Date: February 29, 2024
Time: 10:00 am – 14:00 pm (GMT+1)
Hybrid Event: Mansel Hotel (Onsite Registration)
Zoom platform (Online Registration)

Background

Cameroon is a country of economic and geographic influence, strategically positioned as a natural gateway to Central and West Africa. The country’s economic and technological development is in constant progression, providing fertile ground for the emergence of innovative young companies. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, information and communication technologies (ICT) have been identified as a key driver for employment, economic growth and sustainable development. What’s more, Cameroon’s young population and growing access to the Internet have created an environment conducive to innovation and entrepreneurship. In 2006, Silicon Mountain was created in Buea, the capital of  the South West region of Cameroon, becoming the country’s first technology incubator for start-ups. With a view to replicating this success, since 2018 the Cameroonian government has been planning to support a new technology cluster in Yaoundé, called Silicon River. This technology hub will be a research and innovation platform offering young software developers and other creative and ambitious technology entrepreneurs the infrastructure and support they need to foster innovation. As a result, the number of new technology startups in Cameroon has grown steadily over the past decade, with an estimated 101+ technology startups currently operating in the country, 36 of which were created in 2019 and 2020. However, this number remains low in comparison with Nigeria, which has 1,697 tech startups in Lagos alone. This limited growth in the number of startups in Cameroon can be explained by a complex and ambiguous regulatory and administrative environment. From this perspective, the Nkafu Policy Institute of the Denis & Lenora Foretia Foundation is organizing a panel discussion to gather input that will help lift off the veil on the challenges facing startups in Cameroon..

Objective

The main objective of this event is to analyze the startup ecosystem in Cameroon and the remaining constraints to their growth in the country. More specifically, it will address the following issues:

• Define the startup within the Cameroonian context by analyzing the legal, regulatory, institutional, infrastructural and social framework;
• Discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by startups in Cameroon;
• Outline the chances of success for a startup in Cameroon;
• Assess the socio-economic impact of startups in Cameroon.

Expected Outcome

Participants enlightened on the place and importance of start-ups in the Cameroonian economy, and on the need to address persistent challenges to sustainable economic growth.

Target audience 

Start-up owners, public authorities, telecoms engineers, capital providers, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders from the private sector.

Contact details

Email: [email protected] / Tel: (+237) 654 86 72 54