Nkafu Policy Institute Reveals Gender and Regional Disparities in Cameroon’s Startup Ecosystem

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

BUEA, Cameroon — The Nkafu Policy Institute, a think tank of the Denis and Lenora Foretia Foundation has unveiled a comprehensive report highlighting significant gender and regional disparities within Cameroon’s startup ecosystem. T

he findings, presented during a restitution workshop held on November 21, 2024, revealed a male-dominated landscape, with limited participation from women, and a concentration of startup activity in a few regions, leaving others largely underserved.

The research, based on data collected from 52 stakeholders in the ecosystem, sheds light on the challenges hindering the growth of startups and offers key recommendations for creating a more inclusive and supportive environment. According to the report, men account for 80% of stakeholders in Cameroon’s startup sector, while women represent just 20%.

Dr Adeline Nembot, Senior Policy Analyst at the Nkafu Policy Institute said: “It's a male-dominated ecosystem where men represent 80% compared to 20% so that's a big deal. So, a recommendation would be that government should impose the dynamism of women in this ecosystem.

Also, we find that English speakers are more involved in startups compared to French speakers and also the ecosystem is most concentrated in the Southeast region, that's Littoral, Center, West, South West, North West compared to the other regions.”

“We found that the two major difficulties that this ecosystem meets were the limited funding and the framework which is not really regularized to make it such a way that the business people will expand.”

The research also revealed that startup activity is heavily concentrated in the Southeast regions of Cameroon, particularly in Littoral, Center, West, South West, and North West. Regions in the Northern and Eastern parts of the country remain largely underrepresented in the startup landscape.

This regional disparity limits the overall growth of the ecosystem and excludes entrepreneurs from marginalized areas. The report calls for decentralized support systems to ensure startups in less-represented regions have access to resources and networks.

Our finding also reveals that although many stakeholders confirm that startup art is important, only the majority was not aware of a startup art in Cameroon," Dr Adeline Nembot added when asked what role the media can play in this regard.

“While we know that there's already a Startup Act going on in reflections, but majority of stakeholders do not know that a Startup Act is going on. So, I think that the media play a major role in vulgarizing , like this event, to vulgarize information through our different media, social media, and newspapers, so that people should be aware of this new business because it's still a new type of business which is different from the traditional way of doing business.”

Entrepreneurs attending the event expressed optimism about the findings and recommendations. “I'm going back with something very important. The first point is how to inform myself and where to get the right information concerning how to work or to get my financial investment here in Cameroon,” Martin Nsom, a participant and founder and CEO of Ashen L&P Empire based here in Yaoundé said.
“Now I know exactly the right structure, where to go, know the right person to whom I can address myself if I need one information or another when I'm working.”

Martin Nsom added: “We have been working in our company without knowing that we could have approached the services of the ministry or any other one to get the information, how to get some issues, how to get some things. So that was our first problem. So, we were having problems in financial and how to have our customers and things like that. I think it was because we lacked some information when we start our startup.”

The Nkafu Policy Institute’s findings and recommendations aim to inform policymakers and stakeholders about the urgent need to create a more equitable and thriving startup ecosystem. By addressing gender and regional disparities, enhancing funding access, and implementing the Startup Act, Cameroon can unlock the potential of its entrepreneurs and drive sustainable economic growth.

Ittia Bruno, Director of Communications at the Foretia Foundation said: “The take-home message is that, number one, the importance of start-ups in Cameroon cannot be overstated. They are critical, especially at the situation we are looking towards emergence by 2035. We cannot get to that emergence without putting start-ups in an enabling environment, an environment that is going to enable them to fully unleash their potential.”

“The second thing is that we really have to do everything within our powers. And within our powers, I'm not talking just about the civil society. It's the civil society, it's the government, its different development partners, it's the start-uppers themselves. We all have to come together, work together to make sure that we can collectively push for the establishment of the Start-Up Act that is going to guide the way start-ups actually evolve in Cameroon.”