Building Small Business in Cameroon

Every morning, Mercy Ngumsi bathes her three children and prepares them for school. She and her kids then walk a bumpy and winding road for about 45 minutes to Mbingo II, a locality in Cameroon’s Northwest region. Once she drops the kids at school, Mercy heads to her shop at the Mbingo I market to start business for the day.

Mercy’s shop is stocked with food, like peanuts, rice, beans, potatoes, bread and soda, as well as buckets, cups and soaps. Mercy’s business is flourishing now, but it was not always easy. Throughout the past 10 years, she has been faced with financial difficulties and other challenges.

“When I started my business, I had to borrow goods from suppliers, which I sold and repaid to make ends meet,” says Mercy. “Most times, business was not good and when I was not able to refund on time, the suppliers would often insult me. After close to 12 years in business, I had little or no profit.”

Then, in April 2023, Mercy was approached by a community mobilizer of Catholic Relief Services’ Anglophone Crisis Emergency Response, or ACER project (ACER), who encouraged Mercy to apply to be an ACER  project vendor, given her proximity to the community and willingness to stock necessary food and household items.

As a project vendor, Mercy is reimbursed based on the sales she’s made.

“My participation in the project as a vendor has yielded remarkable results,” says Mercy. “My turnover increased significantly, surpassing any previous sales I have ever made. After only two rounds of sales to project participants, I was able to clear my debts and increase my capital.”

With the proceeds from Mercy’s booming business, she has purchased a piece of land in her community where she is currently building a house for her family. Mercy now purchases her goods in bulk, which allows her to increase her profits.

 

Mercy Ngumsi, a project vendor for the Anglophone Crisis Emergency Response, or ACER project, talks with a Caritas worker during a routine monitoring visit to her shop.

Photo by Eric Wanyu for CRS

 

 As an ACER project vendor, Mercy was trained on how to use wireless printers and smart phones.

“I now manage my digital transactions with ease,” Mercy says. “I relate better with my customers and the number of clients has doubled.”

As she looks towards the future, Mercy is optimistic that her business will continue to grow.

The ACER project is funded by USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and implemented by Catholic Relief Services in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Bamenda. The Anglophone Crisis Emergency Response project responded to the basic needs of 10,800 internally displaced individuals and host families in 19 communities affected by the ongoing crisis in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions. From April 2023 to April 2024, families received seven rounds of monthly food assistance and a one-time credit to purchase household supplies. Over 100 families also received training on basic poultry raising to launch poultry-raising businesses to help them become more self-sufficient. Over the past four years, CRS, and the Archdiocese of Bamenda have provided emergency assistance to more than 100,000 people in the Northwest with funding from USAID/BHA.  

 

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