The aim is to enable companies to better position themselves in the market and make their products more competitive.

According to the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises, very small enterprises (VSEs) account for 70% of all SMEs in Cameroon. However, many of them are not sufficiently aware of the importance of the standardisation process. Yet standardisation is an important means of expanding their market and enabling them to move from one form to another.

It is for this reason the ministry, together with the Standards Agency, has set up a training and education framework on product and labelling standards. This framework targets SMEs and VSEs. This will help improve business performance. Mamba Luc Claude, head of communication and business support at Anor, says: “The quality approach is at the heart of a company’s success because it is standards that regulate the market and guarantee product quality for consumers and customers. A company that chooses a quality approach, i.e. compliance with standards, can be sure that its products will not fail in the market.”

And to make things easier for companies, he points out that Anor is in the process of putting in place policies and measures to support SMEs and VSEs in the quality-price approach. However, aware that the cost of certification is often too high for SMEs and VSEs, the Ministry and its partner Anor are inviting businesses (VSEs and SMEs) to join forces to reduce the cost of certification.