CIMAR Technopole
The Service International d'Appui au Développement (SIAD) is an international solidarity organisation founded in 1988.
Overview of the project
The CIMAR Technopôle is a training and job placement scheme for young people and women in innovative trades in the green and circular economy, in the Mongo department of Cameroon. The centre is run as a consortium by the French NGO SIAD and the Cameroonian foundation Agro-PME. It currently comprises a network of 10 training centres, incubators and businesses. 5 value chains are targeted: oil palm, pepper, cocoa, horticulture and short-cycle livestock.
From 2020 to 2023, as part of the European Union’s programme to support vocational training in the Archipelago region of Africa, the CIMAR Technopôle provided support for more than 400 young people in synergy with more than 100 players in the ecosystem.
Our vocational and entrepreneurial training offer is based on 4 main courses, alternating between the training centre and the company:
– My Job, designed to help young people find paid employment. The programme includes 10 technician and sales specialities
– SMARTA, to help young people launch start-ups
– Agribusiness Advisor Mentor, for training as a business advisor
– My Business, to accelerate the development of SMEs and create job opportunities for young people.
Today, CIMAR is seeking to pursue its activities and build a sustainable business model to meet the challenge of integrating young people into the local economy.
Supporting the professional integration of young rural people in green economy trades through dual training and entrepreneurial support in the Moungo department in Cameroon.
Ongoing research
01/11/2020 - 22/04/2023
In 29 months of activity :
* More than 1,500 people made aware of vocational training opportunities
* 4 TVET pathways designed and tested: 3 for young people and 1 for SMEs
* 440 young people trained in dual vocational and entrepreneurial training out of 350 targeted, including :
– 34% women
– 13% MR and PDI
* 326 young people integrated, i.e. an integration rate of 75% and 76% of young people declaring themselves to be in employment 6 months after leaving the training courses
* 7 training centres reinforced
* 103 MSMEs involved in local development activities
* 32 MSMEs accelerated and trained in welcoming young people into companies
The project has enabled the centre’s training offer to be strengthened and its operations to be structured:
– 4 training courses designed, tested and validated and ready to be rolled out again
– support for the integration of trained young people into employment and self-employment
– strengthening the 7 training centres integrated into the technology park: equipping the technical platforms, strengthening the capacity of the teams, new courses and services offered
– developing a framework for consultation and negotiation between agro-industries and cooperatives around vocational training and the emergence of start-ups in the region, raising awareness among institutional players and financial institutions.
492,000 grant from the European Union's Archipelago programme
organisation
The Service International d’Appui au Développement (SIAD) is an international solidarity organisation founded in 1988. Today it focuses on two main activities: supporting the creation of impact businesses in Africa from Europe and setting up vocational training and entrepreneurship schemes in Africa, in partnership with local associations and institutions.
in collaboration
International donors:
– European Union
– CPCCAF
– Sequa
– Eurochambres
– IFAD
– OIM
– IRAD
Cameroonian institutional partners:
– Ministry of Youth and Civic Education (MINJEC), including the CMPJ Incubator programme
– Agency for the Promotion of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (APME)
Financial institutions :
– MUFID
– MUPECI
Other private partners :
– Plantation du Haut Penaj (Fruit company)
– COLEACP
– IGP Penja Pepper