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The dynamism of SMEs in Cameroon and the relatively recent support of the state are a breeding ground both powerful and indispensable for outsourcing from large companies involved in the structural projects.
Companies involved in major projects in Cameroon have finally found in their search for subcontractors: there is a locally important breeding ground of small and medium-sized businesses in virtually all industries, ranging from small industries to services in all genres. In fact, this body of small enterprises is a real aid for large operations such as, for example, construction of the Chad-Cameroon Pipeline, where the multinational companies need different profiles of outsourcing companies.These small companies, the main providers of jobs in the country, have evolved in time in an environment where their specific or weaknesses were not sufficiently taken into account.

« The Cameroonian SMEs are the most important link in the economy. »

This is a gap that is now corrected with the creation, five years ago, of a Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts. This Ministry is responsible for establishing, in conjunction with professional organizations, a database of projects for the investors in the sectors of SMEs and crafts, promotion of the spirit of enterprise and private initiative; monitoring the activities of SME support organizations, promotion of SME products, monitoring of professional organizations, monitoring the evolution of the informal sector and the related studies, identification and study of potential migration of informal sector players to craft and micro-enterprises.

Quota of subcontractors
The Cameroonian Minister of Economy, Louis Paul Motaze also benefited from the launch scheduled for this year of ten major infrastructure projects (ports, stadiums, power plants, dams, etc.) to request a quota of subcontractors for multinationals companies that will be carrying out these major works.

The Cameroonian Minister of Economy, Louis Paul Motaze also benefited from the launch scheduled for this year of ten major infrastructure projects (ports, stadiums, power plants, dams, etc.) to request a quota of subcontractors for multinationals companies that will be carrying out these major works.

According to Christiane Mantey, Head of Enterprise and Chair of the Coalition of SMEs Impacts, "the Cameroonian SMEs are the most important link in the economy but they are struggling to deploy. Project proponents tend to give up. The current banking system finances only services, production being neglected."
Cameroonian SMEs are in fact 25% of GDP of the country, and authorities say the figure is probably underestimated, since some companies persist in the informal sector.

Data base
To reduce the proportion of informality and support the development of young entrepreneurs, a survey of SMEs was launched, as the Minister of SMEs and social economy wants to "develop a database of structural reliability, which will allow the department to develop and implement policies and strategies for rational development of SMEs in Cameroon, in view of strengthening the domestic private sector, the consolidation of growth and reduction of poverty." This census, which covers all sectors where SMEs operate in Cameroon aims to identify at least 10 000 in different industries: transportation / transit, banking / finance, new information technologies and communications, insurance, consulting , hospitality/ tourism, legal professionals, mining, agriculture, real estate & rental and finally, business services. This enumeration is done in major cities of the country that concentrates 70% of the structures concerned.

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