From dependence to dignity: sustainable solutions for refugees in Cameroon
From dependence to dignity: sustainable solutions for refugees in Cameroon
Larissa Bonang, a Central African refugee who lives with her family in Gado refugee site, harvests groundnuts outside her home.
Along the red-dirt roads that crisscross Mandjou, a town in eastern Cameroon, women carry baskets of homegrown vegetables to the market. Nearby, other farmers inspect their flourishing fields ahead of harvest. Among them are hundreds of Central African refugees who, after fleeing violence in their homeland, are now rebuilding their lives through hard work, determination and new opportunities to support themselves.
For years, humanitarian assistance served as a lifeline for families who arrived in Cameroon with little or nothing. But in Mandjou, as in other communities across the East Region, a gradual transition is taking place – from dependence on aid towards greater self-reliance and economic inclusion.
Standing in a vast maize field stretching as far as the eye can see, Bonaventure, a Central African refugee, explains how what began as an initiative by a group of refugee community farmers called CUSMA to feed their families has evolved into a stable source of income, creating opportunities for both refugees and members of the host community. The revenue generated from collective farming enables members to cover essential household expenses.
“When I arrived here, I depended entirely on aid to feed my children. Today, thanks to our field, we eat better and I can pay for their school supplies. I am proud to rely on my own work,” Bonaventure said.
CUSMA, which stands for Cœurs Unis des Semenciers de Mandjou (United Hearts of Seed Producers of Mandjou), is a refugee-led farming group bringing together 15 refugees and 10 members of the Cameroonian host community.
Between 2023 and 2025, the CUSMA group produced an average of 25 tons of maize annually.
Across eastern Cameroon, similar stories are emerging. Refugees are investing in agriculture, including vegetable production and poultry farming, as well as small businesses, creating new sources of income and, in many cases, becoming employers and suppliers within the local economy. Whether in the refugee sites of Borgop, Ngam, Gado-Badzéré, Lolo, Mbile and Timangolo, or within surrounding communities, many refugees are now able to meet a significant portion of their families’ needs through their own income-generating activities.
Beyond the individual benefits, these initiatives contribute to local economic development and help strengthen social cohesion between refugees and host communities. Commercial exchanges, joint agricultural projects, and mixed training programmes are creating lasting bonds.
Among those supporting this approach is Chief Martin Azia Sodea, winner of the 2025 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award, who has made an additional 50 hectares of agricultural land available to refugees to help expand livelihood opportunities.
Chief Martin Azia Sodea checks progress on clearing land he is providing to help refugees and locals find a new source of income.
A similar transformation is taking place in Cameroon’s Far North Region, where years of violence and instability due to non-state armed groups in the Lake Chad Basin area have displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
At Minawao, a refugee camp established in 2013 for Nigerians fleeing Boko Haram violence, a new approach is taking shape.
After years of relying heavily on humanitarian assistance, the camp is increasingly becoming a place where refugees can develop businesses, access services and build livelihoods, while strengthening relations with surrounding communities.
Today, structured initiatives, including new partnerships among humanitarian, government, private-sector and development actors, are helping foster a culture of self-reliance and create sustainable solutions for refugees and host communities. A major turning point in this transformation will be a three-year, multimillion-euro programme known as “Alternatives to Minawao Camp”.
Inaugurated earlier this year, with support from the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), it is designed to accelerate Minawao’s transition from aid dependence towards more sustainable, locally led solutions. The plan includes investments in basic service infrastructure in the camp and surrounding villages to support refugee inclusion, economic opportunities and social cohesion, with a sports complex also planned.
Along the camp’s sandy pathways, small businesses are already flourishing. Market stalls offer fruits, vegetables, grilled meat, handicrafts, clothing and other goods.
An aerial view of Minawao refugee camp in the Far North Region of Cameroon.
Behind these enterprises are men and women determined to rise above the conflicts that forced them away from home and build more secure futures for themselves and their families.
Habib, who arrived in Minawao in 2016, remembers how hard his early days in Cameroon were.
“My first years here were very difficult because we depended entirely on humanitarian assistance. There were times when I counted every day as I waited for the next month’s food distribution,” he recalled.
Today, Habib is a member of a bakery cooperative that supplies bread to Minawao camp and surrounding communities. The enterprise supports around 20 households and helps members meet their daily needs.
“Today I am very proud of myself because food is no longer a concern in my family. I pay my children’s school fees myself and can also cover other expenses such as clothing and health care,” said a smiling Habib.
Cameroon promotes refugee inclusion through a whole-of-government approach anchored in the 10-year National Development Strategy, which runs till 2030 and aligns with the Global Compact on Refugees. The country’s strategy has gradually shifted from short-term humanitarian assistance to long-term socio-economic inclusion by expanding access to social services such as education and health care and integrating refugees’ needs into local development plans and national data systems to influence public policy outcomes.
In Minawao, and in refugee sites hosting Central African refugees across the East, Adamoua, and North regions, this transition, supported by the Government of Cameroon, illustrates UNHCR’s drive to help refugees move from dependence on aid towards self-reliance.
Central African refugee Fatou Osman stands in front of her vegetable garden in Gado refugee site, eastern Cameroon.
Through its 50by35 vision, the UN Refugee Agency aims to halve by 2035 the number of refugees living in protracted displacement who are unable to meet their basic needs without humanitarian assistance. The vision seeks to support nearly 8 million people in moving beyond aid dependency through greater self-reliance, inclusion and pathways to lasting solutions.
While humanitarian assistance remains essential and life-saving, sustainable solutions require refugees to have opportunities to work, access education and health services, participate in national social protection systems and build livelihoods that allow them to meet an increasing share of their own needs.
“In Cameroon, refugees are demonstrating that they should not be seen as a burden, but as an asset and a source of opportunity, with the capacity to contribute actively to the communities in which they live,” said Yvette Muhimpundu, UNHCR Representative in Cameroon. “Investing in their self-reliance means investing in the stability and development of the communities that host them and, ultimately, of the wider region. This is why continued support to the Government’s efforts is so important.”
Despite these encouraging developments, significant challenges persist. Limited access to land, insufficient funding, and increasing pressure on natural resources continue to constrain the expansion of agriculture-based livelihood activities. In addition, population growth within refugee settlements requires constant reinforcement of programmes and services.
“The needs remain enormous. The commitment of partners must continue in order to consolidate these gains and expand these programmes,” stressed Chief Sodea.
In the meantime, Chief Sodea hopes to mechanize agricultural production and create more opportunities for both refugees and host communities using the UNHCR Nansen Award prize money.
“I have already prepared 12.5 hectares of land for a new agricultural project that will include poultry farming, fishponds, pig farming and the cultivation of maize, groundnuts and other crops. The project will provide training and employment opportunities to people from both refugee and host communities,” he explained on a tour of the land he has provided for new livelihood programmes in Gado-Badzéré, where work is already underway.
As Cameroon continues to advance refugee inclusion and self-reliance, the experiences of refugees in Mandjou, Minawao and other hosting areas offer a powerful reminder that displacement should not mean permanent dependency. With sustained investment, strong partnerships and inclusive policies, refugees can contribute meaningfully to their communities while rebuilding their lives in safety and dignity.
Additional reporting by Caroline Gluck and Richard Atem Ashu.
