Women entrepreneurs in Cameroon are set to benefit from a three-day digital business course, aimed to help them scale up their businesses globally. The Commonwealth Secretariat and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) have partnered to equip 34 women from across Cameroon with the skills necessary to succeed in e-commerce.
Helping Women Entrepreneurs in Cameroon
Research has shown that women entrepreneurs are at a disadvantage in accessing digital infrastructure and participating in e-commerce platforms. To address this problem, the digital business course is focused on providing skills and resources in entrepreneurship, financial literacy and digital know-how. The entrepreneurs attending the course will learn how to better market their products and medical advice, and how to engage more partners to reach more citizens.
The Importance of E-commerce in Cameroon
This training center is part of a wider initiative of the Commonwealth Secretariat and the ITFC, which has been supporting the Government of Cameroon with technical assistance and capacity building on trade opportunities. Under this initiative, the Secretariat and ITFC facilitated the development of an e-commerce strategy for Cameroon, produced a training manual on leveraging e-commerce capabilities and hosted two training sessions for women entrepreneurs in Cameroon. The goal is to train at least an additional 50 women.
The lack of knowledge of business management, marketing, finance and logistics particularly impedes the progress of women entrepreneurs. Bridging this gap will enable women entrepreneurs to succeed and grow their businesses. The lack of skills is one of the key factors that limit the success of small businesses in Cameroon. The initiative’s goal is to make it easier for more Cameroonian entrepreneurs to expand their market reach and make their goods and services available globally.
Entrepreneurs will leave the training center with specific skills, including knowledge of how to attract an international audience, navigate payment systems. They will receive advice on supply chain management and learn how to create a layout for their website. Micro, small and medium-sized businesses constitute a significant percentage of Cameroon’s private sector. The contribution of these businesses to job creation and poverty reduction is substantial. Their impact on the economy could be significantly greater if these businesses are able to take full advantage of domestic and export market opportunities and participate in global supply chains through e-commerce.
The Cameroon government has thanked the Commonwealth Secretariat and the ITFC for their partnership, saying it would strengthen the role of women in the e-commerce process and development of Cameroon. E-commerce is widely acknowledged as a significant instrument for innovation, competitiveness, job creation, and growth. This training center will provide women entrepreneurs in Cameroon with a chance to broaden their horizons and enhance their involvement in the global e-commerce trade.
