Held under the theme "Certification of Local Products: A Guarantee of Conformity to Ensure Performance and Quality," this event has become a key gathering for promoting local expertise. From the early hours, artisans, visitors, and authorities filled the venue in a friendly and professional atmosphere. The carefully arranged booths showcased the diversity and richness of Cameroonian artisanal products, ranging from food products to works of art. It was a vibrant display of local economic potential, which remains largely untapped.
The official ceremony was marked by the arrival of Minister Achille Bassilekin III, who was received with full honors. In his address, the Mayor of Yaoundé 1 emphasized the need to strengthen the competitiveness of local products by bringing them up to standard. This observation was shared by institutional partners, particularly the Standards and Quality Agency (ANOR), which reaffirmed its commitment to supporting artisans in the certification process. The challenge is indeed significant.
To date, barely 38% of artisanal products meet the standards required to access modern markets. To reverse this trend, the government has announced an ambitious program that includes supporting 500 SMEs in obtaining certification, training 200 stakeholders in the use of barcodes, and training another 100 in standardization and labeling requirements. A dedicated support fund is also planned to facilitate this transition.
Beyond the rhetoric, the event distinguished itself through its practical approach. Exhibitions and sales, technical workshops, demonstrations, and B2B meetings enabled participants to strengthen their skills and expand their business opportunities. Visits to the booths by government officials provided increased visibility for artisans, while also highlighting their creativity and commitment.
In closing, the minister commended the initiative of the Yaoundé 1st district mayor, emphasizing that handicrafts represent a strategic lever for economic development and job creation. He emphasized that "enabling artisans to make a living from their craft, with dignity, necessarily depends on the quality and conformity of their products."
Through this third edition, Yaoundé 1er reaffirms its commitment to making crafts a pillar of local development, by progressively aligning "Made in Cameroon" products with international standards.