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Africa has 25 percent of the world’s arable land but only generates 10 percent of global agricultural output. Growing throughout the continent is mostly artisanal with low levels of mechanization and productivity. There is a development imperative to help farmers in Africa, particularly sub-Saharan Africa to shift from the predominant traditional subsistence agriculture to commercial and market-oriented agriculture primarily through the development of strong value chains. 

In Cameroon, agriculture contributes more than 20 percent of non-oil gross domestic product and employs 60 percent of the active population, 75 percent of which are women. The Government of Cameroon’s 2009–2019 “Growth and Employment Strategy” identifies the agriculture sector as the engine for economic growth and job creation and recognizes the need for agricultural diversification, increased productivity, and large-scale investments in the sector.

This joint US $6 million World Bank/IFC solution focuses on the three largest value chains in Cameroon—namely cassava, maize, and sorghum—which are grown by over 75 percent of the farms. The project is part of a comprehensive initiative that pulls together public and private partners and resources to support the sustainable development of agriculture in the country.

Working alongside BICEC, one of the top banking networks in Cameroon and part of the French banking group BPCE, this project allows IFC—with GAFSP support—to build a more productive and efficient agricultural sector in Cameroon through better access to finance and competitive supply chains. 

This project will target poverty reduction by supporting the provision of access to credit and productive assets to producer organizations. This will enable GAFSP and IFC to help intensify production systems and contribute to increased production, food security and competitiveness as well as to improved livelihoods and reduced poverty for beneficiaries. 

Through increased access to finance and growth, this project will contribute to promote shared prosperity, measured by monitoring increased employment, particularly in terms of incremental on- and off-farm employment as well as additional jobs created by agribusiness buyers. 

The increased agricultural growth that results from this project will play a key role in addressing food insecurity and will contribute to improving the livelihood of vulnerable rural population groups in Cameroon.