CAMEROON
Cameroon’s Leading Online Publication
ACHIEVERS Thought Leaders - Innovators - Entrepreneurs - Mavericks www.cameroonachievers.cm
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Issue N 3 Dec 2018 -Feb 2019
N O I T NA ROON E M A C 10
Start-Up Companies to Watch out for
The Achievers’ Guide to Making 2019 their Best Year Ever
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MOTIVATION
6 Steps To Make 2019 Your Best Year Ever Bolanle's best advice to conquer the new year – even in an ever changing market. Volatility in the market doesn't mean you need to lower your expectations. I'm a firm believer that 2019 will be full of opportunity and can be your absolute #BestYearEver. If you agree, I've got six steps that should form the foundation of your success over the next 13 months. Set a meaningful goal Success starts with having something to aspire to. Without a goal in mind, you have little motivation to go perform. So the first step toward making 2019 your best year ever is setting a big, meaningful goal… ·For your number of transactions ·For your annual sales volume (transactions goal X your average sales price) ·For your year-end GCI Once you've set your goals, get them up and visual. Don't hide them away in a drawer. Make it known what you're aiming for to hold yourself accountable.
Business is math. It's critical to know how many conversations you need to have to achieve your goals. I want to help you figure it out. If you're a newer agent, it takes approximately 80 conversations to result in one sale. If you're a veteran agent, that ratio should be closer to 40:1. These conversations can be anyone from your database, leads coming in or new people you meet So here's the formula: multiply however many conversations you need by how many deals you established as your goal in step one above. Then, divide that number by 10 months. (Yes, 10, not 12.) That will determine how many conversations you need on a monthly basis.
Know your “why?”
Start today
It's important to put some context around the meaningful goal you set in step one. What would the achievement of your goal mean for you? And on the flip side, what are the consequences if you fall short? Who will suffer?
If a homeowner walked into your office in the next five minutes and asked you to list her house, when will it impact your bottom line? January, if things go really well? M o r e l i k e l y F e b r u a r y, M a r c h o r e v e n A p r i l ? So you get the point. You can't wait until January 1 to
Who else does your goal impact? When you answer these questions, your goal becomes more than just a series of numbers. It becomes a story filled with emotion and feeling.
Track and measure The unpredictability of entrepreneurship can lead to unwanted drama in your business… and your life.So how do you eliminate all that uncertainty, lack of predictability and drama all at once? It's simple, actually.… Start tracking and measuring all your numbers. When you know your numbers, you can predict how close you are to landing that next listing or connecting with a new buyer client. Know your daily number.
start creating 2019's results.
Celebrate your wins You work hard. You hustle. You deal with all the stress. And then oftentimes, you move right on to do it all over again. Here's the problem with that scenario: if you don't acknowledge your hard work and the fruits of your labor, work becomes a grind. You get bitter and burned out. That's why it's so important to recognize when you've done the work and achieved the desired results… and celebrate it! Make these six steps part of your routine and 2019 is bound to be your #BestYearEver!
STARTUP
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Assessing Digital marketing in today's business environment. By Emmanuel Lyombe
E
ntrepreneurship is a fast moving trend in Cameroun, with a growing
number of start-ups and start-uppers, in different sectors and environments, developing innovative solutions for both national and international markets. Who says business says marketing, and who says marketing these days, digital is never too. Let's take a look at digital marketing in today's business
Using digital marketing in today's business, you can reach an enormous audience in a way that is both cost-effective and measurable.
When small businesses get started, their focus is often on how to get their
When
first group of customers through the door. They may rely on traditional
it is in your niche in general or if they are curious about your
forms of advertising, such as print ads and coupon mailers or even
brand, the first things they are going to do is research online
billboards. At one point online marketing was just a new and different way to market. It opened up a new form of media on which to peddle
someone has an interest in your business, whether
and see what they can find out about you. They expect to find
goods and services. But within just the past few years, digital marketing
you there with a website and a social media presence.
has become an integral part of what a business is to its customers. As the
They may be looking for reviews so they can learn what
Internet becomes entwined with everything we do, the importance of digital
other people are saying about your company and whether
marketing is becoming crystal clear. For it is the process of attracting targeted audiences online that will spell the difference between a successfully thriving
it is a good place to do business. If a potential customer can't
business – and a failed one. In the digital arena where business and commerce
find you online, they may conclude that your business doesn't
are heading to, Digital Marketing tools and techniques provide business owners
appear to be legitimate. There is a very good chance that a
the best chances for competition, survival and even business growth.
lot of these prospects may decide not to take your business
Here is how.
seriously and they will quickly head somewhere else. Once they have made that decision, they probably won't be back. If you are not online, your customers are, As well as your competitors!
