The Minister of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Craftsmanship (MINPMEESA), Achille Bassilekin III, met with the newly appointed Managing Director of Multi-Services and Matériel Industriel (MSMI), Alain Blaise Batongué, in an official audience designed to introduce the new MSMI leadership and explore cooperation to deepen industrial development in Cameroon.
The discussions focused on reinforcing support for industrial growth, expanding opportunities for youth training in engineering fields and scaling female entrepreneurship in sectors critical to the Cameroonian economy.
During the meeting, Mr Batongué outlined MSMI’s positioning as a strategic industrial partner, particularly in mechanical manufacturing, maintenance services and heavy industry sectors. The company operates across multiple key segments including textiles, agribusiness, oil, naval and mechanical industries and works with major transformation industries, railway firms and agro-industrial units.
The exchange acknowledged the potential contribution of MSMI’s expertise to national efforts in industrialisation while consolidating cooperation with MINPMEESA on initiatives to strengthen local enterprise capabilities.
Officials also discussed promoting technical skills development through participation in incubator initiatives such as the Industrial Engineering Faculty Incubator in Douala, where MSMI plays a role in training future engineers.
Cameroon’s SME Growth
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) continue to constitute the vast bulk of the business landscape in Cameroon. According to the 2024 statistical yearbook released by MINPMEESA, the total stock of SMEs reached approximately 443,524 active units in 2024, up from 393,175 in 2023, an increase of around 50,349 enterprises year-on-year.
Data from the same yearbook shows that 21,132 of these new SMEs were registered through official Business Creation Formalities Centres in 2024, a figure expected to generate more than 97,000 jobs. SMEs now account for 99 % of all registered enterprises in Cameroon’s business fabric, reinforcing their central role in job creation and economic diversification.
The tertiary sector, encompassing services, commerce and other non-industrial activities dominates SME activity, with approximately 77 % of firms operating in this space. Women are increasingly visible in the entrepreneurial sphere: in 2024, 167,652 SMEs were owned by women, representing around 37.8 % of the total SME stock, while male entrepreneurs accounted for the remaining share.
Ngo Yetna Augustine Audrey, founder of MSMI, established the company in Douala in 2003 after completing training abroad. Valued at over 7.5 billion FCFA in 2025, the company currently employs around 100 workers and has articulated plans to grow its workforce to 300 employees. During the MINPMEESA audience, cooperation areas highlighted included support for youth talent development in engineering disciplines and strategies to enhance participation of women in industry sectors traditionally under-represented by female entrepreneurs.
Officials also flagged alignment of the partnership with broader national development strategies aimed at diversifying the economy, increasing value-added production, and expanding decent job creation. The meeting between MINPMEESA and MSMI leadership underscores the government’s ongoing focus on leveraging the SME sector as a catalyst for industrial growth, job creation and broad-based economic participation in Cameroon’s evolving economy.
Mercy Fosoh