Cameroon and UNIDO strengthen cooperation on private sector development support
The Cameroon Minister of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts, Serge Laurent Ngoa Etoundi, and the Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), LI Yong, have signed the “Inclusive Development and Entrepreneurship for All (IDEA) – Private Sector Development Support Programme (PADSP) for Cameroon” and its related Trust Fund Agreement.
This project aims to foster a framework that better integrates a resilient network of formal small and medium-sized enterprises and build a competitive private sector in Cameroon, targeting young people and women in selected clusters and value chains.
This signing represents the achievement of a process that began in 2016 when the Government of Cameroon requested UNIDO’s support with activities related to the Private Sector Development Support Programme (PADSP) for Cameroon.
The project is the result of a strong collaboration between UNIDO’s Africa Division and the Department of Agribusiness Development with input from the Department of Trade, Investment and Innovation.
The IDEA-PADSP Cameroon project aims to demonstrate that private sector restructuring, human resources capacity-building and value addition development in the pilot chains and territories could foster private sector development and boost economic growth sustainably. The project focuses on three pilot sectors/value chains in different regions: wood in the Centre, manioc in the South-West and rice in the Far North.
The project was developed using the IDEA methodology/approach on the basis of the results of sectoral analysis held previously in Cameroon. This approach has been designed to provide continuous support throughout the various stages of business creation and development while adapting to local realities.
The project focuses on structuring/clustering activities and value chains development, while strongly promoting the integration of youth and women in productive capacities and entrepreneurship development.
