part of Cameroonian billionaire Dieudonné Bougne’s Bocom Group is building two new gas bottling centers in Maroua and Ngaoundéré in northern Cameroon The announcement was made on October 21 in Douala during a four-day working visit by Fuh Calistus Gentry Deputy Director-General of Bocom Petroleum in charge of specialized products shared that the new centers are set to begin operations by the first quarter of 2025 each capable of bottling 1,000 gas cylinders per day will help improve gas distribution across the country Bocom has a bottling capacity of 6,500 gas cylinders daily across its existing facilities in Douala-Bonaberi (5,000 cylinders) and Bansoa in the West region (500 cylinders) Bocom plans to boost its bottling capacity at Yaoundé from 1,000 to 2,500 cylinders daily and at Bansoa from 500 to 1,500 cylinders per day this expansion is expected to raise Bocom's total production capacity to 11,000 cylinders per day This capacity increase comes as Cameroon faces a continued shortage of domestic gas supply According to the Cameroonian Oil Depot Company (SCDP) the country’s annual liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supply rose from 35,000 tons in 2000 to 170,000 tons in 2021 Cameroon still relies on imports for about 80% of its LPG needs to ensure household supply allocating CFA43.6 billion in subsidies for 2024 Kribi Bitumen Plant Set to Start Construction in 2025 with Government Backing CEMAC Bond Market Hits CFA 8.45 Trillion in March 2025, Interest Rates Drop Cameroon’s Timber Output Projected to Rise in 2025 Despite Higher Export Taxes Central Africa Stock Exchange Sees 98% Drop in Trading Value in Q1 2025 Every week the economy and investment news from Cameroon Mboa Paris Trains 30 Young Cameroonians to Boost Tech and Entrepreneurship Cameroon Audit Targets Former Officials for Mismanagement in Agricultural Project Camwater Seeks Global Bids to Launch Bottled Water Lines in Five Cities Bafoussam Workshop Highlights Benefits of Cameroon-EU Trade Agreement Cameroon Could Reach 350,100 Tons of Cotton in 2025 (Beac) Paul Biya Appoints Johnny Razack as Chair of Cameroon’s National Investment Company Cameroon Refuses Work Visa Renewal for Casino and Super U Boss Over Toxic Workplace Claims Cameroon Joins Global Charter to Fight Illegal Fishing controlled by Cameroonian billionaire Dieudonné Bougne has acquired the shares of Qatari investment fund Kasada Capital Management in Douala's Ibis Hotel was originally acquired by Kasada from French group Accor in 2021 as part of a broader agreement to transfer Accor's assets in Cameroon Details of the transaction between Bocom and Kasada Capital Management have not been disclosed it is notable that just over three years after entering the Cameroonian market the Qatari group is divesting its first known investment in the country This comes at a time when investors from Qatar are increasingly eyeing opportunities in Cameroon "We intend to enter this vast market located in the heart of Central Africa We appreciate the unique nature of the Cameroonian market in the sub-region," stated Qatar's Ambassador to Cameroon in Yaoundé after a meeting with Cameroon's Minister of Commerce Bocom Strengthens Its Hospitality Footprint a delegation of Qatari investors visited Cameroon and met with Finance Minister Louis Paul Motazé They expressed keen interest in investing in various sectors These discussions signal the potential arrival of new Qatari investments in Cameroon following Kasada Capital Management's exit the deal between Dieudonné Bougne and Kasada Capital Management which focuses on hotel investments in sub-Saharan Africa allows Bocom Group to expand in the increasingly competitive hospitality market Through its subsidiary B & B Investments SAS Bocom already owns the Palais des Hôtes Hotel in Bansoa the group secured a CFA4.5 billion loan from the Central African States Development Bank (BDEAC) to construct a four-star hotel in Douala the transaction strengthens Dieudonné Bougne's position in Cameroon's economic landscape who started as a docker at Douala Port and became one of the first importers of Chinese products in Cameroon is now involved in petroleum product distribution He is also set to become the country's first industrial mine operator with the Bipindi Grand-Zambi iron ore project in the South region One wonders why he does not intervene more often in the media and in conferences on the development of Africa Dieudonné Bougne's itinerary to get where he is today is simply impressive and needs to be disseminated among Africans as much as possible Dieudonné Bougne's itinerary to get where he istoday is simply impressive and needs to be disseminated among Africans as much as possible Considering the size of the villa in which we were received in his village in Bansoa on Saturday 16 April it is impossible to believe that the person earning just 200 CFAF (less than 50 centimes of a euro) per day at the beginning of his career at age eighteen has become one of the most outstanding industrialists in Cameroon's economic landscape today Dieudonné Bougne is one of the forerunners of green business and the setting up of eco-businesses in Cameroon and in Central Africa where the 'Groupe Bocom' is in full expansion: local processing of raw materials support to local communities and the development of Africa are the primary obsessions of this exceptional entrepreneur Interview.