by AtaNchomba
Chinese automaker Futian Automobile Industry Corporation announced that it will start a car assembly plant in Cameroon that will start rolling out cars by July 2013. However, some Cameroonians remain skeptical about the news — they hope to see the new cars before they believe.
In 2010, China’s National Machinery Import and Export Corporation and Cameroon private investors were to start a $500 million bus assembly plant in Douala. What became of this plant? The same year other private investors were to start another bus assembly plant in Bamenda. This plant is yet to materialize. Hence skepticism remains as Quakouman, a reader of on Cameroononline.org, comments, “Thank you for drawing our attention to a similar project announced two years ago but which was never realized. It serves as a justified point of reference to conclude that there should be no jubilation unless the first vehicle is sold from this plant.”
Car assembly line in China
Both endeavors, according to news reports, were to meet the demand of Cameroon transportation industry and to service member BEAC and CEMAC regions. Cameroon, in fact needs the auto industry — it is well positioned to gain from trading with neighboring countries.
Last week, in a meeting with Cameroon President, Paul Biya at Unity Palace in Yaounde, Mr. Lu Fuquing, General Manager of Funtian announced that their company has chosen Cameroon to setup the auto assembly plant because of its strategic location, economic and political stability. The automaker told the press that the plant is likely to employ between five and eight thousand jobs.
While the location of the plant was not revealed, the plant, Cameroon First Manufacture CO Ltd will be headed by Vice president Wu Kunmin and Cui Long Yi, director of sales.
The Chinese car makers believe that the assembly plant will not only create jobs, but it will produce affordable cars that will replace imported second hand cars that pollute and cause fatal accidents in Cameroon streets and highways.
Cameroonians, like President Biya, welcomes the idea of a new company that will create jobs and supply the country with new cars. However, will this news become a reality or will it fizzle like some of the announced auto projects? If realized, an auto assembly plant in Cameroon will be a catalyst to its economic growth.
