PIPRA Cameroun S.A.
A revolution for rural women and youth serving “Made in Cameroon”: Armand Gaetan NGUETI and his expert advisers deploy the architecture of FUTPAC’s ATRI project
YAOUNDÉ — In a decisive move for Cameroon’s agricultural and economic sovereignty, Armand Gaetan NGUETI, FUTPAC’s Official Representative, accompanied by a team of leading experts, presented the National Project for Accelerating Inclusive Rural Transformation (ATRI). This strategic plan, a true “architecture for action”, becomes the federation’s exclusive roadmap for placing rural women and young people at the heart of national industrialisation. FUTPAC is the federation of common initiative group unions for processing agricultural products in Cameroon.
A team of experts for structural transformation
The strength of the ATRI project lies in the multidisciplinary team surrounding NGUETI.
During the presentation to FUTPAC’s Founding President and regional and departmental presidents, each expert contributed precise technical insights to ensure the viability of this ambitious initiative:
- Mr Arnold BALEP, an expert in rural mobilisation and agro-pastoral project development, detailed the strategy for mobilising rural populations and organising production areas.
- Mr Élisée GHOMSI, a specialist in integrating digitalisation processes into agriculture, explained the transition mechanisms towards Agriculture 4.0, ensuring that remote areas are no longer left behind.
- Mr Bertrand AWONO, a specialist in microcredit, financial structuring and auditing, presented the de-risked financing model and audit mechanisms ensuring transparency in the use of funds.
- Mr Yannick Stanislas AYANGMA, an accounting and tax professional, contributed expertise on organising cooperatives’ accounts and optimising taxation for processing units.
- Mr Serge SEPPOH, a communications expert and economic journalist, stressed the importance of strengthening the image of “Made in Cameroon” and raising the media profile of rural successes.
Food sovereignty: the eight strategic PIISAH sectors at the heart of ATRI
The ATRI project positions itself as an implementation vehicle for accelerating the Integrated Agro-Pastoral and Fisheries Import-Substitution Plan (PIISAH) 2024–2026.
To reduce a trade deficit exceeding CFA 500 billion, the expert team is deploying solutions for the government’s eight critical sectors:
- Rice: a tonnage target to bring imports to an end.
- Maize: sovereignty in animal feed and human food.
- Wheat and local flours: incorporating substitute flours made from cassava and sweet potato.
- Millet and sorghum: resilience and industrial development of crops from the northern regions.
- Soybeans: protein self-sufficiency.
- Oil palm: modernisation and traceability of locally produced oil.
- Fish: a tonnage target for national aquaculture in 2027.
- Cattle and milk: organising industrial milk collection.
Technological innovation: Camtrade Pass and UAA-DP
Under Armand Gaetan NGUETI’s supervision, the project incorporates two global digital tools:
Camtrade Pass™ and Camtrade Pass Money: in partnership with Flutterwave, this solution offers geolocated traceability and payments at “zero cost” to producers. The resulting “credit score” replaces a land title as banking collateral.
UBTS Africa Agritech Digital Passport (UAA-DP): this blockchain technology transforms FUTPAC’s products into “data-rich” assets that meet the requirements of the AfCFTA and international markets.
Five strategic recommendations to the government
Concluding this historic session, Armand Gaetan NGUETI, supported by his advisers, presented a major strategic case organised around five pillars:
- Land access and territorial development: guarantee secure access to land for women’s and young people’s cooperatives through the project for land development and the settlement of large agricultural producers in Cameroon’s Central Plain, a strategic initiative led by MINADER.
- Institutionalising the trust label: recognise ATRI digital traceability as legitimate collateral for the banking sector.
- Tax and customs incentives: grant exemptions on processing equipment acquired by FUTPAC members.
- Priority in public procurement: systematically favour certified products from the ATRI–FUTPAC network when supplying State institutions.
- Broad support for agritech: deploy national programmes to make Cameroonian youth the driving force of agricultural innovation in Africa, in accordance with PDI 2035.
The ATRI project thus marks the end of the informal era. Under the leadership of Armand Gaetan NGUETI and his team of experts, the rural world officially becomes the new foundation of Cameroon’s industrial emergence.
About the author: Armand Gaetan NGUETI is FUTPAC’s Principal Strategy and Execution Adviser and Official Representative. He leads a multidisciplinary team of experts dedicated to the structural transformation of Cameroon’s economy.
Press contact: FUTPAC Technical Secretariat
Yaoundé, Republic of Cameroon
