04/06/2025
AfDB Approves €136 Million Development Package for Cameroon's Poorest Region
YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon - The African Development Bank announced on May 20, 2025 the approval of a €136 million loan to fund a comprehensive development initiative targeting Cameroon's Far North region, where poverty affects nearly three-quarters of the population.
The CAP2E project (Capacities and Competencies for Employability and Entrepreneurship) represents a five-year investment program running through 2029, designed to address unemployment, enhance entrepreneurship opportunities, and modernize critical infrastructure in the region where poverty rates reach 74%.
The financing structure combines 85.3 billion CFA francs from the AfDB's standard lending window with 3.8 billion CFA francs from the African Development Fund, the bank's concessional financing arm specifically designated for vulnerable populations.
CAP2E marks a significant milestone as the first AfDB project in Cameroon operating under a results-based disbursement mechanism, requiring achievement of predetermined performance indicators before funds are released.
"This project is a message of hope for thousands of Cameroonian men and women who aspire to a dignified life, decent employment, and a better future," stated Léandre Bassolé, AfDB's Director General for Central Africa during the announcement.
The initiative will span all six departments within the Far North region, employing what officials describe as an integrated approach prioritizing female entrepreneurship and climate resilience measures.
This approval expands the AfDB's active portfolio in Cameroon to 28 projects valued at $2.65 billion as of March 2025, underscoring the development bank's continued commitment to Central African economic growth.
