Mobilizing Public and Private Finance to Advance the Convergence of Food and Climate Agendas in Cameroon

Cameroon is demonstrating how national food systems transition pathways can evolve from strategic vision to large scale implementation through a whole-of-government and whole-of-UN approach. The country has positioned food systems as a unifying platform for climate, biodiversity, nutrition, and rural development objectives. Central to this effort is the Convergence Action Blueprint (CAB), launched in July 2025 as a concise strategy to operationalise Cameroon’s Food Systems Transition Route Map. The CAB aligns national priorities with global commitments and provides a clear framework for investment and implementation. This convergence has enabled Cameroon to move from fragmented initiatives towards integrated action across ministries, UN agencies, and financing partners. Catalytic investments have played a pivotal role in unlocking larger financing flows. With a USD 2 million contribution, the Joint SDG Fund has been instrumental to the development of a financing pipeline, with ongoing engagements aimed at leveraging an initial USD 15 million—and potentially scaling up to USD 30 million— through partnerships with the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security and the Islamic Development Bank. Cameroon’s experience underscores several transferable lessons for countries pursuing food systems transitions: (a) the value of concrete, short-term deliverables; (b) the importance of knowledge brokerage and “sherpas” to bridge global and national agendas; (c) the need for innovative and predictable finance; and (d) the central role of trust-based, cross institutional relationships. The Resident Coordinator has emerged as a key strategic leader and broker, ensuring coherence across the UN system and alignment with national priorities. Together, these elements illustrate how food systems pathways can function as an enabling architecture for systemic transformation—mobilising finance, strengthening governance, and delivering integrated outcomes aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.