Cameroon Connects 100 Women Entrepreneurs With Investors and Finance

The Conference of Ministers of Youth and Sports of the Francophonie (CONFEJES) is preparing to connect 100 women entrepreneurs from Cameroon with financial institutions, investors and potential business partners through a new initiative targeting businesses in agriculture and the digital economy. The entrepreneurs will be selected from Cameroon’s 10 regions for the Women’s Agri-Digital Entrepreneurship Fair, which will take place in Yaounde from 20 to 23 October. A further 10 entrepreneurs from other CONFEJES member countries are expected to participate.

Financing and Business Support

CONFEJES says access to finance remains a major constraint for women-owned businesses. Citing African Development Bank estimates, the organisation puts the financing gap for women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises in Africa at more than CFA F 23,500 billion. Women entrepreneurs also face challenges accessing technology, training, markets and business networks. CONFEJES Secretary-General Louisette-Renée Thobi Etame-Ndedi said financing constraints can also be linked to gaps in business training and mentorship.

The selected entrepreneurs will receive capacity-building support, while some will have access to longer-term mentoring. Financial institutions will also engage directly with participants to explain financing options and the requirements businesses need to meet when seeking funding.

CONFEJES wants the programme to help women entrepreneurs develop businesses that participate in broader value chains rather than remain primarily individual or family-run activities.

Moving From Informal Ventures to SMEs

CONFEJES has appointed Scope Consulting & Services to provide strategic support for the fair and help connect organisers with public institutions, financial institutions, development partners, international organisations and private companies. Scope Consulting and Services CEO Alain Blaise Batongue said the initiative is intended to help participants move from personal or family-based activities towards more structured businesses and, eventually, small and medium-sized enterprises. Applications will be submitted through a digital process before an independent jury selects the participants. Ten Cameroonian entrepreneurs will be chosen from each of the country’s 10 regions.

The four-day event will include capacity-building workshops, product and service exhibitions, conferences, business-to-business meetings and networking sessions. Investors, financial institutions, private companies, public institutions and development partners are also expected to attend. Agriculture and digital technology will form the main focus, with participants expected to explore opportunities in areas including digital financial services, e-commerce, technology adoption and access to new markets.

Fair Builds on Existing Entrepreneurship Programme

The fair is being organised under CONFEJES’ Program for the Promotion of Youth Entrepreneurship (PPEJ), which has operated across the Francophone world since 1989. CONFEJES says PPEJ has reached 2,857 beneficiaries and mobilised more than CFAF 5.3 billion. The programme also reports more than 9,600 projected direct jobs, with women accounting for 52% of beneficiaries.