Fifty women entrepreneurs and traders in Douala received a combined 53 million CFA francs in micro-financing aimed at expanding women-led businesses and sustaining local employment.
The funding, delivered under the third phase of the Asbbic project, promoted by the Association of Women Entrepreneurs and Traders of Cameroon (Asfeccam), was provided in partnership with microfinance institution Cepac Solidarité Cameroun. Individual beneficiaries received financing ranging from CFA350,000 to CFA1 million. The loans are repayable over a 12-month deferred period, with organisers describing the interest rate as modest.
The initiative was organised under the joint patronage of the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and the Family, the Ministry of Trade, and the Ministry of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts. According to organisers, the programme seeks to strengthen women-owned income-generating activities while directly and indirectly consolidating nearly 150 local jobs linked to the beneficiaries' businesses.
The latest financing round comes amid broader efforts to improve access to capital for women-led enterprises in Cameroon. In April 2025, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Afriland First Bank Cameroon announced a financing partnership of up to US$60 million aimed at expanding lending to small and medium-sized enterprises, with a specific focus on women-owned and women-led businesses.
According to data cited by the IFC and Cameroonian authorities, women operate approximately 38% of businesses in the country and lead 23% of manufacturing SMEs. However, access to finance remains one of the main constraints to business expansion for female entrepreneurs.
Speaking during the ceremony, Asfeccam and Asbbic National President Séphora Agwenjang Mbayieh épouse Foumi said the programme was designed as an economic investment rather than a social assistance scheme.
She explained that the objective was to support women in strengthening and expanding their businesses. “This project is not social assistance but an investment with a high social return,” she said, adding that improved access to finance allows women entrepreneurs to generate wider economic benefits within their communities.
Eligibility requirements included active membership of Asbbic, operation of an income-generating activity, possession of a business location, traceability and evidence of good standing. Organisers said these criteria were intended to ensure that financing reached women already engaged in commercial activity and capable of developing viable enterprises.
The project also aims to address longstanding barriers to credit access faced by many women entrepreneurs. According to the organising committee, the financing mechanism was established to remove obstacles that continue to limit the growth of female-led projects and to contribute to a more inclusive economy in which women play a larger role in driving business activity.
Beyond financing, the ceremony featured the presentation of the entrepreneurial journey of Florence Yete, an agri-food trader from the Bois des Singes neighbourhood, known locally as “Koweït”. Having benefited from one of the programme’s earlier phases, her experience was presented as an example of how access to funding can support the development of small businesses and strengthen economic participation among women entrepreneurs.
Mercy Fosoh