At farewell audience with UN Resident Representative: SMEs minister implores UN agencies to increase financing for growth projects.

This was during a farewell audience the minister granted to the Interim Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Cameroon, Siaka Coulibaly, on August 22, in Yaounde.

During the discussions, Minister Bassilekin III seized the opportunity to implore UN agencies to better adapt the support they offer to the real context and needs of Cameroon's entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The minister further called on the UN to mobilise development partners other than UN agencies to set up an international coalition to promote entrepreneurship in Cameroon.

This, according to Minister Bassilekin III, is in line with the United Nations Framework for Cooperation for Sustainable Development in Cameroon for the years 2022 to 2026.

The visit also enabled the two personalities to revisit the various roadmaps, projects and programmes undertaken between MINPMEESA and the United Nations through its various agencies in recent years. 

The aim of this was to enable MINPMEESA advocate with other national institutional players for the promotion of entrepreneurship as a solution to the problem of employment in Cameroon.

On his part, Siaka Coulibaly expressed satisfaction with the collaboration ties that exist between MINPMEESA and UN agencies.

“We examined the fruitful cooperation between the United Nations System and MINPMEESA, and exchanged views on what we have been able to do together on the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, including microenterprises. I can say that this cooperation is very good,” Coulibaly said 

“We also discussed on how to improve the handicrafts sector, which is a very important sector of activity that contributes to the economic and social development of Cameroon,” the UN official noted.

At the end of the audience, Siaka Coulibaly reiterated his commitment and determination alongside that of his successor to continue working closely with the Ministry in order to accompany it through the efforts deployed by the Government of Cameroon in the field of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, the social economy and even handicrafts.

MINPMEESA, UN collaboration 

It is worth mentioning that in the small and medium size sector, several programmes and projects are being implemented in Cameroon with the support of various UN agencies, notably UNDP, ILO, UNIDO, IFAD and WFP. 

They include the project to draw up Cameroon's Startup Act and the project to rationalize support mechanisms for Cameroon's entrepreneurial ecosystem, with support from UNDP.

There is also the organisation of the African Forum on the Social Solidarity Economy, with suppport from the International Labour Organisation, ILO, the Cameroon Food Optimisation, Resilience and Technology project supported by UNIDO and the WFP, and last but not least the organisation of the Local Products Competition of Cameroon, with support from UNIDO.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3212 of Wednesday August 28, 2024