Cameroon’s Small-to-Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (APME) has rolled out two applications, NotaPME and My’OBus, to support the country’s growing SME market.

NotaPME enables businesses to be rated online. The application allows users to create an account and have their enterprise rated by filling in forms to collect information about their business, performance and sector. The scale of the rating system has been organised around six risk categories – from ‘Very Low Risk’ to ‘Proven Defect’.

My'OBus is an online business development platform. It was designed to be integrated, interactive, intuitive and fully responsive on the web and can function with- or without internet connectivity.

The app has an admin interface with specific clearance access accounts to accommodate a range of users including both top-level and regular admins, as well as APME experts/advisors, accredited external consultants and beneficiary users.

The government wants to use the applications to attract potential investors with details of businesses, their growth and related opportunities.

Banks and investors will be furnished with information about the financial status of companies and their credibility. Besides improving risk management, the applications will help formalise SMEs in the country, over 90% of which operate in the information sector, according to National Institute of Statistics.

Cameroon’s Minister of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts Achille Bassilekin III implored Cameroonian SMEs to take advantage of the new digital solutions in order to improve on their productivity and output. “These two digital platforms henceforth make up a portion of our entrepreneurial ecosystem and opens better perspectives for Cameroonian SMEs.”

The APME has trained people on how to use the applications and Director Jean Marie Louis Badga outlined several practical benefits and use case scenarios in which the applications will add value.

He said that project holders can use the applications to simulate in realtime and at their own pace, will benefit from remote assistance, and contribute towards collateral generally required by financial institutions.

Businesses will gain clear perspective – at any time – of their level of credibility and their chances of securing formal loans, “…by having concrete feedback enabling them to improve their financial situation,” Bagda added.