At event in Douala: Chamber of commerce mobilises female start-ups for regional expansion.

This was during an economic conference held recently in Douala. The conference on female entrepreneurship brought together business leaders, project promoters, investors and entrepreneurship support organisations, to discuss financing, innovation and regional economic cooperation. 

The meeting focused on building partnerships capable of supporting women-led businesses and integrating them into regional value chains under the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA.

The Director General of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Sfax, Hichem Elloumi, co-chaired the event alongside CCIMA Secretary General, Halidou Bello. Discussions centred on strengthening South-South cooperation and creating investment opportunities for female entrepreneurs operating in technology, innovation and small business sectors.

According to organisers, the initiative was designed to encourage cooperation between African economic actors in order to stimulate investment, local transformation of resources and intra-African trade.

Halidou Bello said the meeting was taking place at a time when African economies were accelerating commercial exchanges through the progressive implementation of the AfCFTA.

“The meeting is being held in a context marked by the acceleration of African economic exchanges, the progressive implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area and the need for our economies to strengthen regional value chains. The process could promote synergies between African actors in order to stimulate investment, innovation and the local transformation of our resources,” Bello said. 

The conference was organised alongside a project selection exercise targeting female entrepreneurs, innovative start-ups and technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises from several African countries, including Algeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo-Brazzaville and Tunisia.

Between May 11 and 12, a delegation led by Hichem Elloumi travelled to Bafoussam in the West Region to identify women-owned businesses considered capable of benefiting from technical and financial support programmes.

Elloumi said many young entrepreneurs across the continent were seeking financing and international-standard business support to help expand their activities.

“There is a positive synergy through young people. These young people are conscious that there is a lot to be done on our continent. What they are looking for is financing and, above all, support that must be standardised in relation to international norms,” Elloumi noted. 

According to Afrique Innovante project manager, Maryse Ndjenga, about 300 projects led by women from Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville and Gabon were reviewed during the selection process, with 100 retained for incubation support.

Ndjenga explained that the selected entrepreneurs would receive assistance aimed at helping them mature and structure their business projects. She added that nine projects would move into an acceleration phase, while three large-scale projects would participate in an immersion programme in Algeria in the coming months.

The programme, officials revealed, will also place selected entrepreneurs in contact with mentors and potential investors as part of efforts to improve access to funding and strengthen regional business networks for women-led enterprises in Africa.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3794 of Thursday May 21, 2026