Cameroon Backs Agro-Processing Training for 401 Youth Under Import-Substitution Push

The government has trained 401 young people in Mamfe, Southwest Region, in agro-processing as part of efforts to promote youth entrepreneurship and import substitution. The capacity-building program, organized by the Manyu Divisional Delegation of the Ministry of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts, MINPMEESA, was held at the Mamfe Town Hall on Sept. 4, 2026.

Participants from different parts of the municipality received practical training in fruit juice production, chocolate manufacturing and the preparation of a product identified by the ministry as Overtea. Held under the theme, “Youth Empowerment for Agro-Food Processing: A Lever for Import Substitution,” the initiative is intended to help beneficiaries develop income-generating activities and establish small production units, according to MINPMEESA.

Turning Local Produce Into Businesses

Manyu Division produces fruits, cocoa, palm oil and other agricultural commodities that can be processed locally into higher-value products. By focusing on agro-processing, the initiative also aligns with the government’s import-substitution policy, which seeks to increase domestic production of goods otherwise sourced from abroad.

The training comes against the backdrop of persistent challenges in access to productive employment for young Cameroonians. World Bank data based on modeled International Labour Organization estimates put Cameroon’s unemployment rate among people aged 15 to 24 at 6.2% in 2024. A broader measure from Cameroon’s National Institute of Statistics shows that the employment rate among people aged 15 to 34 stood at 39.3% in 2021, with a marked gender gap: 47.2% for young men compared with 31.3% for young women.

The September program builds on an earlier agro-processing training session organized for women in Mamfe on March 6, 2026. MINPMEESA said larger activities are planned for November as part of the eighth Global Entrepreneurship Week, with sessions in Mamfe, Upper Bayang and Eyumojock covering skills development, innovation and access to the ministry’s business-support and financing opportunities.

Mercy Fosoh