YAOUNDE, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Cameroon is working to redesign public-private sector ties to alleviate impact of COVID-19 pandemic that has caused enormous economic hardships to the Central African nation, the country's Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute said on Thursday.
"It is important that we reflect on how we can contribute in mitigating the consequences of this pandemic. We need to engage in pertinent reforms," Ngute said in Yaounde during the opening of the 11th edition of Cameroon Business Forum intended to consolidate public-private dialogue amid COVID-19.
"The roadmap designed at the end of this forum, should permit us have a more friendly business environment. It is a prerequisite for a prosperous and resilient economy," he added, stressing on the need to restructure the relationship with the private sector so that the country can benefit from the private sector's support in future crises.
"The hardships caused by COVID-19 need urgent reflection of a new economic model. We need to use skills of local resources in the production process. We need a strong, dynamic private sector to drive economic growth," Christophe Nken, president of Cameroon Chamber Commerce, Industry, Mines and Crafts said.
Close to 30 percent of Cameroonian enterprises are at risk of shutting down due to COVID-19, Celestin Tawamba, president of Cameroon Employers' Union, said and stressed on the need to engage in reforms to "save the private sector especially small and medium-sized enterprises."
A blueprint on how to overcome the economic impact of COVID-19 will be established at the end of the forum, officials said. Enditem
