Saudi Arabia Supports Companies to Enter Cameroon, Togo Markets

Douala port is one of the largest ports of Cameroon, which has excellent investment opportunities in infrastructure (Getty Images)
Douala port is one of the largest ports of Cameroon, which has excellent investment opportunities in infrastructure (Getty Images)
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Saudi Arabia Supports Companies to Enter Cameroon, Togo Markets

Douala port is one of the largest ports of Cameroon, which has excellent investment opportunities in infrastructure (Getty Images)
Douala port is one of the largest ports of Cameroon, which has excellent investment opportunities in infrastructure (Getty Images)

The Saudi Ministry of Investment is currently working on listing all national companies interested in investing in Cameroon and Togo as part of its support for Saudi investment abroad and addressing its challenges with the relevant authorities.

Several Saudi government agencies aim to stimulate and support the private sector to enter foreign projects by presenting available investment opportunities and coordinating with relevant agencies to address the challenges.

The Ministry revealed several opportunities in Cameroon and Togo, west of Africa.

The countries have opportunities in port infrastructure, electricity, water networks, sanitation, communications, tourism, agriculture, and phosphates, said the Ministry, asking those interested to determine suitable projects.

According to the data on investment opportunities available in the two republics, of which Asharq Al-Awsat reviewed a copy, the projects implemented in the Douala port include infrastructure for land sites and communications, water, electricity, and various urban facilities.

Togo's legal framework on public-private partnership revealed that project design and scale were optimized to help anticipate risks associated with it and enable public debt management.

The Saudi government provides all incentives and support to national companies and institutions to develop their business locally and internationally.

It will also address the local private sector to participate in international conferences and exhibitions to present its services and explore available investment opportunities.

In 2019, Saudi Arabia established the General Authority for Foreign Trade (GAFT) to promote the Kingdom's international trade gains and defend its interests in foreign trade, contributing to developing its national economy.​

GAFT is concerned with all tasks related to developing policies and strategies of foreign trade in coordination and alignment with the public and private sectors, in addition to several tasks, including the supervision of commercial attachés abroad and joint Saudi-foreign business council.

GAFT is also concerned with international trade relations, dispute settlement, and negotiations on free trade agreements and bilateral, regional, and international agreements.

It aims to protect the Kingdom's industry from harmful practices in international trade by implementing trade remedies procedures stated in World Trade Organization agreements.

Meanwhile, the Saudi Fund for Development aims to involve the private sector in projects in developing countries by empowering local capabilities and increasing its ability to export its services and products to foreign markets.

Vision 2030 came with ambitious aspirations and targets to develop local content and export national services and products abroad, which requires complementary work between various government agencies and partners from the private sector.



Lebanon Bonds Rally to Fresh Two-year High on Ceasefire Hopes

A man counts Lebanese pounds at a currency exchange shop in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A man counts Lebanese pounds at a currency exchange shop in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
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Lebanon Bonds Rally to Fresh Two-year High on Ceasefire Hopes

A man counts Lebanese pounds at a currency exchange shop in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A man counts Lebanese pounds at a currency exchange shop in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Lebanon's deeply distressed sovereign dollar bonds hit a fresh two-year high on Tuesday as investors bet that a potential ceasefire with Israel could improve the country's prospects.

The bonds, which are still trading below 10 cents on the dollar, have gained more than 3% this week. The 2031 maturity was biding at 9.3 cents on the dollar, its highest since May 2022, according to Reuters.

"Some investors are mulling if it is a right time to buy, since a ceasefire is the first step needed to at some point in time restructure bonds," said Bruno Gennari, emerging markets strategist with KNG Securities International.

Israel's cabinet is expected to convene on Tuesday to discuss, and likely approve, a US plan for a ceasefire with the Iran-backed Hezbollah, a senior Israeli official said.

Israeli airstrikes, which continued on Tuesday, have decimated Lebanon's infrastructure and killed thousands.

But the counterintuitive rally, the second since Israel began bombing the country in September, was driven by bets that the deal could jolt Lebanon's fractured political system and revive efforts to pull the country out of default.