(Business in Cameroon) - The Cameroonian government expressed its desire to reward startups leveraging digital technologies to boost agricultural growth in the country. The initiative will be carried out as part of the Digital Transformation Acceleration Project (Patnuc) funded by the World Bank.

The plan is to organize the competition "agritech innovation Challenge" to select the startups to be rewarded. A call for expressions of interest has been issued to recruit the partner who will lead the initiative, with a deadline for submission of bids set for June 13, we learned. B2B fairs are also included in the agenda.

"Particular focus is on agritech solutions developed by women and youth. We want solutions that have high-impact in rural areas, specifically for farmers and livestock breeders," the government said.

Under the Patnuc deal signed in 2021, the Cameroonian government secured a $100 million loan (about CFA60.8 billion) from the World Bank to advance reforms and policies in the ICT sector, enhance digital skills among citizens, foster the development of digital applications and services, and increase the adoption and utilization of digital services to stimulate employment and entrepreneurship in the country.