To boost value chains, enterprise growth: Gov't invites entrepreneurs to apply for PAD-CV project support.

Economy minister, Alamine Ousmane Mey, announced the call as part of the recently launched Economic Development Support Project through the Promotion of Value Chains and Private Initiative, PAD-CV. 

Funded by the European Union and implemented under MINEPAT's coordination over a four-year period, the programme seeks to support projects capable of creating jobs, generating wealth and strengthening the competitiveness of targeted value chains.

According to a release from MINEPAT, applications are open to legally established enterprises and organisations operating in the Far North, North, East, South and South-West regions. Interested candidates have three months from the publication date of the call to submit applications exclusively online through the official platforms.

“Successful applicants will receive tailored technical assistance, business plan development support, entrepreneurial capacity building and facilitation of access to finance through partnerships with financial institutions,” partly read the release.

Priority value chains targeted

The MINEPAT statement notes that the call covers several strategic sectors including cocoa, cassava, maize, millet, sorghum, rice, cashew, cotton-textile, leather and wood. It also targets digital solutions designed to support agricultural development. 

The release adds that eligible projects may focus on production, processing, marketing, agricultural services, product valorisation or the development of innovative digital solutions linked to agriculture and value chain development.

According to the MINEPAT document, particular attention will be given to initiatives capable of improving productivity and competitiveness while creating employment opportunities and generating economic value. 

It further states that successful applicants will benefit from tailored technical assistance aimed at helping them mature their projects and strengthen their business models. 

The support package, the statement reveals, includes assistance in developing or improving business plans, entrepreneurial capacity building and facilitation of access to finance through partnerships with financial institutions.

MINEPAT said applications will be submitted through the websites of MINEPAT and the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Promotion Agency, APME, using the official application form provided online. Information on eligibility requirements and participation procedures is also available on the platforms.

According to the MINEPAT, the evaluation process will begin with an automated ranking system developed for the call. The ministry explained that applications will be assessed using three criteria: information relating to the applicant structure and its promoter, representing 40 percent of the score; the economic performance of the enterprise during the previous two financial years, accounting for 30 percent; and the quality, relevance and feasibility of the proposed economic development project, also weighted at 30 percent.

Following the initial assessment, the 200 highest-ranked applications will be examined by a selection committee established for the exercise. The committee will then conduct the final selection of projects eligible for PAD-CV technical support.

MINEPAT indicated that enterprises and cooperatives led by women and young people under the age of 35 will receive special consideration during the selection process. The ministry concluded that the final number of beneficiaries will depend on the quality of projects submitted.

“The ministry consequently invites all eligible economic operators to seize this opportunity offered by the PAD-CV to accelerate the growth of their activities, improve their access to finance, and contribute to the structural transformation of the Cameroonian economy,” the release stated.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3860 of Monday July 27, 2026