Digital Marketing Helps Generate Better Revenues. Higher conversion rates generated by effective digital marketing techniques will deliver loads of profitable benefits for you and your business in terms of better and higher revenues. Google confirms this in a study, claiming 2.8 times better revenue growth expectancy for companies using digital marketing strategies to t h o s e
w h o
d o
n o t .
With better revenue growth expectancy, small and medium enterprises using digital marketing techniques will have 3.3 times better chances of expanding their workforce and business – opening their doors to better, larger and farther reaching markets both locally and abroad.
Digital Marketing Facilitates Interaction with Targeted Audiences.Digital marketing tools have the ability to interact with targeted audiences in real time. Engagement in any form is what your customers expect to receive when interacting with your brand or business. How your business handles such engagements and interactions will spell the
Digital Marketing Provides better ROI
difference between business success and failure.
With better revenues and better branding, Digital Marketing
Interacting and providing your customers with proper
can provide a better Return of Investments (ROI) than
engagement points can give you an insight of what
traditional media and marketing channels. With traditional media,
your targeted audiences want. This vital information will steer you towards making the right set of next
the cost is too exorbitant for small and medium enterprises to leverage on, and the results received are somewhat vague and difficult to measure.Digital Marketing can easily be tracked and
moves, provide your customers with an even better
monitored, with results immediately realized and measured as
experience, develop good relationships with them –
soon as targeted audiences provide contact information,
gaining their loyalty and trust that you will need when
subscribe to a newsletter or training program, or make a
your business begins to grow.
purchase. The key to success in Digital marketing however is to generate a steady flow of targeted traffic that converts into sales and leads. The more your business generates this kind of traffic, the faster you can realize your ROI.
Digital Marketing Builds Brand Reputation The power of digital marketing lies in its ability for attracting targeted traffic. These types of audiences for your content are most likely already ready to know more about your brand, products or services and may be interested enough to purchase
Moreover, digital marketing allows you to engage with your prospects. You can gradually get to know them and what they are hoping to find. On social media or on a blog you can start a conversation. Run a survey or try to get to know them. Pay attention to their comments or their responses to surveys.
Digital Marketing Earns People's Trust.
what you have to offer.
“
Delivering on what you promised will help you
develop a better relationship with your targeted audiences, help them transition into paying customers that will go back and
more on social media signals resulting from direct and more personalized interaction between a brand or business and
interact with your site some more on a regular and continuous basis
Digital Marketing rides on the current online trend that focus
”
This will prove beneficial for your brand reputation, as satisfied customers will most likely tell other people about their experience
their targeted audiences. This permits the brand to build a long and trustful relationship with its customers. It therefore stands clear that the future business model is digital, the future is Digital! Digital marketing thus becomes
with your brand, product or service. Your brand reputation will
an imperative for every entrepreneur in his business model,
go viral as expected, further opening new doors of opportunities
in order to achieve. You have the magic, go ahead and achieve
for reaching bigger markets and attain business growth.
great.
www.cameroonachievers.cm
www.cameroonachievers.cm
Excellence and Innovation
Marketing Communications | Publishing Content Management | Corporate Events
Ghana
Cameroon
East Cantonments P.O.Box 17325 Accra. 00233 577 619 431 00233 544 103 308
Akwa, Douala P.O.Box 1275 00237 672 608 540 00237 671 223 634
www.avicommgroup.com contact@avicommgroup.com
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Entrepreneurship
Top 12 Reasons Why Startups Fail And How To Avoid Them How to avoid: From Market Problems To Running Out Of Cash, Here Are A F e w M e t h o d s To A v o i d S t a r t u p f a i l u r e s . Starting up is hard, and the fact that 90% of them fail within initial three years makes it look even more dreadful. Intelligent entrepreneurs always learn from others mistakes and try to avoid them in their own startups. Here is a list of most common reasons for startup failures and methods to avoid them from taking on your dream.
Market Problems Every startup is driven by the market, the market has an unsolved problem or an opportunity gap which your idea can fulfill and make decent money in the process. But identifying the correct market and problem is not easy. If you end up making a solution for a problem which nobody has or is insignificant, you risk losing all your effort and resources into failure. The demand for a solution depends also on the timing when you are releasing it. If hotstar would launch in 2009, when both internet and smartphone penetration was very less, it would have inevitably died.
