Cameroon’s Ambitious Plan to Transform Food Systems by 2028 with CONVERGEFOOD

CONVERGEFOOD Joint Programme Cameroon: A New Era for the National Food System

On March 25, 2026, in Yaoundé, the Government of Cameroon officially launched the CONVERGEFOOD joint programme in the presence of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Gabriel Mbairobe, the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Issa Sanogo, and several technical and financial partners.

Image credit: WFP/Jordan Onana, published by UNCDF.

What exactly does the programme involve?

CONVERGEFOOD is a multisectoral initiative jointly led by the Government of Cameroon and five UN agencies (WFP, FAO, UNEP, UNIDO, and UNCDF), with support from the Joint SDG Fund and the Global Food Systems Coordination Hub.

Anchored in Cameroon’s Food Systems Transformation Roadmap and the Convergence Action Plan, CONVERGEFOOD targets four priority value chains: rice, cassava, eggs, and dairy products. Its operational model is built around five complementary pillars:

• Cultivate: Improve agricultural productivity through improved seeds, agroecological practices, and climate-smart information systems.

• Process: Modernize local processing equipment to meet market quality standards.

• Connect: Link cooperatives and smallholder farmers to reliable markets, including school feeding programmes.

• Finance: Unlock blended finance through a Guarantee Fund and a Disbursement Fund for cooperatives.

• Sustain: Strengthen food systems governance to ensure long-term sustainability of outcomes.

The first phase of the programme (2026) will involve 44 cooperatives and more than 7,000 direct beneficiaries in the East, Adamawa, and Far North regions. By 2028, the programme aims to reach 1,000 cooperatives and 500,000 beneficiaries, including 120,000 children.

An innovative financing mechanism at the core of the programme

A central feature of CONVERGEFOOD is its blended finance mechanism, designed to attract and secure private-sector investment in agriculture. Managed by UNCDF starting in 2027, this mechanism will be financed by the Cameroonian government through a loan from the Islamic Development Bank under the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security, whose total commitment could reach up to $10 billion by 2030.

Presented in September 2025 during a side event at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, CONVERGEFOOD was described by UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed as “UN reform in action, acting as one entity and aligning mandates.”

Challenges and opportunities for Cameroon

Cameroon is currently facing several major challenges related to food security, nutrition, youth employment, climate change, and agricultural financing. More than 3.3 million people are experiencing food insecurity, while some regions report particularly high levels of vulnerability. In addition, child malnutrition remains highly prevalent, especially in the North and Far North regions.

In this context, the CONVERGEFOOD programme represents a strategic opportunity to sustainably transform the country’s food systems. By strengthening the rice and cassava value chains, the programme could help reduce dependence on food imports and improve the availability of locally produced foods. The expansion of school feeding programmes also represents an important lever for improving nutrition for more than 120,000 children while simultaneously supporting local agricultural cooperatives.

The programme also addresses youth employment challenges, as young people make up nearly 60% of Cameroon’s population. By supporting women- and youth-led cooperatives, CONVERGEFOOD promotes the creation of sustainable jobs in the agricultural and agro-processing sectors.

Furthermore, in response to floods, droughts, and other climate-related shocks that threaten harvests, the programme promotes agroecological practices and the use of climate-adapted seeds to strengthen the resilience of farming systems. Finally, through the establishment of innovative financing mechanisms, particularly guarantee funds for rural cooperatives, CONVERGEFOOD could improve smallholder farmers’ access to the financial resources needed to expand their activities and modernize agricultural production in Cameroon.

Sources

• United Nations in Cameroon. Cameroon launches CONVERGEFOOD Joint Programme to accelerate food systems transformation. cameroon.un.org, March 25, 2026.

• Actu24 Cameroun. Cameroon: CONVERGEFOOD programme launched to sustainably transform food systems. actu24.info, March 2026.

• Funds for NGOs. Accelerating Food Systems Transformation in Cameroon. fundsforngos.org, March 2026.

• UN Food Systems Hub. Cameroon advances food systems transformation with Convergence Initiative. unfoodsystemshub.org, 2025.

• WFP. Cameroon Country Brief 2026. wfp.org