Cameroon’s Minister of the Small and Medium-size Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts, Laurent Serge Etoundi Ngoa, has said that government requested Japan, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA, to create development centres for small and medium-size enterprises in the country.

Cameroon Tribune quotes the Minister as saying that “Government had solicited Japan for the creation of a centre for the development of SMEs in the country’s regions. Given that the Head of State has already created the Agency for the Promotion of SMEs, the programme of the centre can work within the framework of the agency.”

And to ascertain that all was in place for the centres, JICA’s Director for Africa, Inui Eiji, held discussions with Minister Etoundi Ngoa on Thursday October 24, 2013 in the Minister’s office. “The Director came to ascertain that the agency has been created, that a link is created between the functioning of agency and the bank for SMEs and above all, to be sure that aid that Japan will give through JICA to the agency and the bank is judiciously used,” the Minister is quoted as saying.

Saluting what he said is government’s engagement, the JICA Africa Director said, “There are a lot of possibilities to develop SMEs in Cameroon because there are good natural resources and high initiative by the government. Also, Cameroon has good human resources. We hope that we will have good results when we will begin the training of stakeholders of SMEs.”

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– Small and Medium-size Enterprises (SMEs) in Cameroon have been offered a new financing window for their activities. The French Development Agency through its programme, “ARIZ” for the financing of private investments in areas of the agency’s intervention” on Thursday October 10 signed an agreement with Attijariwafa bank for the financing.

Hervé Conan, the Director of the French Development Agency in Cameroon and Jamal Ahizoune, Director General of Société camerounaise de banques, part of Attijariwafa bank signed the agreement in the presence of the Minister of the Small and Medium-size Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts, Laurent Serge Etoundi Ngoa and Morocco’s Ambassador to Cameroon, Lahcen Saile.

The convention will guarantee 50 per cent of the loans that the bank will give to actors of the SMEs sector for two years. Jamal Ahizoune is quoted by Cameroon Tribune as saying that the French Development Agency, Attijariwafa bank partnership will allow for SMEs in the country to easily access loans that can help them develop their activities and give a boost to socio-economic development.

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- The second edition of “PMExchange”, an international forum for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), has been announced in Cameroon’s economic capital, Douala, in November 2013 at the Bonanjo Party House.

Organisers of the forum held a press briefing on the upcoming event in Bali last September 20, 2013 to speak of the level of preparations and innovations awaited. They said, the forum, which will run from November 30 to December 7, will be spiced with daily evening musical entertainment.

Major innovations, they noted, include the presence of participants from foreign counties like; Nigeria, Congo, France et al and a bus service which will be made available to ease the transportation of participants. There will also be room for exchanges between small and medium-size business owners. Meanwhile, the youths will be given opportunity this time around to show their projects. The traditional menu will include debates, conference sessions on specific themes and entertainment.

Cameroon Tribune reports that the General Manager of the Cameroon business guild, eCAM, Christian Ngueda, said “this edition aims at introducing Cameroon to international competition.” He called on entrepreneurs to massively participate in the activities of the forum, noting that through their participation they will be able to secure opportunities for their enterprises.

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