YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – The Government of Cameroon and the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) have signed loan agreements worth €136 million to finance a major programme aimed at developing skills, creating jobs, and modernising infrastructure in the country’s conflict-affected Far North region.
The agreements for the five-year initiative, known as the Building Capacities and Skills for Employability and Entrepreneurship in the Extrême Nord Region (CAP2E), were signed in Yaoundé by Cameroon’s Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Alamine Ousmane Mey, and the Bank’s Director General for Central Africa, Léandre Bassolé.
The financing package includes €130.2 million from the African Development Bank’s non-concessional window and €5.8 million from its concessional lending arm, the African Development Fund (https://apo-opa.co/46GcPXC).
The programme will provide technical and vocational training for 6,000 young people, support the creation of at least 5,000 jobs—40% of them for women—and deliver assistance to more than 500 small and medium-sized businesses.
Beyond skills and entrepreneurship, the initiative will also fund the construction or rehabilitation of 22 training centres and 29 social facilities, expand access to healthcare and education, and support renewable energy projects to build climate resilience in the region.
“The aim is to invest in human capital, strengthen the skills of local people and create job opportunities in promising sectors such as agriculture and renewables,” Minister Mey said at the signing ceremony. “The programme will help to promote shared prosperity, reduce inequalities and consolidate social stability, with particular attention to young people and women.”
Describing the initiative as a “genuine catalyst for transformation,” Bassolé highlighted its potential to strengthen infrastructure, promote private sector entrepreneurship, and boost solar energy development. “Through this initiative, the Bank reaffirms its commitment to promoting the sustainable empowerment of young people and women by means of targeted, high-impact interventions,” he said.
The project aligns with Cameroon’s national development strategy and the Bank’s 2023–2028 country strategy, while also supporting the government’s Special Programme for the Reconstruction and Development of the Far North.
Media Contact:
Frédérique Pascale Essama Messanga
Communication and External Relations Department
African Development Bank
Email: [email protected]
About the African Development Bank Group (AfDB):
The African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) is Africa’s leading development finance institution, comprising the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF), and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). Represented in 41 African countries, with an external office in Japan, the Bank drives economic development and social progress across its 54 regional member states. For further information, visit www.AfDB.org.
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