SAILD brought together around twenty bakers and pastry chefs on October 6, 2025. The event took place in the Elig-Essono neighborhood of Yaoundé, marking the official launch of a project to strengthen artisanal bakeries using local flours.
Cameroon has abundant local resources that can be used to reduce its growing dependence on imported wheat flour. With this in mind, the Support Service for Local Development Initiatives (SAILD) aims to promote the use of local flours in the production of bread and pastries. To this end, SAILD, in partnership with the Citizen Association for the Defense of Collective Interests (ACDIC), has launched a project entitled “Strengthening artisanal bakeries incorporating local flours in the production of bread and pastries in Cameroon.” The new initiative was presented to the press, bakers and pastry chefs, banking institutions, and many other stakeholders during the official launch workshop.
The objectives, challenges, and relevance of this project in the current context were also highlighted by Rodrigue Kouang, the Project Manager. “This project was developed in line with the import substitution policy launched by the Cameroonian government in 2021.
We believe that now is the right time to work on this issue, especially since there is a need for it. The aim of this project is to strengthen artisanal bakeries, run by local artisans, to incorporate local flours into the production of bread and pastries. Mainly cassava and potato flours” he said.
A chain of opportunities
According to him, throughout the project, the target individuals will be trained in aspects related to entrepreneurship, standards, and legislation. Where possible, they will receive support in the form of processing equipment. Dicastro Fomekong has been working with local flours since 2015. The baker-pastry chef has an estimated monthly turnover of more than 2 million CFA francs. He reassures us: “The sector is a gold mine of opportunities to be seized. Young people need to be trained in the use of local flours in order to promote them and encourage consumers to accept the products made from them. This will enable large-scale production to be considered. The project is therefore very well thought out. We want to reduce flour imports, so we need to invest in it” he said.
The bakers and pastry chefs gathered at the ceremony unanimously agreed that the project will be of great benefit to them. “It will enable us to obtain standard quality products using different local flours. It will help us to standardize the flour processing process so that we have certified flours. We want flour producers to offer us stable flours, so that no matter who we buy from, we have a standard flour like wheat flour” said Mélanie Judicaël Edoa, a producer of biscuits made from potato, cassava, and plantain flour. The project, which will be completed in 2026, will help reduce flour imports, enhance the local flour industry in Cameroon, and, in the long term, improve food security in the country.
- Sharon Maché
