(Business in Cameroon) – On October 6, 2025, a tripartite partnership agreement was signed in Edéa to integrate entrepreneurship into higher education in Cameroon, involving the Ministry of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MINPMEESA), the Ministry of Higher Education (MINESUP), and the University of Douala. The initiative aims to reduce youth unemployment by equipping students with business creation skills and is a direct response to national labor market conditions. Data from the National Institute of Statistics for 2024 indicated a youth unemployment rate of 7.7% and an underemployment rate affecting 68.4% of the active population.
The National Pilot Business Incubator (PNPE) in Edéa will serve as the operational hub for the initiative, providing support for student-led projects through mentorship, access to research facilities, and use of innovation laboratories. Launched in 2019, the PNPE’s mission is to assist in creating new businesses and support existing ones through its four main entities: a training center that organizes programs for entrepreneurs, a business incubator to support the maturation of start-up concepts, a business nursery offering accommodation for early-stage start-ups, and a formalities center to manage administrative procedures.
According to Minister Achille Bassilekin III, the objective is to provide students with the tools to create their own employment, with an expressed goal to train graduates to become “job creators, not job seekers.” This partnership is aligned with Cameroon’s National Development Strategy 2020–2030 (SND30), which identifies youth employment as a driver of growth, and it also supports the implementation of the new Higher Education Orientation Law, which aims to better align university curricula with market needs.
The project has already commenced, with the first cohort of students from IUT Douala now integrated into the PNPE. To ensure accountability, a Joint Monitoring Unit has been established to oversee the project’s performance and measure its results.
Mercy Fosoh
