At audience with Israeli ambassador to Cameroon: SMEs minister recommits to tap from Israeli business experience.

This was during an audience the minister granted to the Israeli Ambassador to Cameroon, H.E Amnon Kalmar, Friday July 12, in Yaounde. 

For over an hour, the two officials discussed on the nature of cooperation between Cameroon and Israel, which is geared towards the development and support of young Cameroonian entrepreneurs.

According to Minister Bassilekin III, relations between both countries are set to be strengthened in the coming months. Both officials agreed on the organisation of joint activities for the benefit of small and medium-sized enterprises.

“We had the opportunity to revisit some of the areas in which we are collaborating with Israel, especially with the support of start-ups. Israel has built a 3D centre at the National Advanced School of Engineering to enable young people with projects develop prototypes. Projects like this permit us innovate more. When it comes to innovation, Israel is one of the world’s leaders,” Bassilekin III stated.

He said the audience was also an opportunity for them to explore elements of the National Development Strategy, NDS30, and the sectors in which Israel can be of great use to Cameroon.

These sectors, the minister cited, include agri-business, and food processing, where there are real opportunities to implement the import-substitution policy.

“We have decided that experts will come from Israel to go into much greater depth in the areas in which some of our young people can benefit. There is also an annual challenge for young Cameroonian innovators funded by the Israeli Embassy which has as aim to develop young Cameroonian innovators,” Bassilekin III concluded.

At the end of the meeting, the ambassador praised the friendliness between Cameroon and Israel and expressed readiness to work with Cameroon for the development of small and medium sized enterprises. 

According to information released by MINPMEESA, Israel is considered as a ‘start-up nation’ due to the ratio between the number of start-ups created and the country’s demographics.

The Embassy of Israel in Cameroon is also being considered as a partner for the organisation of the National Congress on Business Incubation in Cameroon, known by its French acronym CONIEC, scheduled for the end of the year.

MINPMEESA is also soliciting Israeli’s rich handicraft heritage and expertise for the improvement of the quality of Cameroonian handicrafts, particularly in terms of design.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3171 of Wednesday July 17, 2024