CAMEROON: the World Bank finances the digitalization of the agricultural sector

With $100 million from the World Bank Group, Cameroonian authorities are accelerating the digital economy, starting with a program to digitize agricultural systems.

The Cameroon Digital Transformation Acceleration Project (PATNUC) is on track. It has just been officially launched by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (Minpostel) which is piloting its implementation jointly with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Minader) and that of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries (Minepia).

For a total cost of $100 million financed by the World Bank via its subsidiary the International Development Association (IDA), PATNUC initially aims to develop digital solutions to boost agricultural productivity in this African country. central. Concretely, for the Cameroonian authorities, this will involve expanding access to the internet and improving the digital skills of farms in both urban and rural areas.

“We will therefore develop applications specific to food crops and stimulate employment and entrepreneurship among young people. The aim is to boost the information and communication technologies (ICT) sector to support the National Development Strategy (SND30) ,” indicate the Cameroonian authorities. This transformation will promote the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) in order to optimize harvests, reduce the quantities of waste on farms and increase farmers' income.