ENGEN
Empowering the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs
Overview
Building Resilient Businesses in Times of Crisis
How Startups and SMEs Can Survive and Grow in the North West Region
The North West Region of Cameroon has, over the past several years, faced a prolonged and deeply destabilising socio-political crisis. For entrepreneurs operating in Bamenda and surrounding areas, the challenges are not hypothetical — they are daily realities: disrupted supply chains, reduced purchasing power, limited access to finance, restricted movement, and a general climate of uncertainty that makes long-term planning feel almost impossible.
And yet, business continues. Founders adapt. Entrepreneurs improvise. Some have not only survived but quietly grown — not because the environment became easier, but because they learned to build differently.
It is precisely this spirit that ENGEN's third edition has been designed to meet and amplify. Organized in strategic partnership with the Regional Delegation for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Social Economy, and Handicrafts (MINPMEESA) of the North West Region, this edition is carrying a single, urgent conviction: that resilient businesses are not accidents — they are built, deliberately, with the right frameworks, the right mentorship, and the right community.
With 50 seats available and a carefully curated half-day program, ENGEN Bamenda is bringing together founders, business owners, and managers from across the North West Region for a morning of honest conversation, practical tools, and concrete strategies — all tailored to the specific realities they face every day.
The Collaboration
A Formal Partnership Built on Shared Purpose
This edition did not emerge overnight. Behind the April 25 event lies weeks of deliberate co-design, formal agreements, and institutional collaboration — the kind that gives a program both legitimacy and reach.
On April 16, 2026, Durable Impact and the MINPMEESA Regional Delegation of the North West Region held a formal collaboration meeting, running from 12:00 PM to 1:10 PM. The meeting's primary objective was to finalize and adopt the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) governing their joint delivery of ENGEN III. Both parties presented, discussed the concept note, and proposed amendments to the MOU in a session described by all participants as positive, constructive, and marked by strong mutual willingness to work together.
Among the key topics addressed were the co-design of the training curriculum, the respective contributions of trainers from both institutions, logistical coordination, and communication strategy — an area in which Durable Impact committed to maintain the same standard of communication excellence demonstrated in previous editions.
The collaboration brought Durable Impact's entrepreneurship expertise and program design capability together with MINPMEESA's institutional authority, local network, and deep knowledge of the North West Region's business environment — a combination purpose-built to ensure ENGEN III would land with both credibility and genuine local relevance.
Community Response
The Momentum Before the Morning
As the event date approaches, the response from the North West entrepreneurial community is telling the story. Registration is still open through a publicly shared Google Form, and interest is building rapidly — confirming that the need for this kind of program was both real and urgent.
Three data points stood out. First, gender representation is strong — a positive signal for an event held in a region where women entrepreneurs have historically been underrepresented in business development programs. Second, an encouraging 52% of registrants identified as startup founders — precisely the audience ENGEN is designed to serve. Third, the sector breakdown reflected real diversity, spanning agriculture, trade, services, technology, and the creative industries — underscoring the breadth of Bamenda's entrepreneurial landscape.
The registration link has been shared widely across the team's networks with a clear message: "If you are running a business in Bamenda, this session is for you."
Click to RegisterWhat's Next
Beyond the Morning
ENGEN III is not designed to be a one-day event with no follow-through. The partnership with MINPMEESA opens a longer path - one that Durable Impact intends to walk with participants through continued touchpoints, a growing alumni network, and future editions that go deeper into the frameworks which would be introduced on April 25.
For the North West Region specifically, the conversation about resilient entrepreneurship is not one that can be finished in a single morning. But it has to start somewhere. ENGEN III is that start.
If you're an organization, institution, or community leader interested in bringing ENGEN to your network - we'd love to hear from you.