The idea of a composite indicator of economic activity was born at the dawn of the 2010s in the services of the Bank of Central African States. A working group was set up in 2013 to start thinking about the conditions for implementing this new economic measurement instrument. The objective of this initiative is to provide clear microeconomic information on the cyclical dynamics of economic activity in the CEMAC, particularly at the level of each branch of activity. Cameroon was chosen to host the pilot phase of this project because of the dynamism of its economy and the performance of its national statistical system. The experience from the Cameroonian stage will make it possible to better prepare interventions in other countries in the sub-region. The basic survey, which runs until July 2021, concerns 582 companies spread throughout the national territory.
The ambition of the Douala and Yaoundé workshops held on June 23 and 29, 2021 respectively, was not only to officially launch the ICAE project in Cameroon, but also to raise awareness among business leaders in the two main Cameroonian cities of the need for them to warmly welcome the enumerators and then to sincerely fill in the questionnaires that will be submitted to them. The double event under the chairmanship of the Governors of the Littoral and Centre brought together no less than a hundred companies. The National Institute of Statistics, the linchpin of this project, was represented by the Deputy Director General, Mr. SHE ETOUNDI Joseph Guy Benjamin.
The calculation of the Composite Indicator of Economic Activity in the CEMAC zone offers Cameroonian businessmen and women a wide range of advantages at the national and sub-regional levels in terms of knowledge of the positioning of the different branches of activity, knowledge of turnover, etc. This set of information makes it possible to seize opportunities relating to the conquest of new markets or the increase of market shares. However, to reap the benefits of this project, it is essential that companies fulfill their share of responsibility by filling in the questionnaires.