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https://reasonstobecheerful.world/africa-donors-support-local-businesses-widu-germany/>
"Cars and motorcycle taxis struggle through the deep potholes of the dusty
road. Visiting Sandra Tembei’s company, Mellow Group, makes you forget that her
carpentry workshop is located in Douala, Cameroon’s major economic metropolis
and an important port on the African west coast. This is what it often looks
like here.
“The roads are a disaster!” says 31-year-old Tembei, who stands with her arms
crossed at the entrance to the workshop while men in dusty trousers carry a
kitchen worktop behind her. The air smells of wood, glue and sweat.
Mellow Group manufactures furniture, advertising signs and fitted kitchens.
“Because of the poor roads, we always have to pack things carefully so that
they are not damaged during transport,” says Tembei.
In addition to the disastrous infrastructure, extremely slow bureaucracy and
corruption make business life difficult. Above all, however, companies in
Cameroon lack money for investment. Tembei says that loans are difficult to
obtain, and those who do succeed in securing one are charged up to 30 percent
interest.
Access to money is a major obstacle for companies in the Central African
country. “Banks in Cameroon, as in other African countries, are underdeveloped
and have little capital,” says Tobias Heidland, professor and head of the
International Development Research Center at the Kiel Institute, a nonprofit
specializing in economic research.
Tembei’s solution: She built her business with money from Cameroonians living
and working abroad. This has been supported by WIDU, an initiative commissioned
by the German government that connects African donors living in Europe with
small businesses in their home countries. The WIDU platform is currently active
in six African countries."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
