(Business in Cameroon) – More than 8,400 rural enterprises in Cameroon have been selected to receive 10.5 billion CFA francs ($16 million) in funding from the French Development Agency (AFD). The funding falls under the Food Security Support Project in Rural Areas (Secal). These figures were disclosed on June 18, 2025, in Yaoundé, during the presentation of the project’s 2024 activity report by its steering committee.
Launched in 2024 and set to run for three years, the Secal project aims to improve food security across six regions: Centre, Littoral, West, North, Far North, and Southwest.
To date, the Support Program for the Renovation and Development of Vocational Training (AFOP) has conducted preliminary assessments for 3,634 businesses in agriculture, livestock, and fishing. Concurrently, the Agropastoral Consolidation and Sustainability Program (PCP-ACEFA) has engaged 3,203 businesses, with over 2,000 support requests currently being processed. In parallel, the SME Promotion Agency (APME) has completed initial diagnostics for 2,715 entrepreneurs, signaling steady implementation progress despite delays caused by the rollout of new public project management rules.
Critical Phase: Direct Support to Entrepreneurs
Virginie Dago, AFD’s Director in Cameroon, welcomed the progress, noting that the project is now entering a “critical phase” of direct support to entrepreneurs. She emphasized the urgent need to accelerate the creation of new honor loan associations in areas like Garoua and Nkongsamba due to strong demand, citing encouraging results already observed in Obala and Bafoussam.
Jean Tchoffo, Secretary General of the Ministry of Economy and head of the project’s steering committee, chaired the session. He stressed the importance of scaling up the project to meet growing grassroots needs. He also urged stronger synergy between Secal and other national programs to maximize impact and generate multiplier effects.
The project is structured around four key components: capacity building for support staff, non-financial assistance for rural businesses, access to tailored financial services, and robust management and monitoring mechanisms.
The stakes are high in Cameroon, where 2.9 million people, or 10.6% of the population, were identified as food insecure between October and December 2023, according to the Harmonized Framework for Risk Area Analysis. By strengthening the rural business ecosystem, Secal aims to create jobs, promote inclusive growth, and deliver long-term solutions to food insecurity in the most vulnerable regions.
Frédéric Nonos