« I simultaneously carried out the two activities because in 1982 while I worked as a docker I employed 42 workers in my sewing workshop Les Afriques : Who is Dieudonné Bougne ?Dieudonné Bougne : I am Cameroonian Each of my wives is responsible for a finance department of businesses of 'Groupe Bocom' which I manage I have a strong commitment to contribute to my country's development I became aware of the need to seize other opportunities..LA : Starting from scratch you have become one of the industrial leaders in Cameroon and in Africa How did you get there?DB : It is a long story but I would simply insist on a few important moments of my career I worked in the sand exploitation sector with Nigerian nationals based in Cameroon I was paid 200 CFAF/day to load and unload trucks of sand despite the fact that I was a minor (in Cameroon My salary varied between 30 000 and 60 000 CFAF as soon as I started working at the Port of Douala my aspiration was to make savings to start a sewing workshop with my first salary I bought a sewing machine and I did some mending in the evening after work « I simultaneously carried out the two activities tipper trucks for the transportation and sale of sand as well as a maize and tomato processing mill.In addition to my docker's salary I earned 100 000 CFAF (about 150 Euros) for all these activities undertaken concurrently My resignation from the port was precipitated by a very difficult social context my relations with the other dockers became tense because they could not understand why we were working together earned a lot of money at a time when some of them could not even pay for their lunch.Between 1990 and 1992 my wife travelled to Togo and Benin to purchase goods for resale in Cameroon we observed that the goods were marked « made in China » I decided we should get the goods directly from source and in 1994 we made our first trip to Hong-Kong...LA: You embarked on import-export activities knowing that it is not easy to set up industries in Africa I went into partnership with a Cameroonian industrialist to set up Bocam which collects waste oil and decants it before selling it we separated and I set up Bocom International in 2001.LA: Despite this misadventure it is worth stating that it was your idea to set up this activity of processing waste oil and waste What motivated your decision to set up activities in the environmental sector?DB: In 1996 while my wife and I were still travelling from Douala to Hong-Kong the Swissair flight was full and we had to take Air France there was no correspondence and Air France was compelled to provide us with accommodation This was the first time we left the transit zone to set foot on European territory I was struck by the cleanliness of the city of Paris and wondered why Cameroon could not be as clean This motivation led me to set up an activity for the processing of hazardous waste which is the cause of several diseases Bocom incinerates 3 tons of waste and processes 800 batteries per day the centrifuge processes 6 tons of oil per day We have been trained by Americans to process hazardous waste (chemical products waste oils and used filters) and batteries.LA: Your very strong desire to set up activities does not go unnoticed...DB: I have a passion for the development of Cameroon and Africa We should show the world that we are capable of processing our raw materials and developing our country and our continent.LA: If you don't mind let us go back to your green economy projects In addition to the green business initiatives already mentioned your group develops eco-initiatives in polluting activities Can you tell us more about this?DB: The runoff water in petrol stations is reprocessed by Bocom The same applies to soiled cloths and used filters we have barrels to collect waste and sewage oil which will then be recovered for reuse.LA: Within the framework of the companies' societal responsibilities the 'groupe Bocom' is also engaged in many actions in the social field What are they?DB: We have effectively taken a certain number of social initiatives for our employees: Insurance occupational medicine and social security contributions All our employees participate in the National Provident Fund we build and equip health centres and support the installation of water supply sites we have adopted the following strategy: Everywhere Bocom opens a petrol station We also build schools and churches for them We have also built mosques in petrol stations.LA: You have not forgotten the city of Mélong where you grew up...DB : Not at all I remember that during my childhood I contributed to the rural electrification of my district to enable other youths to study in the best conditions Thanks to an investment of 15 million FCFA (close to 23 000 Euros) about ten families were directly connected to the network I was also able to provide six months of free electricity consumption to these inhabitants The funding of the electricity distribution infrastructure made it possible for other inhabitants of the district to have electricity supply.LA: With a schedule like yours how do you succeed in combining work and family life?DB: I hardly have any entertainment my everyday life is occupied by work and family I also travel a lot to visit my children abroad I supervise my children's homework before playing with them My other passion is praying and listening to religious music I would also like to add that my greatest pride today is that my children are enrolled in the best schools and universities in the world.LA: What advice would you give to young Africans wishing to succeed in business like you?DB: One should believe in what one is doing and be honest one's ambition should remain intact because that is the only way to achieve one's end the "Société Générale des Banques du Cameroon" lends me 1 billion CFAF (1.5 million Euros) with no guarantee Several banks are knocking at my door every day to make financing proposals I had great difficulties to obtain a simple bank loan Interviewed by Thierry Téné and Josiane Maténe at Bansoa