Empowering informal sector: SESDP trains over 1,100 workers on self-employment, entrepreneurship.

The visit was to highlight the concrete impact of SESDP-funded training and showcase the skills enhancement journeys of beneficiaries.

It was also to illustrate the Cameroon-World Bank cooperation in domains of inclusive development and raise public awareness on the importance of employment-oriented vocational training.

The Support Project for SESDP is implemented by the Ministry of Secondary Education, MINESEC, and the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training, MINEFOP, with support from the World Bank.

The project is to strengthen human capital and improve the employability of youth and adults. Officials said the training programs respond directly to market needs and local value chains, targeting SMEs, social economy organisations, artisans and community structures.

Speaking during the field visit, the General Coordinator for SESDP, Sophie Mbenoun, said training is within the framework of the organisation’s activities, specifically those related to the competitive mechanism for job skills, a fund for financing professional training in development. 

Mbenoun said the field visit was to communicate about what is been donne done and better relaunch the rest of the training sessions.

“It's been about two months since we started and we have 82 training providers who are to offer training to the beneficiaries. Till date, we have over two windows supporting workers in SMEs/SMIs and actors in the social and informal economy and we have been able to train 1,125 workers, and these training sessions are continuing,” Mbenoun said. 

She disclosed that the training targets 7,400 Cameroonian workers in SMEs and the informal economy. Mbenoun said the first phase will conclude in mid-March 2026.

Inclusion of women

General Coordinator of SESDP also saluted the inclusive nature of the training. Initially targeting to train 30% of women, Mbenoun said “we are at 40%”. 

She sounded upbeat that by the end of the first phase, and after the evaluation in mid-March, “we will reach 50% of women trained”.

Mbenoun seized the opportunity to express gratitude to MINESEC and MINEFOP, and World Bank for supporting SESDP technically and financially to bring a real impact to the development of employment.

Positive feedback recorded

The Director General of the SESDP project, Garnier Gando, said feedback gotten from thousands of people trained is impressive. He says through the feedback, concerns raised have been resolved. He also assured that the quality of the training meets expectations.

Service provider explains training

At one of the training facilities, Raissa Samba, a service provider representing FIDIDEV, revealed that learners at the facility included trainees and employees from the consortium of FIDIDEV, YAD CONSTRUCTION, and DELTA CONSTRUCTION, a group of three small-scale enterprises. 

Samba said the training is divided into three modules viz; quality, health, safety, and environment, plaster-staff, and the final module 3D Epoxy Coating.

Samba said beneficiaries are also taught how to make moldings and cornices for interior house finishing, ceiling roses, cornices, and other elements. 

“They are now at the final stage of their training, following this molding process they are currently learning, Samba said. 

The service provider added that at the end of the training, participants will be fit and capable of winning contracts for plaster coating or 3D epoxy and do it differently. 

Samba said FIDIDEV is training its members with the goal of strengthening their technical and professional skills for better socio-professional integration and autonomy. 

Enter beneficiary

One of the beneficiaries of the training, Kinga Fabiola Bomki, said the training has built her in different ways. She talked of gaining knowledge on quality, health, safety and environment, which she is apply on walls, chairs and every other place.

“One thing I came to learn as a youth is the need to keep job site clean, especially as the environment is concerned. I have seen a lot of design houses and to be honest, I had no idea on how this actually works. But presently, I can explain such things detailly,” Kinga said. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3699 of Monday February 09, 2026