Technological Innovation: the strides of ICTS in Cameroon

An ANTIC-organised forum grouping innovators and sponsors began in Yaounde on Wednesday August 6.

Technological innovation developers in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) are meeting in Yaounde to present innovative projects to potential sponsors so that their ideas could be transformed into finished products and services for the good of the country’s socio-economic development.

This is within the framework a three-day forum organised by the National Agency for Information and Communication Technology (ANTIC) which began in Yaounde yesterday August 6 under the chairmanship of ANTIC’s General Manager, Dr Ebot Ebot Enaw.

The forum, he said, brings young innovators, other actors and potential sponsors together so that they can network and showcase their innovative projects with a view to providing funding for these projects and in so doing ensuring a large-scale development of these projects.

It seeks to stimulate innovation in ICT sector in an effort to sustain its competitiveness. Through the exhibition, Dr Ebot Ebot Enaw said, ANTIC intends to position itself as a major player in encouraging young people to create startups.

“We want to encourage the development of the spirit of innovation in our country. It is going to encourage developers of projects because we have so many young guys out there who have developed all sorts of innovative applications but there are no sponsors,” he said.

“Available statistics show that a 10 per cent increase in broadband coverage results in a 1.3 per cent increase in the GDP of a country. This indicates that there is a strong co-relation between ICT and development. So, we need to innovate for ICT to continue to play this role as an enabler for the development of other sectors,” the ANTIC GM said.

For three days beginning yesterday August 6, participants have been and will be listening to lectures on “Technological innovation, what solution for SMEs,” “Mobility, open innovation and development,” “Innovation and research at the service of development,” “The role of the internet and ICT in the economy,” and “Transformation of ideas into projects, among others.