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A non-profit organization located in Douala, Cameroon, ASAFE seeks to advance and expand entrepreneurships, giving priority to small enterprises owned or managed by women. 53% of the population in Cameroon is female, and are most negatively impacted by unemployment stemming from the country's economic crisis. It is thus extremely important that these women have access to support. ASAFE has made its mission to educating female entrepreneurs in management, introducing them to new technologies, and enabling them access to international markets.
Gisèle Yitamben, the general director and promoter of ASAFE, espouses the need for organized support for women entrepreneurs. The current role of women in the Information Technology sector is a passive and domesticated one, according to Gisèle. Women need to break out and "move towards being on par with the men in the domain." According to Gisèle, the intention is to increase female participation in the sector, so that in the future women will not only utilize Information Technology but also contribute to it.
The majority of micro enterprises with 1 to 5 employees and small enterprises with 6 to 10 employees are owned by women entrepreneurs in Cameroon, in fields such as food, agriculture, and commerce. With this in mind, ASAFE provides management training and small loans to women in order to help them develop their businesses. ASAFE's micro-credit program, Femme Credit Epargne (FCE), began in 1993. "Women in general do not have access to bank credit because they do not have easy access to title deeds," said Gisèle. FCE tackles this problem by facilitating access to financial aid, waiving the need for a physical guarantee and offering a maximum credit of 150.000F CFA (US$205) for a period of six months to one year. This credit, coupled with the training that ASAFE offers, aids the female African community immensely, providing them with a better foundation and more support in order to succeed.
ASAFE's work aims to assist women in the IT sector because ASAFE believes that "through education and encouragement they can leave behind the traditional female roles and enter the working world with more competence and savoir-faire." The ASAFE headquarters are located in Cameroon, but they are in the process of branching out to other African countries as well.
The Cisco Gender Networking Academy will begin on April 30, 2001 and is open to high school graduates and university students. The academy expects approximately thirty students for its first six-month course, priority given to Cameroon youths and especially females.
