Cameroon’s food systems transformation: From national pathway to delivering real change at scale (2021–2026)

Why Cameroon matters

A proof point that country-led transformation is possible

In 2021, Cameroon endorsed its National Food Systems Transition Roadmap, setting out a clear national direction for action and coordination. Since then, the country has steadily built momentum – strengthening governance, bringing ministries and stakeholders around the same table, and turning food systems priorities into a more practical, action-oriented agenda aligned with national development and climate goals.

Cameroon has remained actively engaged in global food systems processes, contributing to successive UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) Stocktakes and collaborating closely with UNFSS coalitions of action on agroecology, school meals, sustainable livestock, social protection, and resilient local food supply chains. Throughout this engagement, climate change adaptation and mitigation have been treated as concerns central to sustainable agriculture, food security and nutrition, rather than parallel issues.

Today, Cameroon is increasingly recognized as a frontrunner in bringing food systems transformation and climate action together. This is reflected in its participation in the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub’s Food Systems and Climate Action Convergence Initiative, as well as the development – under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator – of a joint UN programme that enables the UN Country Team to better integrate interventions addressing the food–climate nexus and, building on earlier efforts, mobilize financing at scale.

Cameroon’s experience illustrates how leadership, alignment and sustained support can unlock meaningful, country-led transformation. “Many hands can move a mountain.” – Grace Mbong, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and National Convenor for Food Systems Transformation.

Transformation in four years: Key milestones (2021–2026)

• 2021 – National Food Systems Convenor appointed; National Food Systems Transition Roadmap finalized; inter-ministerial governance platform established.
• 2021-present – Multi-stakeholder engagement mobilized and sustained across sectors and levels.
• 2024 – Hub begins targeted technical and financial support in rolling out specific elements of the national food systems pathways, including convergence of the agrifood and climate agendas.
• Feb 2025 (Yaoundé) – Convergence Initiative and Science-Policy-Society Interface launched with government, researchers, civil society and private sector stakeholders; agreement on a national Convergence Action Blueprint.
• 2025 – The Food Systems Climate Action Convergence Action Blueprint finalized, defining shared priorities and actions across food systems and climate agendas.
• July 2025: Successful UNFSS+4 country investment pitch by the Government of Cameroon and Resident Coordinator unlocks a further USD 15 million from the Global Flagship Initiative on Food Security (GFI) to scale up the USD 2 million seed funding from the Joint SDG Fund. There are ongoing conversations between MINEPAT, MINADER, RCO, IsDB and GFI to mobilise this concessional financing for 2027. The Islamic Development Bank will be the main donor for this project.
• March 2026 (Yaoundé) – Launch of the Joint SDG Fund Programme CONVERGEFOOD complemented by the Scalable Success Model implementation phase.
  

Why this story resonates beyond Cameroon

Cameroon’s progress goes beyond individual programmes and ministries/sectors, showing how broader transformation can take shape even in complex settings where institutional capacity and cross-sector coordination are still evolving. This experience highlights practical conditions that make country-led transformation achievable – and replicable.

What Cameroon built: Governance that enables delivery

Country-led governance as the foundation

Cameroon’s progress has been driven by national leadership and ownership, under the coordination of the National Convenor for Food Systems Transformation, Grace Mbong (Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), and supported by a growing multi-sectoral governance architecture. Food systems focal points for UNFSS coalitions are now in place across five ministries, enabling regular coordination and follow-up through a whole-of-government approach.

Food systems priorities are aligned with national development planning, including the National Development Strategy (SND30), and with international commitments on climate, biodiversity and nutrition. This alignment has helped raise the political profile of food systems domestically, including engagement with the Prime Minister’s Office and key line ministries.

How this is taking shape

In practice, Cameroon is bringing once-disconnected efforts into a more coherent, country-led approach:

• A recognized convening mechanism is now in place, anchored in the SND30, with a clear mandate and active, cross-government leadership.
• National priorities have been translated into a structured action framework through the Convergence Action Blueprint.
• Platforms are connecting policy, science and society with community needs and priorities, including humanitarian response, climate resilience, access to micro-financing, and job and entrepreneurship opportunities.

How integrated support accelerates delivery

Cameroon’s progress has been strengthened by an integrated approach linking:

• Governance and coordination
• Convergence of agendas
• Evidence and youth engagement (Science-Policy-Society Interface and Youth Leadership Program)
• Integrated programming and delivery through the Joint SDG Fund, supported through analyses enabled by the EU-funded Scalable Success Model
• Financing through the Joint SDG Fund (Food Systems Transformation Window 2025)
  

Together, these elements reinforce one another – reducing fragmentation, strengthening coherence, and enabling a shift toward implementation at scale.

Convergence Initiative: Accelerating alignment of food systems and climate action

The Food Systems and Climate Action Convergence Initiative in Cameroon is a collaborative effort implemented  by the Government of Cameroon and coordinated by the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, working closely with FAO, WFP, IFAD, the UN Resident Coordinator Office, GIZ and other partners, and supported by the Government of the Netherlands.

It brings food systems, climate, biodiversity and nutrition priorities into a single framework – creating a shared space for coordinated planning, financing and delivery.

Through the Convergence Action Blueprint, Cameroon has identified three national priorities to advance alignment across agendas – aligned with the COP28 Dubai Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action – and to guide public investment priorities from 2026:

1. Rice value chain development
2. Agro-ecological production of staples and livestock
3. Self-sufficiency

These priorities provide a clear entry point for aligned programming and investment.

