2025 SBEC Annual Report: From Barriers To Breadthroughs: Women Entrepreneurs Powering Cameroon’s Green Economy Transition
Authors: Small Business and Entrepreneurship Center, Denis & Lenora Foretia Foundation Published: March 04, 2026 DOI: https://doi.org/10.64116/Report.2026.WomenGreenEcoCM Download Full report Executive Summary “We are the guardians of the Earth, not its owners,” Marlee Matlin reminds us. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the transition to a green economy is seen as a process of transforming the system of production, distribution, and consumption of wealth towards a model of sustainable development improving energy and resource efficiency, reducing carbon emissions and pollution, protecting biodiversity and ecosystems to improve human well-being and social inclusion, limit environmental risks, and preserve natural heritage. According [...]
5th State of Business Briefing report “Contribution of Technological Development of SMEs to the Economic Growth of Cameroon”
Authors: Small Business and Entrepreneurship Center (Denis and Lenora Foretia Foundation) Published: January 28, 2026 DOI: https://doi.org/10.64116/Report.2026.5thStateofBusinessBriefing Download full report INTRODUCTION 1.1 Government ICT Plan for SMEs in Cameroon The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in Cameroon has developed a comprehensive plan to promote the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) among Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the country. This plan, as outlined on the official website of the Ministry, focuses on enhancing digital literacy, providing access to ICT infrastructure, and fostering innovation within the SME sector. By leveraging ICT tools and solutions, the Ministry aims to [...]
Decentralizing Entrepreneurship Support: Building Localized Innovation Hubs in Cameroon through Municipal Councils
Introduction Entrepreneurship in Cameroon remains heavily concentrated in major urban centers like Douala and Yaoundé, leaving rural areas with limited access to innovation and business support, which creates significant economic disparities as rural entrepreneurs face systemic barriers like inadequate training, limited financing, and weak market linkages (World Bank, 2020). Rural SMEs, especially in agriculture, agro-processing, and renewable energy, face isolation and limited resources, unlike cities that benefit from incubators, investor networks, and modern infrastructure. This gap highlights the need for decentralized innovation hubs, managed by municipal councils in partnership with the private sector, to foster inclusive economic growth. By tailoring [...]
2024 SBEC Annual Report
Written by: Laurent Brice Nsengue, Meh Desmond Kum, Daisy Chefor Ngwenyi Meugue and Dr. Vera Kum Published: October 29, 2025 DOI: https://doi.org/10.64116/Report.2024.SME Reference: Nkafu Policy Institute, SBEC Annual Report, 2024, 46 pages Download Full Report EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report examines the critical role of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in driving sustainable economic growth in Cameroon. It provides actionable strategies to enhance their resilience, dynamism, performance, and competitiveness. SMEs represent over 90% of businesses in Cameroon and contribute significantly to employment generation and GDP, yet they face substantial challenges limiting their growth potential. Key findings indicate that Cameroonian SMEs struggle [...]
Navigating Business Risks and Enhancing the Resilience of SMEs in Cameroon in the face of the 2025 Finance Law
Introduction In this analysis, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a crucial role in the economic landscape highlighting their significant contribution to economic growth, job creation, and local development. It should be noted that the Cameroonian economic fabric is made up of 99.8% SMEs, of which 79.32% are Very Small Enterprises (VSE), 19.43% Small Enterprises (SE), and 1.25% Medium Enterprises (ME). According to the distribution by sector of activity, these actors of our productive fabric are found at 84.2% in the tertiary sector, 15.63% in the secondary sector, and only 0.17% in the primary sector. ( MINPMEESA statistical yearbook, 2022). These [...]
Sustainable Business Practices: Empowering Future Generations in Cameroon
Background It is widely recognized by governments around the world that promoting green entrepreneurship is a key factor in any sustainable development initiative. Taking into account both financial and non-financial factors, green entrepreneurship promotes the dissemination of ideas that can improve the global socio-economic and ecological climate. In line with sustainable development norms and suggestions (Flam, 2010), green entrepreneurship is viewed as a major force behind the worldwide shift towards a more responsible and sustainable type of entrepreneurship (Schaper, 2002). Moreover, sustainable entrepreneurship aligns with global frameworks like the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to which Cameroon has committed [...]
Gamifying Financial Literacy: Mobile Applications for Women’s Economic Empowerment in Cameroon
Gamification has become a popular tool in education. It uses game like features such as points, levels, leaderboards and rewards in non-game settings to make learning more engaging (Kaur et al., 2024). For financial literacy, gamification helps learners practice saving, budgeting and investing in a safe environment. It makes complex ideas easier to understand and reduces fear linked to financial decisions. This is especially useful for women in Cameroon, who face many barriers in accessing formal financial training. With mobile phone use expanding rapidly, gamified applications can reach women in both rural and urban settings and give them flexible [...]
Cultural Tourism Cooperatives: Women as Custodians and Entrepreneurs of Cameroon’s Heritagen
Introduction Cameroon is one of the most culturally diverse countries in Africa, with more than two hundred and eighty ethnic groups, each with unique traditions, languages, crafts and practices (Noudou Mbiakop, 2012). This diversity represents a rich heritage with strong economic potential if developed through sustainable cultural tourism. Women play a central role in this heritage, preserving crafts, oral histories, ceremonies and indigenous knowledge that are the foundation of authentic cultural tourism (Feldman Savelsberg, 1999). Yet, women have benefited little from tourism development. Most economic gains from the sector flow to male dominated businesses, while tourism itself contributes only [...]
Diaspora Knowledge Transfer: Creating Youth Innovation Hubs Through Reverse Migration Initiatives in Cameroon
By Chefor Ngwenyi Meungwe Introduction The phenomenon of brain drain has significantly impacted Cameroon's human capital development, with thousands of skilled professionals migrating to developed countries in search of better opportunities. However, this challenge presents an untapped opportunity for leveraging diaspora expertise to foster innovation and economic development through strategic reverse migration programs. Contemporary development discourse increasingly recognizes that diaspora communities possess valuable skills, networks, and resources that can be strategically mobilized to address developmental challenges in their countries of origin (Andonova et al., 2020). The establishment of youth innovation hubs through reverse migration initiatives represents a contemporary approach [...]
Alternative Financing Models: Community Savings Circles and Rotating Funds for Youth Startups in Cameroon
By Chefor Ngwenyi Meungwe Introduction Cameroon's indigenous financial systems have historically provided community-based solutions to capital accumulation and risk management challenges. Rotating credit circles in Cameroon demonstrate sophisticated and effective traditional mechanisms that have enabled communities to mobilize resources for both individual and collective development projects. These systems, known locally by various names including "tontines" and "njangui," operate on principles of mutual trust, social accountability, and collective responsibility that have sustained communities for generations (Jumfongai & Thomas, 2022). The strength of these traditional systems lies in their ability to function without formal collateral requirements, instead relying on social capital [...]
Denis & Lenora Foretia Foundation | Catalyzing Africa's Economic Transformation 
