The 2nd edition of the Cooperation and Partnership Days, organised by the Ministry of SMEs, Social Economy and Handicrafts, took place from 10 to 11 October 2023, at the Yaoundé Conference Centre under the theme: “Contributing to the funding of Cameroon entrepreneurial ecosystem: the role of partners”
The event was chaired by Achille Bassilekin III, Minister for SMEs, in the presence of an impressive array of personalities, national and international technical and financial partners, MINPMEESA officials, representatives of SMEs, social economy organisations and craftspeople. Discussions on the central theme enabled to improve access to information on the terms and conditions of financing available to the largest possible number of targets, namely cooperatives, very small enterprises (VSEs) and craft enterprises. These days helped to boost the contribution of partners to the financing of the entrepreneurial ecosystem with a view to supporting the structural transformation of our economy.
At the end of the sittings, recommendations were made to the government, partners and SMEs. For the Government, it is essential to centralise, coordinate, network and disseminate the various private sector support instruments. It was also requested to promote the various alternative financing instruments for SMEs; to develop an innovative strategy for mobilising national savings to promote SME financing; and to work to improve the business climate to promote entrepreneurship. The second set of recommendations, addressed to technical and financial partners, is designed to encourage them to align technical and financial support with the needs of SMEs and to open a dialogue with financial institutions.