A turning point for CEMAC capital markets: Motazé’s Douala convention sets a new course for real-economy financing
At the opening of the first Diamond Capital Convention on 24 September 2026 in Douala, Finance Minister Louis Paul Motazé made a decisive push for a deeper, more dynamic and more attractive capital market capable of backing companies, infrastructure and major economic transformation projects in Cameroon and the CEMAC region.
The first edition of the Diamond Capital Convention opened in Douala on 24 September 2026, with Finance Minister Louis Paul Motazé presiding over the ceremony. The gathering brought together public authorities, investors, financial institutions, companies, regulators and other market players to tackle the challenges of financing the economy.
In his opening address, the minister called on players across the financial ecosystem to step up capital mobilization in the service of the real economy. The Douala meeting served as a platform for key stakeholders to exchange views on how to channel more capital toward productive sectors.
Louis Paul Motazé stressed the need to build a deeper, more dynamic and more attractive financial market — one able to support businesses, infrastructure and the major economic transformation projects of Cameroon and the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC).
A decisive shift toward smarter capital allocation
In his speech, the finance minister underscored the importance of strengthening the market’s capacity to mobilize the resources needed to finance the real economy. The goal is to steer capital more effectively toward companies, infrastructure and high-growth sectors.
This effort targets key areas such as industrialization, local processing of raw materials, infrastructure, energy and digital technology — all sectors with the potential to create value, drive economic activity and generate jobs.
For Louis Paul Motazé, developing the capital market also means diversifying financing instruments and building closer links between the needs of project promoters and the resources available from investors. The aim is to create more bridges between capital and projects capable of transforming economies in a lasting way.
Trust and savings mobilization: the twin engines of market depth
Trust occupies a central place in this dynamic. It rests on effective regulation, transparency, the quality of financial information, good governance and investor protection.
Mobilizing savings is another major challenge. Developing an accessible and credible financial market should gradually strengthen the participation of economic players and the wider public in financing productive activity.
Through this first Diamond Capital Convention, participants are expected to come up with concrete solutions to strengthen financing for the Cameroonian and community economies, support productive investment and drive economic transformation.
From capital to jobs: what is at stake for Cameroon and CEMAC
For Cameroon and CEMAC, the challenge is to turn the capital market into a genuine development lever — converting available financial resources into productive investment, infrastructure, competitive companies and jobs.
The Douala gathering marks a turning point: after years of under-exploited market potential, the push is now on to translate political will into concrete mechanisms that connect savings with the projects that can reshape the region’s economy.
