In a capacity-building workshop launching the UK New Women and Girls Strategy programme ahead of the 2025 International Women’s Day, the British High Commission and its partners challenged Cameroonian women to break self-imposed barriers and transform themselves into exemplary entrepreneurs.
It was an all-women event held at the British Residence in Yaounde on March 4, 2025 under the watchful eyes of the British High Commissioner to Cameroon, Matt Woods.
Participants including financial partners, the Ladies in the Board Room UK-backed project, influential female entrepreneurs and aspiring young women entrepreneurs, unanimously agreed that women owe their success in entrepreneurship to their mindset and life choices.
One of the barriers they highlighted was the lack of self-esteem and confidence. The lead speakers noted that most women don’t believe they are fit or qualified to venture in some fields of entrepreneurship because they are reserved for a particular type of people.
To prove to the young female aspiring entrepreneurs that nothing is reserved for a particular set of people, organisers brought in some women who hold positions some people will think a female can’t assume. Among them were Leonie Chedjou who is owner of a modern woodwork factory, Patience Melone who is Board Chair of Access Bank Cameroon, the only women to hold that position at the bank, Playne Fuondjing who owns Queensway Educational Complex in Yaounde, and Dr. Edith Gibson, an entrepreneur, medical aesthetician specializing in skincare and youth advocacy and founder of Tropics Derma Institute among others.
Another limitation they raised was language insufficiency. Patience Melone noted with regret that young women today speak way too much of Pidgin English, which unconsciously slips out of their mouth in a serious, formal context. This, she added, portrays incompetency in the eyes of potential sponsors.
She also condemned the way some women dress to go to public offices, which speaks volumes of who they are and the treatment they deserve.
The speakers also pointed out that most aspiring entrepreneurs lack the necessary skills, knowledge to excel. They do not learn and collaborate with each other to level up their skills.
The way forward
Leonie Chedjou who is wife of former Indomitable Lions defender Aurelien Chedjou, urged women to be daring. “Despite being the wife of a soccer play, I decided to dare, to be me first, before being called the wife of…,” she said.
Through the Ladies in the Board Room project, the UK is providing young entrepreneurs with mentorship and financial assistance.
Cognizant of the grisly financial challenges young entrepreneurs face, financial partners like Ecobank reveal that they are ready to offer loans of up to FCFA 30 million to serious entrepreneurs even without any collateral security through their Elevate Programme.
Edith Gibson and fellow speakers urged young entrepreneurs to build useful networks, credibility and make themselves available while being “intentional” about what they are doing.
Testimonies
As proof of the great job being done by the UK via its Ladies in the Board Room project and other partners to empower young women, a couple of beneficiaries showed up to show gratitude and equally inspire dozens of aspiring entrepreneurs present at the event.
They included Mbeng Lilian alias Caro the comedian, script writer, influencer, actress, model and film producer. The popular skit maker revealed she received FCFA one million from Ladies in the Board Room when she was about to premier her Broken Roses film.
The event ended with a mini exhibition showcasing the amazing work of some inspiring women entrepreneurs. The stands featured skincare products, natural fruit drinks, cocoa-related products without sugar, eye-catching designs and a lot more.
Closing the discussion, Matt Woods disclosed that he was inspired by the women, saying: “Three things struck me.” He said the women left him with a few words to remember including, “passion and vision, dare and intentionality”.
The International Women’s Day is a global day that celebrates women’s political, economic and cultural achievements. Commemorated every March 8, this year’s celebration is taking place under the theme: “Accelerate Action”, which is a worldwide call to acknowledge strategies, resources, and activities that positively impact women’s advancement, and to support and elevate their implementation.
First published in NewsWatch newspaper No 203 of Thursday, March 6, 2025.
