The Okwelians: Unlocking Contemporary Financial Paths for Cameroon [Commerce Africa]

This week, Commerce Africa shines a spotlight on Cameroon with a impartial appropriate model.

On the agenda: The Okwelians, a belief laboratory centered on empowering early life and the non-public sector to transform the economy, the difficulty of local cocoa impress addition for a extra aggressive industry, and the upward push of digitalized cattle farming, an innovation hindered by lack of funding.

The Okwelians: An Idea Laboratory for the Diagram forward for Cameroon

The non-public-stay tank The Okwelians held its strategic summit in Yaoundé from March 19 to 21, 2025. The two-day summit brought together over 300 contributors with the aim of redefining Cameroon’s socio-economic outlook by 2035.

Within the face of Cameroon’s economic and social challenges, The Okwelians positions itself as a key player in each reflection and action. Founded by Maître Jacques-Jonathan Nyemb, this non-public-tank targets to support early life to actively rob part in the nation’s transformation.

“We have trained nearly 1,000 young people in leadership, ethics, and innovation. We offer mentoring, tutoring, and encourage community service,” explains the attorney. Nonetheless The Okwelians is additionally a belief laboratory, with over 200 publications and 60 experts mobilized to manage with wanted concerns similar to social harmony, economic transformation, and governance.

An Financial Transformation in Ask

Cameroon faces a lot of foremost challenges: underemployment, the rising impress of living, and dependence on imports. “The challenge is to produce what we consume and consume what we produce,” says Maître Nyemb. He stresses the necessity to toughen infrastructure, human capital, and the industry climate to fabricate a extra mighty economic fabric.

What Characteristic for the Private Sector?

In a context the attach the assure performs a central role, The Okwelians advocates for a extra dynamic and inclusive non-public sector. “The state doesn’t know everything, it can’t do everything. There needs to be a more representative business community, covering more territories and small businesses,” he explains. This evolution is considered as wanted for fostering investment and entrepreneurship.

A Model Adaptable to A vogue of International locations?

Whereas the initiative is centered on Cameroon, its blueprint has inspired others beyond the nation’s borders. The Okwelians collaborates with non-public tanks in Central Africa and for the period of the Southern Deliver network. “We recently studied agricultural value chains with female agri-preneurs and shared these findings internationally,” provides Maître Nyemb.

Within the context of Cameroon’s economic transition and debates in regards to the nation’s future, The Okwelians positions itself as a dilemma for reflection and experimentation, serving to to shape the contours of a extra inclusive and sustainable vogue mannequin.

Cameroon: The Fight for Local Cocoa Transformation

With with regards to $1 billion in annual earnings, Cameroon is the realm’s fifth-easiest cocoa producer. Nonetheless, 80% of cocoa beans are exported without transformation, depriving the nation of precious added impress.

The Refined Direction to Designate Addition

At The Okwelians summit, experts and industry avid gamers mentioned the challenges and alternatives facing Cameroonian cocoa. “Local transformation is crucial for increasing farmers’ income and boosting the economy,” emphasised Narcisse Olinga, Vice President of the International Cocoa Council (ICCO) for the 2022-2023 cocoa yr. Nonetheless, challenges remain: unhappy infrastructure, restrictive European regulations on deforestation, and commerce barriers focused on carried out products. “Europe accounts for 80% of our exports, but it blocks our chocolates on the grounds of competition,” he lamented.

Africa Processing Company, A Pioneering Model

In Douala, this startup is breaking the mildew by producing cocoa paste and butter for each local and world markets. “Why import chocolate when we have the beans?” asks its leader, Lisette Claudia Tame. The manufacturing unit processes 4,000 a lot per yr, with a aim of reaching 24,000 a lot.

The Key: Shortening the Chain

The corporate specializes in convey procurement from farmers, taking away intermediaries. “Less margin taken, more income for them,” she explains. Nonetheless, without huge monetary institution enhance and facing complex regulations, industrialization stays a now now not easy path.

Whereas Asia and North Africa emerge as imaginable choices to Europe, one put an impart to stays: Will Cameroon manage to preserve a a part of the pie… or will it proceed to export the ingredients?

Gajo Cattle: Cattle 2.0 Going by the Funding Speak

Fotso Ngassa, a cattle specialist, misplaced every little thing for the period of the crisis in southwestern Cameroon. Within the hunt for refuge in Douala, he had to initiate up from scratch before launching Gajo Cattle, a digital platform connecting farmers and prospects all the intention in which by Africa.

His ambition? To modernize the sector by facilitating cattle sales, providing online veterinary bring together entry to (through Farm Genius 2.0), and guaranteeing licensed products. Nonetheless, whatever the innovation, funding stays a foremost hurdle. “There has been no institutional or private support so far,” he laments, calling on industry angels to take a position and flee his expansion.

Meanwhile, Fotso continues to meet with local farmers, convinced that his acknowledge can transform eating habits and toughen food safety in Africa. His story is emblematic of the challenges younger African entrepreneurs face, caught between innovation and absence of capital. The African cattle sector, with meat consumption characteristic to larger than double by 2050, affords strong enhance attainable. GAJO Cattle targets to capitalize on this increasing market.

Journalist name • Ndea Yoka