Association pour la promotion des Initiatives communautaires africaines

APICA was established in 1980 and is based at Douala in Cameroon. It operates in Central Africa and covers the fields of training, consultancy, studies and communication, both in urban and rural areas.

Small self-help and self-managed developments called " Local Development Initiatives LDI" are happening everywhere in rural and urban areas; the chief characteristics of these Local Development Initiatives are:

• they mobilise local resources to solve problems,

• they setup flexible operations based on voluntary aid or charity,

• their decisions are made locally.

LDIs encounter problems in engineering and technology, organisation of operations funding, administration and management, isolation and lack of information, leadership and the integration of women.

APICA's services to address this situation are:

• the Development Aid Service, which assists grassroots organisations, micro-enterprises and promoters in order to launch activities initiated and implemented by and for the local community

• Technology Aid Service involved in promoting technologies which satisfy the people's need and corresponds with their means

• the Regional Aid Office which provides capacity building inputs for grassroots organisations and the aid staff

• Documentation Centre which collects information useful for implementing community-based actions and make the information accessible to development actors.

APICA has been a partner and active member in the regional NGO-information service SIATA since 199 3.

P.S.