A series of consultation workshops between the coordination of the third General Census of Enterprises (RGE-3) and the heads of professional organizations in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors took place in the meeting room of the INS headquarters building from September to November 19, 2021.
The General Business Census (RGE) is one of the priority statistical programs adopted in Cameroon’s National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (SNDS30). It is a structuring project that contributes to the implementation of several information systems on companies. The third General Census of Enterprises (RGE-3) aims to update the national register of companies operating in Cameroon through an exhaustive census of companies and establishments throughout the national territory. As the General Business Census is the first source of comprehensive data on enterprises, it is used every five years. This is why the third General Business Census will take place in 2022, after the second edition carried out in 2016 and the very first in 2009. Consultations with professional organizations are part of a series of activities that contribute to the successful completion of the third General Business Census. They are in line with awareness-raising and communication activities. The aim of these consultations is to promote the support of economic operators for the RGE 3 project, so that they are not reluctant throughout the census process and that they provide relevant data on their companies.
It is in this context that, in turn, the professional organizations of the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors took part in the consultations organized by the coordination of the third General Census of Enterprises at the INS meeting room. The very first to take part in the consultation series on the RGE-3 were the professional organisations of the primary sector, on 20 September 2021. Then it was the turn of the professional organisations of the secondary sector to be invited to the INS on 24 September 2021. The circle will close on the professional organisations of the tertiary sector. The latter were entitled to three consultations, on October 12, 19 and November 19, 2021. These consultations consisted of the presentation of the EGR-3 project document to the heads of professional organizations so that they could read it and understand the importance of participating in it. Mr. René AMOUGOU, Head of the Statistics Department at the INS and representing the Director General at each meeting, informed the participants at the outset that the objective of the consultation is for them to take ownership of the General Business Census as the majority users and main providers of the information that the INS needs. They were also presented with the list of priority indicators and their observations and other contributions on the aspects addressed in the project document in general and on the awareness-raising mechanism in particular were collected. This whole procedure is part of the quality approach at the international level, which recommends that consultations be carried out so that everyone can find their way around the management and planning tool that is the general register of companies.
At the end of these consultation workshops, the coordination of the third General Census of Enterprises expects the heads of professional organizations to take ownership of the RGE-3 project document as well as the priority indicators selected. Their various observations and contributions on the aspects addressed in the project document in general and on the awareness-raising mechanism in particular, were collected and recorded in the general report of the work.