|
|
Cameroon: Small and Medium Sized Enterprises at Crossroads
 |
 |
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
Cameroon Tribune (Yaoundé)
28 February 2008
Posted to the web 28 February 2008
Lukong Pius Nyuylime
Their zeal to partake in development projects is seriously hampered by technical, financial and material hitches.
At the moment government is announcing a medley of major development projects, one of the stakeholders in realising the lofty dream, the Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, is grappling with survival. The long standing irking problems of what really is a small and medium sized enterprise remains unsolved in spite of the project to make an inventory of all the SMEs in the country. The survey launched by the Ministry of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicraft, aimed at identifying and classifying existing ones.
In effect, the disturbing issue is coming out with a clear definition of the elements that make an enterprise to be called small and medium sized. The committee charged with carrying out this duty had to fouc on things like: fixed capital, running capital, nature of activity, number of workers and longevity of the enterprise. The result of the survey was expected to help government build up a realistic policy for SMEs which today contribute significantly to the national economy. Through this survey, government is expected to establish a list of SMEs and create a website for them. The survey was equally expected to flush out big enterprises which continue to claim impersonate as SMEs in order to enjoy the facilities reserved for the latter.
That notwithstanding, the existing SMEs are known to be going through very difficult times. Many are technically, financially and materially handicapped. Once solicited for a contract, they barely put bits and pieces together to execute the project which they themselves requested for. They lack the necessary stand-by funds which can sustain their works pending disbursement from the project owner. The situation is more challenging for SMEs operating in the public works sector.
|
As far as the up-coming major projects are concerned, SMEs in this sector need to build up their capacities besides what government is proposing as assistance to valorise their performance. They need to build up their capacities in the following areas: preparing and submitting bids (mechanized works and road mending) which are both competitive and realistic, organizing and managing mechanized job sites: site management, full sequence of site management and organization activities including the techniques and methods for carrying out road maintenance tasks; monitoring the performance of their teams (schedule, specifications, cost prices), complying with quality standards, managing public works equipment, carrying out routine maintenance, and having available the necessary operators for driving their equipment.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2008 Cameroon Tribune. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
