The Okwelians evaluates first Summit, unveils main orientations for 2027 edition.

The dinner was moderated by the Co-founder and President of The Okwelians, Jacques Jonathan Nyemb. It brought together representatives of public authorities, the diplomatic corps, private sector, civil society and development partners.

Also present was the Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, MINEPAT, Alamine Ousmane Mey; the Minister of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Social Economy, and Handicrafts, Achille Bassilekin III, as well as members of the diplomatic corps.

Speaking during the presser, Nyemb stated that through TOKS2027, The Okwelians intends to move beyond the traditional format of an economic forum to an establish platform for convergence between public and private actors and civil society. He noted that the ambition is to stimulate concrete initiatives, projects and partnerships capable of supporting the sustainable transformation of the country’s economy.

“We must build the foundations of shared prosperity in Cameroon,” Nyemb said, while presenting the objectives of the second edition. He stressed that the summit will address several strategic issues, including investment attractiveness, the green economy, youth employability, monetary policy financing and the development of value chains.

According to Nyemb, the current economic context calls for a change in approach. While Cameroon’s growth has remained resilient, he argued that the country must now create the conditions for a more ambitious and inclusive economic trajectory.

Referring to the mid-term evaluation of the National Development Strategy 2030, SND30, as well as the Report on the Cameroonian Economy in 2025 published in July 2026, he noted that growth stood at around 3.5% in 2025, while projections point to a possible rebound to 4.8% by 2028. These figures remain below the 8.5% growth trajectory initially targeted under the country’s development ambitions.

For The Okwelians, this gap should not simply be viewed as a failure. It should instead encourage greater collective reflection on the reforms, investments and partnerships required to accelerate economic transformation.

“The challenge for us today is truly, in economic matters, to move from a paradigm of resilience to that of shared prosperity,” Nyemb stated.

This transition, he explained, requires a renewed partnership between the State, the private sector and civil society, supported by a new economic roadmap centred on programmes and projects capable of creating value locally and addressing pressing challenges such as youth employment.

The second edition of the summit, he noted, is built on the experience of The Okwelians Summit 2025, which brought together more than 300 participants from over 20 nationalities. Public decision-makers, economic operators, traditional chiefs, researchers, civil society representatives, development partners and members of the diaspora participated in the first edition.

He stated that TOKS2027 will now seek to assess what progress has been made since those recommendations were formulated and determine how they can be translated into concrete action.

“To this end, The Okwelians has launched a broad participatory consultation that will run until March 2027. The process will examine the implementation and relevance of the recommendations contained in the Green Book, identify priorities that remain unresolved and encourage stakeholders to develop concrete initiatives ahead of the summit,” Nyemb said.

According to Nyemb, the organisation hopes that this process will result in a convergence around three major components: a platform, a roadmap and projects.

The platform is intended to provide a permanent space where the State, private sector and civil society can work together rather than operate in isolation. The roadmap will emerge from the participatory consultation and is expected to translate collective reflections into concerted programs and initiatives. Finally, territorial projects, particularly those involving local and international small and medium-sized enterprises, are expected to turn the roadmap into economic value and employment opportunities.

The organisation, he stated, intends to place particular emphasis on local value chains, including agroecological value chains, as potential areas for experimentation and partnership. Such initiatives, he said, could contribute simultaneously to local economic development, value creation and youth employability.

Nyemb explained that the ambition is to make TOKS2027 more than a platform for discussion. 

“The Okwelians wants the summit to serve as a catalyst for projects and partnerships capable of producing measurable outcomes,” he stated.

He used the opportunity to call for greater collective mobilisation among public institutions, businesses, development partners, local authorities, traditional leaders and civil society. The objective, he explained, is to create stronger bridges between those who formulate policies, those who make economic decisions and those who implement projects on the ground.

The Okwelians in brief

Founded in February 2020, The Okwelians is a Think Do Tank and social innovation laboratory dedicated to supporting Cameroon’s sustainable transformation. The organisation brings together a community of more than 3,200 Cameroonian women and men across four continents. It is headquartered in Douala and also has a representation in Paris, France.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3924 of Tuesday September 29, 2026