Issa Tchiroma launches war against illegal advertisements

The Minister of Communication, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, chairman of the National Advertising Council, chaired the first session of the forum for the financial year 2015 yesterday in Yaounde.

It was one of the ways to challenge the operators on the urgency of a return to orthodoxy and respect for ethical and professional rules.

Advertising experts are unanimous on the fact that the area is infested with thieves, followers of bad practices in the audiovisual media and in the press.

And illegal actors have their pockets as their main objective at the expense of professionals.

In this perspective, the board members representing the government, the operators of the advertising chain and civil society have been working for hours on the first five regulations proposed draft under the law of December 29, 2006, governing advertising in Cameroon.

These relate to the specific modalities for display and media broadcasting advertisements by similar processes, the methods of control of advertising activities in connection with the regulation of the cigarette industry, tobacco companies and marketing of products tobacco, the regime of advertising, sponsorship and patronage arrangements in some media means.

Concerning advertising for cigarettes and other tobacco products, Daniel Enow Bissong, representing the advertising managers within this Board believes that the state is making great efforts to define the rules on the subject.

"Right now the text we have before us contains considerable progress. What remains is the next action to take. The interest of the state is to avoid all citizens from being victims of smoking," he added.

He continued: "But the law does not promote tobacco advertising and smoking by Cameroonians".

For Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary, "those who, in defiance of the law, will be sanctioned because this session is to browse all matters relating to the illegal practice of the profession, the non-respect of unbundling," he assured.

According to Mincom, the law prohibits the pursuit of both regulated and advertising advice. "At the end of our work, we shall create all the means to put an end to the disorder that prevails at the moment,"concluded the Mincom.