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CALL FOR APPLICATIONS – PUBLIC POLICY COURSE (2020)

The Nkafu Policy Institute at the Denis & Lenora Foretia Foundation has designed a special one-week (5 days) intensive training course to equip young scholars with critical thinking about free enterprise, government transparency, and fiscal accountability. The course has been specifically designed to:

  1. Strengthen participants’ understanding of key challenges to businesses in Cameroon including the Doing Business Index and how to run a business
  2. Improve participants techniques in policy analysis, both qualitative and quantitative
  3. Enhance participants’ ability to promote evidence-informed public policy through writing strong op-Eds, policy briefs and reports
  4. Understand the process of planning an effective policy advocacy campaign and how to advocate for change
  5. Equip participants with the skills and techniques to critically appraise policies and make tangible recommendations
  6. Help participants effectively communicate research outcomes through various communication channels

The training will be done in English and French. So, participants will be expected to understand both languages as there will be no simultaneous translation.

Why Free Enterprise, Government Transparency, and Fiscal Accountability?

A free enterprise economic system stimulates competition amongst private businesses and helps in the safeguarding of an economy where small businesses can thrive, being largely free from government control. In Africa, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make up about 90% of businesses. They contribute to 36% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Cameroon. According to the Ministry of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicraft, Cameroon would be an emerging economy if SMEs were to contribute 50% of the GDP.

However, SMEs in Cameroon face several obstacles that prevent them from growing and catalyzing a system that generates economic opportunities for all. The various obstacles faced by Cameroon’s SMEs include high tax rates, administrative bottlenecks, corruption, access to finance, and access to electricity just to name but a few. Therefore, there is an urgent need for liberating enterprises to advance prosperity in Cameroon.

For more than six years, the Nkafu Policy Institute at the Denis and Lenora Foretia Foundation has been working towards making Cameroon a better place to live and work, by promoting research-based policy reforms grounded in the free enterprise and economic freedoms.  Indeed, our central mission at the Nkafu Policy Institute is the promotion of free enterprise policies that lead to job creation and wealth generation.

Course Benefits:

  • Training is limited to twenty-five (25) young scholars Cameroonians, both male and female
  • Participants shall also be engaged with the different policy departments at the Nkafu Policy Institute throughout the training period.
  • They shall focus, amongst other things, on carrying out research to educate the public on the benefits of a free enterprise system in Cameroon, through newspaper articles and short policy papers.
  • One (1) successful participants will be recruited to join Nkafu in promoting economic freedom.

 Who Should Attend?

  • Young faculty members and leaders of civil society organizations.
  • Recent graduates and Ph.D. students interested in pursuing careers in public policy.
  • The course also targets managers in the public sector, in ministries and other development organizations.
  • Young journalists, bloggers, web influencers, etc. who want to contribute to the promotion of free enterprise ideas.

Course Facilitators

The program is organized by the Nkafu Policy Institute at The Denis and Lenora Foretia Foundation. It will be facilitated by carefully selected and well talented Cameroonians working in both the private and public sectors. The facilitators have a diverse and distinguished background to enrich the learning environment. They include:

  • Dr. Denis Foretia (Founder and Chairman of the Nkafu Policy Institute)
  • Dr.William Hermann Arrey (Interim CEO, Denis & Lenora Foretia Foundation)
  • Dr.  Louis-Marie Kakdeu (Director of Nkafu Fellows, Nkafu Policy Institute)
  • Dr. Vera Fuein Kum (Research Fellow in Economics, Nkafu Policy Institute)
  • Dr. Simplice Asongu (Policy Fellow in Economic Affairs, Nkafu Policy Institute)
  • Dr. Emmanuel Atem (Research Fellow in Business Management and Entrepreneurship, Nkafu Policy Institute)
  • Mme Fri Asanga (Chief Operating Officer, Denis & Lenora Foretia Foundation)
  • Other speakers

Course Delivery: Lectures, simulations, case-study discussion, group debate, post-course follow-up

Duration & Location

The training shall run for 5 days from 10 August 2020 to 14 August 2020. It shall take place online. Indeed, given the current COVID-19 outbreak this training will not be hosted at the Foretia Foundation Headquarters in Simbock-Yaounde, 100 m from the college Jesus – Marie.

Course Registration

Once selected to join this special training program, participants shall pay a registration fee of 5,000 FCFA. As part of the training, program candidates will receive training materials during the 5 days. This program has been generously supported by Atlas Network.

 Application Process

All applications are completed online.

Click here to complete your online application

Application Deadline: Friday 31st of July 2020 at 11:59 PM Cameroon Time