IFAD, Cameroon and World Bank launch AgriConnect Compact to transform agropastoral sector

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) jointly launched the AgriConnect Country Compact with the Government of Cameroon, the World Bank Group and development partners in Yaoundé on 22 October 2026, according to a press release by IFAD. The action framework aims to accelerate agropastoral and agrifood sector transformation. It also seeks to strengthen food security, create jobs, particularly for young people and women, and mobilize public and private investment. The Compact is built around three pillars: strengthening the foundations of the agrifood sector, accelerating policy and regulatory reforms, and providing access to finance for producers and businesses. It targets rice, maize, cassava, oil palm, cocoa, soybean, dairy and aquaculture value chains.

Cameroon’s agrifood sector accounts for around 17 percent of GDP and 42 percent of employment, representing some 4.7 million workers. Limited access to quality inputs, infrastructure, technologies, markets and finance continues to constrain its development. Food imports average 3.5 percent of GDP, underscoring the potential for increased local production and processing. The Compact was jointly developed by the Government and the World Bank Group in collaboration with the private sector and development partners. It aligns with the National Development Strategy 2020-2030, the Rural Sector Development Strategy/National Agricultural Investment Plan, and the Integrated Agropastoral and Fisheries Import-Substitution Plan.

By 2030, the Compact aims to raise annual maize production to 6 million tonnes and palm oil production to 800,000 tonnes. It targets a 55 percent self-sufficiency rate in rice and plans to meet 60 percent of national milk demand through domestic production. Fisheries and aquaculture production is set to reach 450,530 tonnes. The food import bill is projected to fall by 28 percent, from approximately US$1.6 billion to US$1.15 billion. The initiative brings together 24 interventions requiring an estimated US$1.87 billion in investment over 2026–2030.

“IFAD is proud to be a founding partner of the AgriConnect initiative. We remain fully committed, alongside the Government of Cameroon and our partners, to leveraging our experience and investments to advance this shared vision particularly by supporting youth agropastoral entrepreneurship, developing inclusive value chains, increasing access to rural finance and stronger resilience to climate change,” said Eric Rwabidadi, IFAD Country Director, speaking at the ceremony on behalf of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Cameroon.

The interventions span seeds, mechanization, irrigation, rural and storage infrastructure, processing, cold-chain development, agricultural extension, digital solutions, land tenure, policy and regulatory reforms, and access to finance.

IFAD’s contribution will draw on its experience with small-scale farmers and on current programmes operating in Cameroon. These include PADFA II, focused on rice and onion value chains, and ACREGIR, which supports green entrepreneurship and climate resilience. PAIDATA promotes sustainable agricultural intensification and the agroecological transition in cocoa and coffee value chains. PEA-Jeunes II supports agropastoral entrepreneurship among young people and women. At the AgriConnect announcement in October 2025, IFAD pledged to reach at least 70 million small-scale farmers by 2030.