How to avoid: Go out, talk to people before you start building your product. Research your industry, it is easier and cheaper to make changes in the idea stage.
Analyse if your customer acquisition strategy is scalable. Your CAC should ideally be recovered from customer within 12 months. Practically estimate your sales cycle and return on investment.
Poor Management Team Management is most of the times the heart and brain of a company. Poor management can be exemplified by weak strategic decisions, communication gap between management and team, little or no work on product market fit and having bad hiring systems.
How to avoid: Making people answerable to each other, decisions backed by data and not biased experiences. Management should own its decisions. Over communication within the team is always better than under-communication.
Running Out Of Cash Cashflow keeps the business alive, no matter how passionate you are, how many users you have or how great your idea is, you still need to pay dues to your employees, marketing agencies and clear your bills. Some entrepreneurs fail to keep a record of accounts and hence fail to take adequate measures on time. In businesses which are funded by private equity firms and other external investors, the founders should be extremely aware of KPIs they need to show for next investment, their burn rate. Failing to achieve KPIs, and performing non-thought through expenses with low ROI can push the business down the drain.
Business Model Failure How to avoid: Business model is the skeleton of every business and dictates the commercial and economical viability of your business to make money and value. Some companies are so much involved in the solution that they tend to overlook the business model. Inefficient business model is characterised by high cost to acquire a customers [cac], low or unknown lifetime value of customers and having no scalable ways to acquire customers.
Keeping a track of accounts and how long company can run given current circumstances. If funds are required the CEO and Management should work well in advance to explore all the funding options and secure funds before it's too late. Always keep track of KPIs the investors will look for in the next round of funding.Be in touch with more than one investor to increase odds of funding and build a network soon.
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Bad Product Experience People are used to great interfaces like slack, gmail, trello etc. Great products like whatsapp, zomato have taken product development to the next level and spoiled the customers for eternity. If your product has a bad interface, takes too much time to process, or take more click than necessary than it would be very hard for you to get an upper hand in the market. Your customers should be able to differentiate your product from competition not just from its value but also the experience.
How to avoid: Refrain from cost saving and putting amateur talent to build products. Understand that UX and Engineering are one of the critical factors when is comes to product development.
Legal Challenges The recent event about Facebook and Cambridge analytica made every business realize the value to customer privacy and data security. There are many businesses which get exposed to many legal challenges once they grow. Every area can have different governing laws and startups should at least be aware about them.
How to avoid: Having a consultation with an experienced lawyer can save you a lot of time and money later in the process. Keep your company and employees compliant with laws.
Bad Debts
In initial days most startups agree to work on credit and often make the conditions worse for the business. In order to show Poor Marketing initial traction it is often difficult to avoid credit requests. A great product can fail if it is not backed by adequate marketing In such scenarios, if the client gets mischievous or goes in a efforts, Nowadays marketing is not limited only to making more financial crunch it's your business which suffers. and more people aware about your product's features but it is How to avoid: about creating marketing elements within the products and Look for client reputation before issuing credit. Take post-dated exploring unexplored venues like influencer marketing, r cheques and if bounce occurs follow the process to recovery etargeting etc. money from cheque bounce. Incorporate methods and How to avoid: incentives for clients to pay beforehand. Marketing should not start only when the product is completed, it should began much early. Marketing people should be Burnouts involved in product development and customer experience Doing a startup is hard and often even the most passionate as well. people burnout in the process. Some ideas could even take
Lose Focus Founders are idea people, and they mostly get carried away with ideas. In serious businesses, this could lead to distraction and waste of resource. Some startups try to expand their offerings too soon or begin to focus on many of things at a time. Micro management can also be one of the reasons for lost focus. How to avoid: Keep the focus right and solve the most painful problem first. Don't get carried away with new ideas or features. Have a “to not do” list along with a to do list.
Disharmony Among Team Members Founders and other team members are humans too and all the humans have emotions, but when it comes to building a business self-centered thinking and overly emotional behaviour could lead to conflicts, which finally destroys company culture, its value and hence lead to ultimate failure. Founder conflict is the last thing any startup or its investors want to see.
