Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Pierre Tahingam
Published on 2024-04-12 09:17:37
Key stakeholders gathered in Yaoundé to explore the contribution of income-generating activities to the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Cameroon and their impact on sustainable economic development.
At the initiative of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Center (Sbec) of the Foretia Foundation, an analysis of the importance of Income Generating Activities (IGA) in job creation and economic empowerment brought together stakeholders. These actors first evaluated the role of IGAs in stimulating innovation, creativity, and economic diversification in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. They also identified the challenges and opportunities faced by these activities and proposed strategies to enhance their contribution to development.
Following the discussions, Pauline Eyebe, coordinator of the NGO France and Africa Partnership for Co-development (PFAR), explained that IGAs are important because they support the national economy. The impact of Income Generating Activities (IGAs) must be measurable in social, economic, and human terms (indicators) in order to boost, create, and develop communities and eventually the nation. However, the problem lies in the perception of these activities. The social economy activist urged stakeholders to change the limited view of those involved in these small businesses and encouraged them to structure themselves through education and training. This way, they can scale up and transition from survival mode to developing very small businesses that can easily grow into SMEs.
“It is necessary to start from the ground to bring out the potential of our territories in terms of activities. And these IGAs are the foundation on which we can develop a strong economy rooted in our territories,” added the coordinator of PFAR.
Through IGAs, Djoko Somo Sylvers Ulrich created a training and employment hub. The founder of DS Security, a company specializing in surveillance systems and GPS for vehicles, explained that he focused on training young people to help them thrive. “Through these IGAs, young people were able to train for free initially. This already helps to reduce the crime rate on the streets.” His main target group consists of disadvantaged young people, with the aim of helping them avoid delinquency and become self-sufficient.
However, the young volunteer pointed out that he faces financial difficulties that prevent him from training a large number of young people.
“The Cameroon is showing little interest in IGAs”
“When comparing the Cameroonian sector to that of West African countries, we can see that Cameroon shows little interest in income-generating activities,” lamented Isidore Njinju Asongalem, head of SBEC. This is crucial for any economy. He emphasized that given the current crises in the North West and South West regions, it is through IGAs that a healthy living environment can be established for the population. “It is important to understand that without dynamism in our economy, we will be plunged into stagnation.”
According to Isidore Njinju Asongalem, in order to reduce inequalities and promote economic independence, it is necessary to encourage vocational training so that income-generating activities can give a boost to the Cameroonian economy.
Read the original article(French) on Journal du Cameroun
