(Business in Cameroon) - The nonprofit organization Digital Transformation Alliance and the technology incubation center Innotech Lab, both dedicated to advancing digital transformation, are set to support local businesses in mastering cutting-edge technologies. The plan will be rolled out through the "Industry Marker Academy" program, scheduled for April 3-4 in Yaoundé.

The initiative aims to foster the adoption and implementation of advanced technologies in Cameroonian companies, including artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize their operations, enhance efficiency, and cut costs. It also seeks to promote the industrialization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through specific support and technology and organizational maturation programs. The program will act as a kind of incubator, not only providing immediate interventions over these two days but also offering post-event support for entrepreneurs.

"When we talk about developed countries, we're referring to industrialized nations. And when we talk about industrialized countries, we're talking about developed countries. Therefore, the correlation between development and industrialization is clear. We need to industrialize and to do so, we require technologies that allow us to, for example, convert our raw materials into finished products," said Mbang Sama, founder and executive president of DTA and co-founder of Innotech Lab, during a press conference held on March 26.

Sama explained that development, hence industrialization, requires wealth creation and the establishment of value chains. However, the limited penetration of local companies into global value chains is largely due to a low rate of local value-added transformation. This issue is driven not only by financial, energy, logistical, and incentive factors but also by a lack of critical technological expertise needed to transform raw materials into finished products that meet the international standards crucial for trade, he said.

The program will provide an opportunity for key players from the industrial, economic, political sectors, and civil society to come together to embrace these cutting-edge technologies and explore how to integrate them into industries in Cameroon to "accelerate productivity, competitiveness, and enhance the living standards of the population," according to its initiator. It arises from the desire to empower the entrepreneurial ecosystem with the productive and wealth-creating technologies of Industry 4.0, which is defined as the integration of smart digital technologies into production and industrial processes. Sama assures that this initiative is in line with the government's National Development Strategy 2020-2030 (SND30), as it will help boost productivity, reverse the export curve, and enable stakeholders to contribute to a real structural transformation aimed at industrializing Cameroon.