How to avoid: Every team member should understand that they are part of something bigger. The management should make sure employee conflicts are resolved and toxic elements don't get their place in the company. While hiring any employee make sure they are a cultural fit In case of founder disputes, the founders agreement, the shareholder agreement should be in place in advance to deal with matter professionally. .
as much as 2 years to even get product market fit and financial situation and work life balance could suffer to its extreme. Watching your pals making good money in corporate jobs, posting pictures of team and family outings abroad can also make you rethink about your decisions. Most founders couldn't take these burnouts and ultimately quit.
How to avoid: Make sure you have a work-life balance, health should be entrepreneurs first priority and bad health ultimately reflects on your decision making capability. Understand that you are on a big mission, your startup is your dream and maybe you are one deal away from making it.
Failure to Pivot Founders mostly fall in love with their ideas and solutions, and hence fail to pivot on time. The one thing which founders should be dedicated is the act of solving a problem. Google is solving the problem of arranging world's information and giving you the way to access it easily. It evolved from just a directory to an intelligent search engine to now a digital assistant.
How to avoid: Think of pivots as obvious evolution and not threats or distractions. Always look for better ways to serve your customers. Don't fall in love with your solutions, be customer centered. While its unavoidable to fall into situations listed above, its the duty of a founder to make sure they take timely efforts to address these.
Pitch like Richard Branson It takes a wide-ranging skill set to be a successful entrepreneur. Your product has to be good, has to fill a niche, address a problem. Many entrepreneurs may have those boxes checked but fall short when it comes to selling the vision to an investor. It may be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but without backing it will remain an unfunded figment of a dreamer's imagination. What can entrepreneurs do to successfully sell an idea? These are Richard Branson's top tips for a Perect Pitch When billionaire entrepreneur and Virgin Group founder Richard Branson had the idea of launching Virgin Atlantic, he pitched it to his fellow directors who had no previous experience in the airline business. He delivered the idea simply, concisely, and effectively. Branson offers leaders and entrepreneurs this advice: “It is vitally important to present a clear, concise plan that investors can easily understand and repeat to their own people. In the first meeting avoid overly complicated, numbers-laden presentations.” Branson is a master marketer and communicator. His new book, Like a Virgin, reveals “secrets they won't teach you at business school.” Many of those secrets involve effective communications and presentations; topics which I covered in a recent interview with Branson in this previous column. In his book, Branson recommends that entrepreneurs who are looking to raise money in these tough economic conditions keep their presentations simple and memorable. He says that the best investment pitches hit five areas. I would take his advice one step further. I believe that any effective pitch or presentation should include these five components.
What's in it for them? “Occasionally, an entrepreneur hoping to launch their first business puts so much thought into the concept that he or she neglects the financial and legal plan— and unfortunately, this often becomes apparent early in a meeting, when an investor can lack clarity in what exactly the proposed deal is going to look like.” According to Branson, investors want to know when they can expect to see a return—what's in it for them. In my first class at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, my instructor said, “Always ask yourself, 'why should my readers care?'” I use this journalism principle to teach the art of corporate storytelling.
Branson asks the same question of
entrepreneurs who pitch him.
Be concrete. “Winning the trust of an investor means demonstrating a thorough knowledge of your concept or industry and laying out a step-by-step plan for offering something that's new, innovative and will deliver healthy returns on their investment.”
Branson recommends that communicators avoid
Prove that growth is sustainable.
'wishy-washy' language and phrases such as “It is hoped…”or “With some luck…” He says look your investors in the eye and be specific, concrete, and confident. One way to craft a concrete and confident story is to use a message map.
“Nothing stays the same for long, so explain how you plan to tackle the inevitable technological changes and market shifts that are heading your way.” Investors and partners want proof that you understand the environment in which you will be selling your product. One way to get your idea across is to start with a problem before the solution.
Every great
Be unapologetically disruptive.
story has a protagonist. Introducing the villain
“Emphatically explain how your new company will
(problem) before the hero (solution) makes
give your customers a better deal than your competitors.”
for a compelling business narrative. So take some
The key word here is 'emphatically.' Branson is
time to explain how your product or service
unquestionably the most passionate business leader
solves the problem.
I've had the pleasure to interview. I believe his passion for disrupting the status quo is a key component of his charisma. The majority of business leaders who I've met underestimate the role of passion in delivering presentations. Branson looks for passionate entrepreneurs who understand the competition and “irreverently explain” why their business will do better than the competition.
Demonstrate bench strength. “Show prospective investors that you have found the right people to work at your new company.”
