National Dev’t Strategy: SMEPA rallies stakeholders to discuss innovation, SME support.

It was attended by representatives of the Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development, the Deputy Director General SMEPA, development partners, SME experts, business owners and consultants. 

The Director General of SMEPA, Jean Marie Louis Badga, said discussions were within the framework of strengthening innovation to respond effectively to the population's needs in key sectors of the economy as in SND30.

Badga drummed emphasis in agriculture, agri-food, sustainable construction, health, waste management and recovery, renewable energy, and cosmetics. 

“Its purpose is to boost the agricultural and agri-food sector through the development and sustainability of a service ecosystem benefiting local economic actors, SMEs, SMIs,” SMEPA boss stated.

He underscored the need to strengthen actions to promote sustainable industrialisation and encouraged innovation.

“For SMEPA, it is about developing relevant, innovative, and inclusive support mechanisms for SMEs in the technological innovation sector to enable them to improve their competitiveness,” he noted. 

He said SMEPA has developed the PROTO Fund, around interest areas relating to the structural transformation of the economy, human capital development and the promotion of socioeconomic integration. 

Badga noted that SMEPA has succeeded in mobilizing and connecting several categories of private and institutional stakeholders.

“We have SME Support Centers open in the various regional headquarters, and we now have several mechanisms available for Agri-food SMEs, and SMIs, such as database of accredited consultants, a pool of facilitators to assist in accessing financing,” he said. 

Badga added that there is a platform for dialogue through a network of partner banking and microfinance institutions, large number of SMEs, SMIs, Agri-food SMIs, and intermediary organisations.

He said SMEPA targets making talented Cameroonians “…catalysts for the structural transformation of the economy to ensure competitiveness of the most innovative SMEs and support their development and growth”. 

“Together, we must join forces to participate in our country's development and make Made In Cameroon a conquering label of quality, innovation, and competitiveness,” Badga stated. 

Place of technological information, intellectual property 

On behalf of the Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development, the Director of Technological Development and Industrial Property at the Ministry, Bap Dom Eugene Gaspard, said the training workshop is dedicated to building the capacity of managers and focal points of the innovation centres.

In today’s society, Bap Dom noted that “the availability and mastery of scientific, technical, and technological information now constitute essential factors for decisionmaking, innovation, and competitiveness”. 

The innovation centre, he said, serves as essential bridge between technological information, intellectual property, research, innovation, and the business world. 

“They bring scientific and technical information closer to those who need it, researchers, inventors, entrepreneurs, startups, and particularly SMEs,” the  Director noted. 

The minister's representative said centers will help create an environment more conducive to innovation. 

“We must create the conditions to transform knowledge and inventions into innovations, innovations into mastered technologies, and technologies into competitive products, processes, and services that generate value, jobs, and wealth,” he said. 

The Director urged participants to serve not only as access points to technological information, but also as true interfaces between business needs and available technological resources. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3923 of Monday September 28, 2026