Parliament: Bills On Illicit Tobacco Trade, Women Development, Gorilla Conservation Adopted

 

Three bills have been adopted at the National Assembly during a plenary session chaired by the senior vice Speaker Honourable Hilarion Etong.

The session of Monday, June, 22 2020 saw three Cabinet Ministers taking to the rostrum to defend bills that had been deemed admissible at the National Assembly about a week ago.

All the three bills were first examined, defended by the respective Ministers and adopted by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly before they were forwarded to the General Assembly for cross examination and adoption in plenary by the Minister of Trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana.

Increase In Taxes On Tobacco Might Discourage Consumption

The first bill to be adopted was that to authorise the President of the Republic to ratify the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.

Honourable Ngantcha Louis Henri presented the report of the Foreign Affairs committee that earlier examined and adopted the bill paving the way for members of parliament to pose their questions to the Minister of Trade.

Minister Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana said only 14% of Tobacco products consumed in Cameroon is produced locally. He highlighted the need to increase taxes as a means of increasing scarcity and discouraging consumption.

He also pointed to the fact that tobacco companies are obliged to indicate the dangers with illustration using pictures as a measure to dissuade people especially youths from getting into its consumption.

He said that one of the key advantages of the bill is the establishing of a global tracking and tracing regime composed of national and regional control systems from cultivations to transportation, manufacture, storage and distribution.

These measures are designed to prevent, dissuade and detect illicit trade in Tobacco that causes the state to lose billions annually.

Cameroon To Enhance Conservation Of Gorillas And Their Habitats

The next bill of the day was that to authorise the President of the Republic to proceed with Cameroon’s Accession to the Agreement on the Conservation of Gorillas and their habitats, adopted in Paris, France on October 26, 2007.

The report of the Foreign Affairs Committee was presented by Honourable Ibrahim Bobbo paving the way for a series of questions including the role of the government in protecting human life while preserving animals.

Minister Jules Doret Ndong of Foresty and Wildlife explained that the agreement seeks to protect the various species of gorillas estimated at 362000 which are subjected to the combined pressure of several factors.

By ratifying the agreement Cameroon will be able to develop and implement programmes on their conservation and habitats and consequently generate foreign earnings.

He said in as much as government strives to conserve animals, the protection of the population remains government’s priority.

The Statute Women Development Organisation adopted

The third bill was that to authorise the President of the Republic to ratify the Statute of the Women Development Organisation in the member state of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.
Members of the National Assembly took to question the Minister of Women’s Empowerment and the Family after Honourable Teku Tanyi Teku presented the report of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

She explained the bill seeks primarily to improve women’s living conditions and to upgrade the performance of women’s institution and strengthen Cameroon’s exemplary commitment to the promotion, protection and empowerment of women.

She indicated that the Muslim women encounter some difficulties in their development because of the misinterpretation of the Islamic Law, that’s why the text designed by OIC highlights the Muslim women.

All three bills were adopted in a plenary session attended by the Minister of External Relations, Lejeune Mbella Mbella

Elvis Teke

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