START UP NATION – CAMEROON
www.cameroonachievers.cm
10 START-UP COMPANIES TO WATCH OUT FOR. If you have lived in Cameroon the past three years, you would no ce the buoyancy in the Cameroonian Entrepreneurial ecosystem. You would have no ced a dynamic genera on of young people running with speed, chasing global trends. You would have no ced a resilient genera on of people who against all odds, against the struggle the Cameroonian is figh ng with , young people trying so hard to li up their na on to the standards of their peers on an interna onal front. It is thanks to these efforts of a new genera on that the start-up ecosystem in Cameroon can be rated amongst other economies abroad. In effect, Cameroon according to the Start – Up Africa Magazine has been ranked amongst the top 100 African Entrepreneurial countries. All thanks to an ingenious and tenacious youth. From the North to the South, to the East to the West, the economy is marked by start-up companies which are playing an immense role in driving the economy, curbing youth unemployment and inspiring other young people to be ac ve change agents by providing solu ons that can change the na on's socio-economic and poli cal status quo. As of now, private ins tu ons in Cameroon make up for 64% of the na on's GDP with start-ups making 42% of this rate. Focus here is supposed to be put on suppor ng these SMEs to grow and scale by government's assistance mostly in financing the exis ng start-up companies. These are the top most innova ve companies driving change and crea ng and adding value for Cameroonians.
ZUOIX Zuoix, is a Limbe-based startup, it is Cameroon's first Offensive Information Security firm that provides SMS-based security solutions and applications to businesses, corporate bodies and governments in Africa.
The company is founded by Zuo Bruno an ethical hacker in Silicon Mountain, Buea. Under ZUOIX, Zuo Bruno founded ZOOMED, a car-tracking application using SMS... eradicating any need for the internet. The Zoomed app does car-tracking based solely on specific SMS commands. With a MT3336 GPS chip programmed with a sensitivity of -159dBm installed in the vehicle under one hour, the user can locate a car, with direction, and elevation information. The app has features that support : ·Voice Surveillance & two-way calling ·Geo-fencing technology with SMS ·Overspeed recognition, and alarm ·Ignition alert ·SOS alarm ·Immobilization ·Power failure alert
functionality
A user can dial simple USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) code, such as *XYZ*12# and be able to locate their car, immobilize it or other features. To locate the car, the user simply has to place a call to that car and it will drop the call after two rings and reply with an SMS showing the current location, speed, and direction of the car. The app which is priced at FCFA 120,000 ($ 212), already has a large client base; with over 50 enterprises, amongst them the country two top companies, making use of the app. Zoomed is fast becoming ultimate solution for car owners and the automobile industry, Zuoix prides itself on starting a new trend it's termed, the “SMS-Of-Things”. The application has been introduced to other African countries like Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya. We are hoping that in the next few years it is the number one application used by Africans and beyond.
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E-Farm.cm
3 Key Approaches of eFarm.cm 1 - Sensitize Farmers, Agricultural Dealers and Users Marketing Information and opportunities can contribute towards the growth of small and medium size farmers with eFarm.cm, small and medium size farmers are informed about online market opportunities to enable them increase sales.
eFarm.cm which is powered by GericomGroup Co.Ltd
2 - Train Farmers, Agricultural Dealers and Users on
is a web and mobile platform for buying and selling
eCommerce/eFarm.cm
agricultural products. It allows access to agricultural products in Cameroon, Africa and the rest of world. We provides Email and SMS notifications, 24/7 online Chat support to its customers..
With eCommerce knowledge, farmers and agricultural dealers can understand advantages in selling online. with eFarm.cm, small and medium size farmers are trained about eCommerce and how to sell over eFarm.cm platform
Our goal is to provide farmers and communities and agricultural dealers in Cameroon and Africa,
3 - Listing/Buying of farm products over our platform
opportunities to market their farm products online and reach consumers around Cameroon, Africa and the rest
Listing and buying online via eFarm.cm improve the
of the world while creating a real added value to the
economy thus farmers and users with more money
agricultural arena by providing an online marketplace
in their pocket. with eFarm.cm, farmers list products
connecting African farmers and agro dealers to buyers
for FREE and users buy with no extra charges.
around the world, growing local farmer markets into a global one.
