Cameroon Invites Firms to Compete for 2026 Kaizen Awards to Reward Business Efficiency

Cameroon has opened applications for the fifth edition of the Cameroon Kaizen Awards, targeting organizations that have introduced measurable improvements in productivity, workplace organization and operational efficiency. The Ministry of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts, MINPMEESA, announced the launch on September 3, 2026. Applications must be submitted by email by 11:59 p.m. on October 21.

According to the ministry’s statement, the competition is open to Cameroonian organizations of all sizes and sectors. It will recognize businesses and other entities that can demonstrate how the Kaizen continuous-improvement method or the related 5S workplace-management system has improved their operations.

The launch comes as Cameroon expands the use of Kaizen among SMEs. In February 2026, MINPMEESA reported that cooperation with Japan had supported about 1,900 entrepreneurs and SMEs and trained 156 Kaizen consultants. Cameroonian participants have also won three African Kaizen awards, in 2020, 2022 and 2024, according to the ministry.

Kaizen is a management approach centered on gradual and continuous improvements to business processes. It involves employees in organizing workspaces, standardizing procedures and tracking performance. The method can be applied to manufacturing and service activities.

Two award categories

The 2026 competition comprises the Kaizen Prize and the 5S Prize. Candidates for the Kaizen Prize must show that they have implemented an organization-wide continuous-improvement program for at least two years. According to the statement, no minimum implementation period is required for the 5S Prize. This category assesses the application and maintenance of five workplace principles: sorting, setting in order, cleaning, standardization and discipline.

Applicants must provide tangible evidence of improvements, including performance indicators, numerical data and photographs showing conditions before and after changes. They must also demonstrate staff involvement in their continuous-improvement programs.

The awards are a government initiative implemented with technical support from the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Promotion Agency, APME; the Cameroon Association of Kaizen Professionals; and partners of the Cameroon Kaizen Project backed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA.

MINPMEESA said the program seeks to improve the competitiveness of Cameroonian businesses in domestic and international markets, promote quality management and provide replicable examples of effective business practices.

MINPMEESA stated during its December 2025 National Forum on SME Financing that SMEs represented 99.8% of businesses in the country. The ministry has linked the awards to Cameroon’s National Development Strategy 2020-2030, which places greater local production, competitiveness and economic transformation among the country’s development objectives.

Mercy Fosoh