Grantee Spotlight: Interview with the Denis & Lenora Foretia Foundation

September 23, 2025

In a recent interview, the Rising Tide Foundation (RTF) had the pleasure of sitting down with Denis Foretia, Founder and Co-Chair of the Denis and Lenora Foretia Foundation and Executive Chairman of the Nkafu Policy Institute, to discuss the incredible success of their RTF-supported Small Business and Entrepreneurship Center (SBEC) in Cameroon. 

For over a decade, the Denis & Lenora Foretia Foundation, through its think tank, the Nkafu Policy Institute, and programs such as SBEC, has worked to create a freer and more prosperous environment for Cameroonians. Recognizing that regulatory barriers and limited entrepreneurial skills can stifle the growth and potential of small to medium-sized enterprises, the Foundation launched the Powering Prosperity and Economic Freedom for Women and Youths (PPEF) Project in 2021, implemented through SBEC with support from the Rising Tide Foundation.

The project has so far achieved tremendous success. In the last three years, more than 1,400 entrepreneurs have been trained, and over 700 businesses have been successfully supported to complete formal registration, with the vast majority reporting increased revenues and profits. In addition, through structured training, placement, and monitoring, SBEC has supported over 2,300 job seekers in strengthening their employability, with more than 90% of those trained already securing employment.

Together with the Nkafu Policy Institute, SBEC has also continued its policy advocacy and outreach campaigns, which have contributed to reforms that helped reduce the time it takes to formally register a business in Cameroon from 15 to 12 days, further supporting small businesses.

To learn more about the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Center and Rising Tide’s project with the Nkafu Policy Institute, watch the video below.