Political and Economic Section
Commercial Services
The Commercial Service of the Political and Economic Section is primarily responsible for the promotion of U.S. trade and investment opportunities in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. The American Business Information Centers (ABICs) at the American Embassy in Yaounde and the American Embassy Branch Office in Douala prepare various commercial reporting on business opportunities that could originate either from the Cameroon private sector or the government. These reports are submitted to the U.S. Department of Commerce and printed daily in leading commercial newspapers and distributed electronically via the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Bulletin Board. Such reports include:
- International Marketing Insights (IMIs). Short profile of specific foreign market conditions or opportunities.
- Trade Opportunity Programs (TOPs). Timely sales leads from international firms seeking to buy or represent U.S. products or services.
- Industrial Sector Analysis (ISAs). Structure market research reports for a selected industry sector.
- International Company Profile (ICPs). Portrays the reliability of prospective trading partners.
- Foreign Government Tenders (FGTs). Sizeable business opportunity announcements from the local government or the Central African Monetary and Economic Community (CEMAC)
The Commercial Service in Yaounde also offers U.S. Department of Commerce services, for fees, to U.S. companies contemplating on doing business in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. The services include:
- Gold Key Service. This service custom-tailors appointment scheduling and counseling service to include an overview of local business practices and meetings with potential agents, distributors, joint venture partners, licensees, relevant businesses and government contacts
- Agent/Distributor Service (ADS). The ADS program helps U.S. firms find qualified representatives abroad and gain effective representation. An ADS report provides the U.S. requesting firm with detailed information on several potential agents or distributors appropriate for the proposed business sector.
- International Company Profile (ICP). An ICP is a composite report on a foreign firm, containing a summary of the commercial and financial background and information on the suitability of the foreign firm as a trade contact.
- Customized Market Analyses (CMA). CMA is a customized market research report, which assesses an American company's export potential for a specific product.
- International Buyer Program (IBP). Supports selected leading U.S. trade shows in industries with high export potential in the Cameroon's market.
In addition to services aimed at increasing commercial relations and matching up American, Cameroonian and Equato-Guinean companies, the ABICs assist in distributing information for financing and services from specialized U.S. agencies including:
- Ex-Im Bank, the Export-Import Bank of the United States
- OPIC (Overseas Private Investment Corporation) independent U.S. government agency for the promotion of U.S. investments overseas.
- Trade and Development Agency (TDA) independent federal agency, which provides feasibility study, grants for projects with export potential in U.S. products/equipment equal or exceeding $10,000,000.
The Commercial Service operates a business information center with a wide variety of commercial directories and an Internet access point to help Cameroonian businesses secure information on U.S. firms and companies. The business information center at the American Embassy in Yaounde opens to the general public from 08:00 to 13:00 Wednesdays and by appointment throughout the workweek.
Our commercial specialists can be contacted at the following addresses:
The Commercial Specialist
Political and Economic Section
U.S. Embassy
P.O. Box 817, Yaounde, Cameroon
Phone: (237) 2223-4014 or
(237) 2222-2589, Ext. 4118
Fax: (237) 2222-1890
