(Business in Cameroon) - On July 16, in Yaoundé, the Minister of Economy Alamine Ousmane Mey and Hans-Peter Schadek, head of the European Union delegation in Cameroon, signed a financing agreement for the CFAF 10.17 billion project ABC- aimed at supporting the transformation of cotton-producing areas in Cameroon.

This project is co-funded by the National Indicative Programme of the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) to the tune of CFAF 6.23 billion and the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to the tune of CFAF 3.93 billion.

The main goal of the ABC project is to improve the socio-economic situation and income and preserve natural resources in the cotton-producing areas of Cameroon by increasing employment in rural areas and reinforcing production systems to make them resilient to climate change.

The target groups and direct beneficiaries of this project are small producers, agro-pastoral breeders, and entrepreneurs (focus on women and young people), processors, as well as service providers in the cotton production areas.

These areas (Far North, North, and to a small extent the Adamaoua) are marked by a series of crises and changes: a demographic crisis that generates conflicts over access to natural resources, particularly agricultural and pastoral resources and major internal migratory movements. There is also the security crisis affecting the northern part of Cameroon because of the presence of Boko Haram, and the rise of criminality (frequent kidnappings for ransom, cattle thefts, etc.).  Also, they are affected by the negative impacts of climate change (more erratic rainfall), a gradual loss of soil fertility, and also the recurrence of periods of drought and flooding.

S.A.