What Motazé’s capital markets appeal means for Cameroonian households and CEMAC businesses
At the opening of the first Diamond Capital Convention in Douala on 24 September 2026, Finance Minister Louis Paul Motazé made a direct appeal for a deeper, more dynamic and more attractive financial market — a shift that could reshape how businesses, households and governments across Cameroon and CEMAC access funding for infrastructure, industry and jobs.
Finance Minister Louis Paul Motazé presided over the opening ceremony of the inaugural Diamond Capital Convention in Douala on 24 September 2026. The gathering brought together public authorities, investors, financial institutions, businesses, regulators and other market participants to discuss how best to finance the economy.
In his opening address, the Minister of Finance urged financial ecosystem players to step up capital mobilisation in service of the real economy. The main stakeholders exchanged views on practical ways to channel more funding toward productive sectors.
Motazé stressed the need to build a deeper, more vibrant and more attractive financial market capable of supporting companies, infrastructure and major economic transformation projects in Cameroon and the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC).
Why capital allocation matters for ordinary citizens
In his speech, the finance minister underlined the importance of strengthening the market’s capacity to raise the resources needed to finance the real economy. The goal is to steer capital more effectively toward businesses, infrastructure and high-growth sectors.
This mobilisation concerns industrialisation, local processing of raw materials, infrastructure, energy and digital technology — sectors that can drive value creation, economic activity and job opportunities for citizens across the region.
Savings mobilisation: a key lever for households and small businesses
For Motazé, developing the capital market also requires diversifying financing instruments and bringing project promoters’ needs closer to the resources available from investors. The aim is to build more bridges between capital and projects capable of transforming economies over the long term.
Trust also plays a central role in this dynamic. It depends on effective regulation, transparency, quality financial information, good governance and investor protection — all factors that directly affect whether ordinary savers feel confident enough to participate.
Mobilising savings is another major issue. Developing an accessible and credible financial market should gradually strengthen the participation of economic actors and the wider population in financing productive activity — a change that could affect household returns, pension savings and access to credit for small businesses.
Through this first Diamond Capital Convention, participants are expected to propose concrete solutions to strengthen financing for Cameroon and the CEMAC economy, support productive investment and accompany economic transformation. The consequences for jobs, purchasing power and business growth will depend on how quickly these proposals translate into action.
For Cameroon and CEMAC, the challenge is to turn the capital market into a genuine development lever by converting available financial resources into productive investments, infrastructure, competitive companies and employment opportunities that benefit citizens directly.
