(Business in Cameroon) – Cameroon’s entrepreneurial scene is set to ignite as the country prepares to host the 7th edition of Global Entrepreneurship Week Entrepreneurship (GEW). The event will be held on the theme: “Productive Entrepreneurship and Opportunities under the Subcontracting Law”. It is scheduled to run from November 18 to 21, 2025 at the Franco Hotel in Yaounde, with nationwide activities planned under the coordination of the Ministry of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts (MINPMEESA).
According to information released by MINPMEESA, Minister Achille Bassilekin III will preside over the launch and closing ceremonies on 18 and 21 November. The ministry also states that celebrations will unfold nationwide, coordinated by regional and departmental delegates of MINPMEESA. Activities target entrepreneurs, artisans, social economy organisations, project developers, incubators, accelerators and startups.
The Global Entrepreneurship Week Cameroon forms part of the international Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) initiative celebrated in over 180 countries. According to GEN’s 2024 reporting, the global event mobilises millions of participants each year to promote innovation, job creation and entrepreneurial collaboration.
In Cameroon, SMEs remain a backbone of the economy, with more than 400,000 small and medium-sized enterprises recorded nationally, representing over 90% of the business landscape, according to MINPMEESA’s 2023 sector figures. Data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS) shows that SMEs contribute around 34% of national GDP and employ more than 70% of the urban workforce, as published in the 2023 Statistical Yearbook and the 2022 labour market survey.
Despite this weight, only an estimated 15% of SMEs access formal financing, according to the Ministry of Finance’s 2024 SME financing report. These figures underline the sector’s strategic importance and the relevance of policy tools such as the Subcontracting Law, which structures cooperation between major firms and smaller local enterprises.
MINPMEESA states that the 7th edition of Global Entrepreneurship Week Cameroon aims to mobilise business actors by offering information, capacity-building and networking opportunities for project holders and emerging enterprises.
Mercy Fosoh
