Economy

Govt releases 420 million FCFA to power 22 young start-ups.

by Mercy Fosoh
25 Nov 2025 19:11
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Front view of the national business incubation centre in Edea

The government, through the Ministry of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicraft, MINPMEESA, has allocated 420 million FCFA to support start-ups emerging from public incubation centres.
The funding, approved on July 14, 2025 by the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, will finance the Support Project for Incubatees from Public Incubation Centres under MINPMEESA.

The initiative, known as the Support Project for Incubatees from Public Incubation Centres, targets start-ups in their early growth stages.

The funds will be used to scale up production capacity through the acquisition of machinery and equipment. It is implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education, MINESUP, and aligns with the National Development Strategy, NDS30.

According to information made public by MINPMEESA, the 22 selected enterprises emerged from a pool of 33 applications submitted following the 7th edition of the Entrepreneurial and Technological Genius Competition, GETEC. The selection process was overseen by an Interministerial Committee created on October 27, 2025. The Committee met on October 30, 31 and November 3, to evaluate submissions transmitted by MINESUP.

MINPMEESA revealed that funding will be allocated based on a performance-based system. Projects rated excellent will receive 100% of their investment needs, good projects will receive 62%, and acceptable projects will be funded at 54%. Evaluation criteria include leadership capacity, business plan quality, growth potential, and innovation level.

It emerged from MINPMEESA that since the launch of the National Pilot Enterprise Nursery in 2018, Cameroon has invested over two billion FCFA to strengthen incubation centres, develop training modules, and promote entrepreneurial culture. These efforts have led to the creation of a national network of more than 50 accredited incubators, both public and private.

Within state universities and major institutions, the student-entrepreneur programme has produced a wave of start-ups led by young graduates. The GETEC platform has showcased the potential of these enterprises, some of which have already made their mark on the national market.

The Support Project for Incubatees is part of a long-term strategy. Regular selection cycles will continue to identify promising projects from both public and accredited private incubation centres. The government aims to stimulate job creation and economic transformation by supporting sustainable, competitive businesses.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3632 of Friday November 21, 2025