CBF 2026 IN DOUALA: MINPMEESA PROPOSES 8 SOLUTIONS TO HELP CAMEROONIAN SMEs CONQUER THE AFRICAN MARKET! 🌍

How can Cameroonian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) fully benefit from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)? Minister of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts, Achille BASSILEKIN III, addressed this strategic issue on Thursday, 22 October 2026, in Douala, during the 12th session of the Cameroon Business Forum (CBF).

The key message: produce more, improve quality and strengthen the competitiveness of Cameroonian SMEs!

Speaking during a workshop dedicated to the AfCFTA and productive transformation, the Minister reviewed reforms implemented over the past fifteen years and presented possible ways to better position local businesses in the continental market.

Key achievements highlighted include:

Improving SMEs’ access to land;

Strengthening their integration into local value chains;

Establishing interministerial support mechanisms for women and young entrepreneurs;

Promoting start-ups through a dedicated label offering related benefits;

Developing specialised business incubators to provide more effective support to entrepreneurs.

Beyond these reforms, the main challenge is to turn Cameroon’s entrepreneurial potential into stronger productive capacity. SMEs must be able to offer competitive goods and services, meet market requirements and seize the business opportunities created by the gradual opening of African economies.

These discussions took place within the framework of the 12th CBF session, which focused on the reforms needed to make Cameroon a major industrial and commercial hub in Africa. Ministers Achille BASSILEKIN III, Henri EYEBE AYISSI and Louis Paul MOTAZÉ participated in the discussions following the opening plenary session chaired by the Prime Minister.

The AfCFTA offers Cameroonian SMEs access to a vast continental market full of opportunities. The challenge now is to strengthen their production capacity, improve market access and enhance their ability to compete, making Made in Cameroon a genuine driver of economic growth and job creation.