At close of training on SDP/GYP Methodology: Mines minister implores consultants to improve governance, business.

He made the call in Yaounde on August 21, during the closing ceremony of the training on the Supplier Development Programme, SDP, and Growing Your Business, GYP.

The three-month programme was an initiative of the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP. In Cameroon, the sectors chosen for the pilot phase are development minerals and agribusiness.

According to organisers, the programme was launched on June 17 with a total of 45 participants. This cohort comprised 30 selected consultants, and representatives of national partner institutions, UNDP Cameroon, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, UNIDO, under the auspices of the mines ministry.

The selected consultants, chosen through a rigorous and competitive process based on academic qualifications, professional experience, and motivation, underwent in-person and virtual sessions, mentoring, technical assistance, tutorials, and practical case studies within selected enterprises.

The training seeks to strengthen their competences, enhance the quality of their services, and align their expertise with international standards.

Speaking during the close of the transformative programme, Minister Fuh Calistus stressed the importance of this training. He said it marks a new dawn for small and medium-sized enterprises, which will be better equipped to meet the challenges in future.

According to the minister, the programme comes at a time when Cameroon is making great strides in the mining sector and looking to become a leader on the continent given its geographical location. He said through the training, the country will benefit a lot in the mining and agricultural sectors.

He said these consultants are the first in the country and urged them to be pioneers in the region next to Zambia and Botswana. He stressed that only countries that transform become rich, adding that the time has come for the country to strategically position itself.

“We hope and we believe that this is only the first in a series to improve the huge human resource base that Cameroon comfortably has,” Minister Fuh Calistus told reporters.

“The business sector needs this. This training session brings Cameroon to the level of Botswana and Zambia, who have benefitted from this. At a time when our sectors need a lot of input from Cameroonians where we should transform our own things. We believe that the mining sector particularly can see business entrepreneurs, small and medium scale moving from the rudimentary artisanal mining to semi-mechanised mining. In the agro-industrial sector, we want to see young entrepreneurs and others. Even the governance, services rendered to the nation will be improved,” the minister added.

Enter UNDP Deputy Resident Coordinator

The UNDP Deputy Resident representative, Martin Hart-Hansen, revealed that thanks to the programme, the consultants can build successful enterprises to grow the economy and build the nation.

“We have a really talented group of consultants who have been sitting through these three months of training. It is time for them to take the newly acquired skills and methodologies to start working with real businesses and enterprises in the different regions of the country and really try to help grow their business and become more professional in the individual businesses,” he said.

He noted that this cohort of talented consultants will begin working with real individual businesses. According to him, they will take about four businesses and work with them to multiply the number of businesses that get this support and advice.

Participants hail UNDP for training

Speaking on behalf of the consultants, Bissene Moulongo Mariette thanked UNDP for such an opportunity to build their capacities. Bissene said thanks to the training received, they shall be able to help enterprises in the country.

Some of the participants like Kuate Kamga Seraphin described the programme as a life-changing experience. He promised to use his new knowledge to work on the strategic growth of companies and help enterprises grow. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3544 of Monday August 25, 2025