gabon a nd looked forward to further responses. 
148. In conclusion, Members valued the steps ta ken by Cameroon and Gabon to improve their 
economic environment.  They encouraged both countr ies to pursue their reforms, and to enhance the 
predictability and credibility of their trade re gimes by expanding the scope and improving the 
implementation of their WTO commitments on goods and services.  Such initiatives would contribute 
to attracting the foreign direct investment needed for the diversification of both economies.  Trading 
partners could support those efforts by keeping th eir markets open, and by providing appropriate 
technical assistance. 
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