Access Bank Cameroon Launches First Womenpreneurs Pitch-A-Ton

• Access Bank Cameroon has launched the country’s first Womenpreneurs Pitch-A-Ton program
• The initiative targets women entrepreneurs and fosters Cameroon's economic ecosystem
• Training, mentorship, and financial grants will be given to women-led businesses through this program

Access Bank Cameroon has launched the first-ever Womenpreneur Pitch-A-Ton in the country, aimed at supporting women entrepreneurship as a means of contributing to the development of the economy.

Held in Douala, the launch marks a key milestone in providing structured training, mentorship from leading business experts, and financial support-all for the first time in Cameroon-to women-led businesses.

The initiative is part of Access Bank's W Initiative, a women-focused program active across Africa since 2019. In its first edition in Cameroon, 150 women entrepreneurs have been selected to take part in capacity-building sessions from the International Finance Corporation, with additional support from the African Guarantee Fund.

Access Bank Cameroon Managing Director Ellis Nzo Asu discussed the program’s significance, considering that African women are the fulcrum around which every economic activity revolves, while many do not have investment opportunities or structured guidance.

The W Initiative and Pitch-A-Ton provide that gap by offering training, mentorship, and financing that help businesses scale up. Participants will receive IFC’s Mini-MBA training on profitability, cash flow management, record keeping, working capital optimization, credit management, and investor pitching.

This year’s program offers seed funding of 3 million FCFA to the winner, while the first runner-up will get 2 million FCFA, and the second runner-up will walk away with 1 million FCFA.

Charlotte Ndaw Sako, as the Country Director for the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Cameroon, Gabon, Central African Republic, São Tomé and Príncipe, reiterated the IFC's strong commitment to increasing the capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in these markets by supporting female entrepreneurs in formalising their businesses and improving financial management practices.

The W Initiative has already provided support to over 100,000 female entrepreneurs throughout Africa, and extending this initiative to Cameroon will help establish a solid base of entrepreneurs ready to receive investment.

The Pitch-A-Ton addresses many of the challenges that female business owners experience, such as limited access to capital, limited professional networks, and limited visibility in the marketplace. The Pitch-A-Thon is open to businesses of all sizes and sectors, including technology and eco-friendly products, beauty and fashion, and agriculture. In order to qualify for the Pitch-A-Thon, companies must meet the minimum criteria for annual turnover or capital of at least three million CFA.

Access Bank Cameroon Plc is part of the Access Bank Group, the largest commercial banking group in Africa, with over 52 million clients across 24 countries on three continents, as well as additional representative offices in China, Lebanon, India and Hong Kong.