The first cohort of ASSPRODEC’s Buyam Sellam STEM School has completed its training in Yaoundé, celebrating women traders and farmers who are learning to use practical technology and digital tools to strengthen their businesses and expand their economic opportunities.
Women’s economic empowerment stood at the heart of a vibrant celebration as the Association for the Promotion of Decent Work for Women and Girls Club (ASSPRODEC) honored the first graduates of its Buyam Sellam STEM School, an initiative designed to connect everyday market activities with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The program seeks to reduce digital exclusion among women traders and farmers while helping them integrate accessible technological solutions into their commercial practices and daily livelihoods.
The ceremony recognized the achievements of forty participants who successfully completed several weeks of hands-on learning focused on practical digital applications for small enterprises. Through simple lessons delivered in Pidgin English and French, trainees explored new approaches to customer engagement, product improvement, and business management using both basic and smart mobile devices. Families, institutional partners, and representatives of the National Association of Buyam Sellam joined the gathering, transforming the moment into a collective affirmation of women’s economic contribution across communities.
Organizers explained that the school was created to bridge the persistent gap between women entrepreneurs and structured technological knowledge. Across Cameroon, thousands of traders sustain local food systems and supply chains, yet many remain excluded from digital platforms capable of expanding commercial reach. The initiative therefore promotes accessible learning methods that convert widely used communication tools, including WhatsApp, into practical channels for sales, marketing, and client interaction.
The Yaoundé cohort, which began its journey with more than fifty learners supported by a team of facilitators, followed an interactive training model combining illustrated modules, voice-note lessons, and weekly assignments directly connected to market activities. Participants gradually transformed familiar devices into instruments for enterprise development, experimenting with strategies that strengthen income generation while improving product presentation and customer relations.
For ASSPRODEC leadership, the project represents more than a technical programme; it signals a broader transformation in the way women participate in the modern economy. According to Dr. Patricia Ngum, president of the organization, artificial intelligence and digital innovation have become permanent features of contemporary markets, making it essential for female traders to master both simple and advanced technologies in order to remain competitive.
The initiative was originally introduced during the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, reflecting a deliberate effort to highlight the role of women in scientific knowledge and entrepreneurship. Conceived by Dr. Elmine Fotabe, global president of ASSPRODEC and promoter of the project, the school aims to embed STEM concepts into everyday business practices, enabling market actors to innovate while remaining rooted in local economic realities.
Beyond skill acquisition, the programme seeks to inspire a national ecosystem where women-led commerce thrives through collaboration and technological adoption. Graduates are encouraged to use digital communication channels to promote products, attract customers, and expand commercial networks capable of connecting rural producers with urban consumers.
The graduation celebration coincided with the global commemoration of International Women’s Day under the theme “For All Women and Girls: Rights, Equality, Empowerment.” Within this context, organizers emphasized that investing in women’s knowledge generates collective progress, echoing the initiative’s guiding principle that when communities uplift women, economic resilience grows stronger.
With the successful completion of its inaugural cohort, the Buyam Sellam STEM School now stands as an emerging platform for inclusive innovation in Cameroon. For the women who completed the journey, the certificates received symbolize more than academic recognition; they represent the opening of new possibilities where technology, entrepreneurship, and determination converge to reshape the future of local markets.