Micro and Small Enterprise (MSE) support programme

		Sector : Support for small enterprises Location : Yaoundé, Douala, Mbalmayo, Bafoussam and Garoua in Cameroon ; Abidjan and Yamoussoukro in Côte d'Ivoire Local Partner : Cameroon Entreprise Développement (CED) ; Plateforme des Ecoles Familiales Agricoles de Côte d'Ivoire (PEFACI) Start of Partnership : 2006 in Camerron ; 2005 in Côte d'Ivoire

Context and Considerations

Due to this decade’s economic crisis, the informal sector in Cameroon and in Côte d’Ivoire has expanded exponentially, including currently 78% of the urban working population. However, over 90% of these recently founded small informal businesses do not last more than three years, which is in most cases due to their vague managing. In 1998, after having studied the matter intensively, the IECD identified the local entrepreneurs’ lack in essential management skills as being a major cause hindering the development of a middle class in Cameroon.

Solution Proposed

After having analyzed the local needs thoroughly, the IECD developed a non-financial support program for Cameroon’s entrepreneurs in 1998. Its goal is to guarantee the companies’ viability and to contribute to the progressive formalization of the economy.

The program trains entrepreneurs in company management by dealing with concepts such as working capital, savings, investment and attracting customers. The training consists of three different levels in order to deal with all the facets of a small enterprise’s management: the first level’s content consists of basic management techniques; the second level’s content is specialized according to different enterprise categories (handicraft, business, services etc.) and the third level includes personalized assistance and counseling which is offered to each entrepreneur on a monthly basis. The program’s strong points are the regular field visits which aim is to assist the entrepreneurs in their activity and the trusting relationships which have been established between the entrepreneurs and the head of the training centre.
Since 2006, this program, which was initially launched by the IECD, has been implemented in cooperation with the local partner Cameroun Entreprise Développement (Cameroon Enterprise Development; CED) in order to guarantee a strong institutional presence of the project.
In 2008, the program has been widened in order to include the Côte d’Ivoire. This is done in cooperation with the Plate Forme des Ecoles Familiales Agricoles en Côte d’Ivoire (the Family Farming Schools Platform in Côte d’Ivoire), IECD’s partner since 2005.

Impact and Results

In Cameroon, over 2500 entrepreneurs have benefited from the program since it was launched in 1998; it has helped them consolidate and formalize their activity. Six management centers have been created in order to give out the necessary trainings.
In Côte d’Ivoire, over 100 entrepreneurs have been trained and assisted in the first two training levels since the activities started in April 2008.  2 new centers were opened in 2009 in Yamoussoukro an in the Marcory neighborhood in Abidjan.
After having conducted a feasibility study in April 2008 and an implantation study which started in September 2009, the IECD is currently preparing the launching of a MSE support program in Kinshasa (DR Congo) which will start in the first months of the year 2010.