THE MINPMEESA CLOSES THE ACCELERATE AFRICA BOOTCAMP

MINPMEESA > News > THE MINPMEESA CLOSES THE ACCELERATE AFRICA BOOTCAMP

On 4 July 2022, the Minister of SMEs, Social Economy and Handicrafts Achille BASSILEKIN III along with the Director of the African Economic Commission, the Chairperson of the Kenyan Chamber of Commerce and the promoter Gilbert EWEHMEH, presided over the closing ceremony of the ACCELERATE AFRICA BOOTCAMP launched at the Djeuga Palace.

During this ceremony, about fifty participants, including the Chairperson of the Kenyan Chamber of Commerce, received a certificate of participation. On the same occasion, MINPMEESA received a symbolic gift from the organiser of this seminar.

The BOOTCAMP aims at helping SMEs to develop an innovative working environment in line with their objectives, achievements and challenges. It also aims at building the capacities of these SMEs in three major areas, namely the African Continental Free Trade Area, digital transformation and innovative financing. The shorlisted SMEs were chosen for their innovative projects and their Africanness. In order to ensure the effectiveness of their support, it will be useful to ensure monitoring and evaluation.

It should be noted that the BOOTCAMP network is an initiative of African States set up by African SMEs across the African continent ; the first edition is being held in Yaoundé, Cameroon. It brings together leading economic actors in their countries or communities, including civil society, business and government. ACCELERATE AFRICA BOOTCAMP aims at creating a new generation of economic leaders by focusing on infrastructure, agribusiness, energy, digital transformation towards industrialisation.

In his speech, Minister Achille BASSILEKIN III expressed his will, on behalf of the Cameroonian Government, to provide the necessary support to this promising initiative. This statement was welcomed and shared by the Director of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Central Africa Sub- Regional Office, as well as by the Chairperson of the Rwandan Chamber of Commerce who came from Yaounde.

Speaking to the press, Gilbert EWEHMEH, Continental Coordinator of ACCELERATE AFRICA BOOTCAMP, said: “This intensive training session for African entrepreneurs and business owners will help them to mark and unleash their potential and prepare them for investment in job creation and industrialisation. Similarly, he believes that: “BOOTCAMP aims at solving business challenges with pre-defined solutions that will provide clear visibility and instant business value to SMEs. So it’s about developing new strategies.

As a reminder, the founding members of ACCELERATE AFRICA BOOTCAMP are Entrepreneurs with different backgrounds from Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Ghana, Burundi, Rwanda, South Africa and Cameroon.