SPSI and the Youth Leadership Programme: Turning evidence into action

Launched in Yaoundé in early 2025, the Science-Policy-Society Interface (SPSI), supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, reflects Cameroon’s push for an evidence-driven, inclusive approach to food systems transformation. It connects research, policy and communities, ensuring decisions are grounded in science, local knowledge and real-world experience. Youth are not treated as a side effort, but as active contributors to delivery.

Rita Bonwi Njabeh, a Youth Leadership Programme (YLP) alumna, is one example. Now supporting the National Convenor’s team within the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER), she has contributed to consultations, national trainings, and technical inputs to the Convergence Action Blueprint, while helping strengthen SPSI. Her work shows how youth engagement is shifting from participation to practical delivery.

Beyond government processes, YLP has also helped mobilize youth at scale. Rita supported the establishment of the World Food Forum Cameroon National Chapter, which brings together over 100 young professionals and students engaged in food systems transformation through dialogue platforms, capacity-building activities and collaboration with national stakeholders. Ongoing efforts include developing a national youth strategy aligned with Cameroon’s broader food systems priorities.

Moving into implementation: Joint SDG Fund and the Scalable Success Model

Cameroon is now shifting from planning to delivery, with the launch of the CONVERGEFOOD Joint Programme in March 2026. Since 2024, support from the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub has brought together technical assistance, convening power and catalytic financing to strengthen national leadership and coordination.

The Food Systems Transformation Window of the Joint SDG Fund, operationalized in partnership with the Hub, is driving this next phase. Delivered by WFP, FAO, UNEP, UNIDO and UNCDF in Cameroon, with support from Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain, it aligns UN efforts behind Cameroon’s national priorities articulated in its national pathway and the Convergence Action Blueprint. The programme targets key challenges – including food insecurity, low productivity, food loss and limited market access for smallholders – while strengthening coordination across ministries and linking food systems, climate, biodiversity and nutrition agendas.

At the same time, it is designed to deliver results on the ground. By supporting smallholder farmers and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to adopt sustainable practices, improve access to innovative financing mechanisms, and connect to more reliable markets, including through public procurement, it translates national priorities into tangible outcomes for communities.

The Scalable Success Model, funded by the European Union, and implemented by WFP and FAO, complements these efforts by supporting the identification and scaling of practical solutions, helping connect policy priorities with implementation on the ground. So far, Cameroon has completed its design phase which consisted on a participatory needs assessment and a mapping of the national ecosystem of support. These efforts have enabled the identification of key priorities in the implementation of the national food systems agenda. In the next phase, the SSM will enable the delivery of technical assistance from the UN system to strengthen national coordination mechanisms for food systems and foster policy coherence, especially between food systems and climate agendas.

What this proves: A reference model others can adapt

What Cameroon’s experience demonstrates

Cameroon’s experience shows how countries can move from commitment to delivery through practical, coordinated choices:

• Transformation can move quickly when governance is empowered and credible. A clear national convening mechanism strengthens multi-sectoral coordination and follow-through.
• Convergence enables action across agendas. Aligning food systems, climate, biodiversity and nutrition priorities makes it easier to translate policy into joint programmes, mobilize partners and guide investments.
• Bankable projects with catalytic UN funds can leverage additional scaling-up funds from IFIs and climate funds, translating Converge priorities into activities that target households in the field.  
• Catalytic funding can go a long way. Seed funding is essential to allow the government and its partners to collectively identify the right investment opportunities, unlock bottlenecks and strengthen producer capacities and markets to scale up sustainable approaches.
• Evidence and inclusion strengthen implementation. Through the Science-Policy-Society Interface, science, youth and communities help shape delivery and improve policy relevance.
• Integrated support builds coherence and confidence in results. Coordinated efforts reduce duplication and support delivery at scale.
  

Together, these elements form a practical and adaptable model for countries working to advance food systems transformation under real-world constraints.

A new financing chapter: Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security

Cameroon’s experience also illustrates how strong governance and clear priorities can open the door to new financing opportunities. Building on the catalytic support from the Joint SDG Fund Food Systems Transformation Window, the country is mobilizing larger-scale resources and exploring innovative financing approaches to strengthen food value chains and more predictable markets.

An additional USD 15  million from the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security, secured during UNFSS+4, will significantly expand support to small producers and MSMEs – scaling up from an initial group of 44 cooperatives to reach, potentially, an additional 380. Those funds will be delivered through one of the GFI members, the Islamic Development Bank, through a mix of concessional and commercial funding. It will also enable the rollout of innovative financing mechanisms to de-risk private sector investment in food value chains, helping translate early momentum into sustained, on-the-ground impact. This promising approach is now in the process of being replicated in several countries in the Horn of Africa.

Call to action: Partnering with Cameroon’s transformation agenda

Cameroon’s pathway offers a clear invitation for government partners, donors, and stakeholders to:

1. Invest in implementation at scale – support bankable priorities that accelerate delivery across the three convergence areas and strengthen institutional capacity.
2. Partner to strengthen delivery platforms – deepen the SPSI, expand youth engagement, and reinforce systems for learning and accountability.
3. Learn and replicate – adapt the Cameroon approach as a practical country model for aligning food systems and climate action in other contexts.
   

From alignment to impact: A model for country-led transformation