Obtaining Approval for Industrial Fishing in Cameroon

Obtaining an approval for industrial fishing is one of the primordial steps to take if you intend to invest in the field of industrial fishing in Cameroon. It is crystal clear, that Cameroon has a bountiful fisheries resource spread across its numerous inland waters and a wide marine water along its over 402 km coastline, with an average width of about 40 km. In this brief, you are going to know all what it entails to have an approval from the Cameroon government to carry out industrial fishing in Cameroon’s marine water bodies.

What are the major legal instruments governing the setting up of an industrial fishing company in Cameroon?

A set of legal instruments provide for methods and gears of industrial fishing in Cameroon. Such legal instruments are noteworthy since they will come into play in the event of any conflict with another fishing counterpart, voluntary or involuntary non-respect of State regulations on industrial fishing, and use of environmentally unfriendly fishing efforts. Watch out!

1. Law No. 94/01 of 20 January 1994 to laydown forestry, wildlife and fisheries regulations;
2. Finance Law in force;
3. Decree No. 2012/382 of 14 September 2012 to organise the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries;
4. Decree No. 95/413/PM of 20 June 1995 to lay down certain conditions for the application of the fisheries law;
5. Order No. 0025/MINEPIA/DIRPEC/SDPIA/SPI of 16 February 2000 to prohibit pair trawling;
6. Order No. 0002/MINEPIA of 01 August 2001 to lay down the conditions for protecting fishery resources;
7. Order No. 00001/MINEPDED of 08 February 2016 establishing the different categories of operation whose implementation is subject to a strategic environmental assessment or an environmental and social impact assessment;
8. Instruction No. 001/CAB/PM of 18 March 2010 to laydown administrative formalities for setting up enterprises in Cameroon.

What are the conditions to be met in order to be eligible to apply for an approval for industrial fishing in Cameroon?

According to Cameroon’s industrial fishing administrative body, the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries (MINEPIA), the following three conditions must be met before applying for an industrial fishing approval:

• Enjoy full civil rights in Cameroon;
• have professional experience or technical knowledge of the profession;
• to have carried out an environmental and social impact study.

If you meet the aforementioned criteria, congrats! You are eligible to submit an application for industrial fishing. Proceed to compile needed documents as listed in the following section.

Components of the application file to get an industrial fishing approval

MINEPIA has set out a list of documents to be enclosed with your application. These file components vary slightly for juridical persons compared with individuals.

For individuals:

1. An application stamped at the current rate;
2. Certificate of non-conviction less than three months old;
3. curriculum vitae indicating professional experience and qualifications;
4. copy of taxpayer card;
5. copy of valid licence;
6. environmental compliance certificate issued by the Cameroon’s Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development (MINEPDED)

For legal entities:

1. An application stamped at the current rate;
2. a copy of the company’s articles of association;
3. certificate of non-conviction less than three months old;
4. curriculum vitae of the Company’s director or manager;
5. document outlining the company’s current and past activities.

In both cases: whether you are aspiring to carry out industrial fishing as an individual or as a company, you need to provide the following documents:

1. A descriptive and estimated plan of the processing and storage facilities on land, as well as the means of transporting the catches;
2. five-year schedule of activities and facilities;
3. provisional operating account;
4. documents attesting to the theoretical and practical knowledge of the director and/or fisheries manager on exploitation of fisheries resources;
5. documentary evidence of the financial resources available, which must be equivalent to 20% of the planned investment;
6. documents certifying that the applicant is registered with the National Social Insurance Fund (NSIF) as an employer and has fulfilled all tax obligations;
7. bank guarantee of at least 200 million CFA francs for foreign nationals and at least 25 million CFA francs for Cameroonian nationals.

Processing, signature and issue of an approval to carry out industrial fishing in Cameroon

After compiling all the necessary documents, tender your application hierarchically via the relevant MINEPIA delegations to the Minister, in Yaounde. When this application gets to Minister, they are forwarded to MINEPIA’s Service of Industrial Fishing at Mvog-betsi, Yaounde, for processing. This is where the file components are being checked for irregularities and compliance with regulations in force. If all necessary file components are present and valid, an Approval is drafted and forwarded to the Prime Minister’s office for signing. All approvals to carry out industrial fishing are signed by the Prime Minister, Head of Government. This processing takes and average of ninety (90) days, after which it can be withdrawn. Industrial fishing approvals are Orders and are titled ‘Arrêté portant agrément à la pêche industrielle’ translated as ‘Order to grant approval for industrial fishing.’