Microfinance Focus, September 8, 2011: IFC signed an agreement with Cameroon Development Corporation to help train its sub-contractors and farmers to increase their efficiency and productivity, enhancing the sustainability of its programs and projects.

According to IFC, most of the smallholder farmers are illiterate and lack business knowledge and skills. They rely on their own memory as records and are unaware of their production costs. The training provided is expected to help the famers use financial records to make decisions on the management of their farms, which will in turn help them control costs and increase the quantity and quality of their crops.

IFC has partnered with consulting firms in Cameroon to deliver Business Edge training to hundreds of micro businessmen and women, especially on topics of human resources, marketing, finance, operations, and personal productivity skills. Henry Rabarijohn, IFC Country Manager for Cameroon, said, “This partnership ensures that Business Edge services will help support the growth and development of smallholder farmers, who are important both to their rural communities and to the national economy.”

IFC’s involvement in Cameroon includes increasing support to the small and medium enterprise sector; helping improve the business climate; and supporting direct investments in key sectors such as energy, agribusiness, and infrastructure.