We oversee transactions from start to finish, ensuring reliability, loyalty, trustworthiness, efficiency and saving time for either parties; sellers and buyers, involved in the transaction. Our wide range of online
How eFarm.cm Works Farmers and Users with NO internet Access 1.Farmers send SMS with basic details of farm produce for sales
payments makes transactions easier from our national and international payment methods
2.eFarm.cm call centre or customer care call farmer or user to collect full details of farm products and list the
(MTN Mobile Money, Orange Money and Paypal).
products online.
eFarm.cm offers traditional methods of payments like Western Union, Money Gram, Express Union, Express Exchange and Cash on Delivery. We are secured for online purchases powered by GeoTrust
3.Listed products are sold, SMS sent to inform farmer about the sales. Products are picked up or delivered.
NO NEED FOR THE FARMER TO GO TO THE MARKET
Dikalo
Farmers and Users with Internet Access
1.Farmer go to web or mobile and access www.efarm.cm or eFarm.cm mobile app. 2.Register, Login and list his/her products for sales. 3.Farm products are sold, SMS and Email alerts sent. Farm products picked up or delivered.
Maibeta Inc.
Founded by Ekambi Alain, Dikalo means “message” in the Cameroonian Douala language. It is a communication platform with a focus on privacy, speed and security. Dikalo is fast, simple, easy to use and free. You can use Dikalo on all your devices at the same time. Your messages are seamlessly synced across any number of your phones, tablets or
At Maibeta, skilled technicians are connected digitally through our platform to the public and make home, office and building maintenance and construction better and more hassle free than ever before. As homeowners, tenants and contractors you know that finding skilled technicians who are
computers. Dikalo lets you send photos, videos, audios and files of any type (doc, zip, mp3, etc), as well as create groups with an unlimited number of people. Dikalo works on iOS, Android, the web, Windows, Mac and Linux. Dikalo is for everyone who wants fast and
reliable, timely and have adequate expertise
reliable messaging while keeping full
for your maintenance or projects can be a nightmare.
control over personal information.
Maibeta has built a solid network of pre-screened
Users decide when and with who they want to
technicians and has partnered with reputable
share private data
organisations to augment the skills of these technicians. This platform was built to ensure that everyone can easily have access to these technicians for jobs. Maibeta was founded in 2015 by Bamai Namata and has completed thousands of projects and is changing lives by boosting incomes and living standard of technicians who have the opportunity to benefit from this platform through continuous service demand as well as skills development trainings.
(e.g tefonnumber, email, facebook id, etc ...). Therefore Dikalo is perfect when you're meeting someone for the first time, contacting someone on a temporary basis. So, scenarios such as meeting someone in a bar or at a conference, selling or buying something on Craigslist, Ebay, Amazon, etc ... Online dating, speed dating, customer support, etc...
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www.cameroonachievers.cm Dikalo comes handy when you are dealing
The Box has a collaborative private cloud that
with people you want to keep off your contact
allows students and teachers to write documents as
list but still like to communicate with in realtime.
a work team to facilitate exchanges and academic
These may be contacts like the members in a
research. Tailor-made content can be created and
PTA or the players you are coaching or
updated constantly. You can add new content
campaign workers you are managing, for instance.
yourself by keeping control of your EduAirBox.
There are a myriad of such needs. Since Dikalo is a complete messaging platform you can also have a friend list and chat with them like on any other messaging app.
EduAir
Features: Textbooks Enriched textbooks at affordable prices Discuss and Collaborate Enjoy the text editor working in collaborative mode and in real time. It allows multiple people to share a simultaneous development of a text, and discuss it in parallel, via an instant messenger. Fully Responsive On all devices get an interface optimized according to the size of your screen whether you are on a laptop, tablet or smartphone Low Power consumption Its fanless design and its technology reduce the heating temperature and reduces power consumption..
Infiuss EduAirBox (Formerly KwiiziBox ) is the concept name to offer a better education via digital with or without internet. Our work focuses on the design of portable and open media libraries in the form of Boxes giving access to millions of educational content and offering an integrated communication system where learners can collaborate and make video calls within the local network deployed by the Box. This revolutionary product is Less expensive than a
Infuiss is a revolutionary health service that connects
classic library in terms of cost and maintenance,
health facilities to a vast database of blood banks in
this Box and its digital library save space on your
other health institutions, to help them have more
office while containing more books than a classic
options for blood transfusions. They also provide
library.
health education to the masses and encourage blood donations from individuals.
www.cameroonachievers.cm As a nurse, Melissa Bime, founder of Infiuss saw a huge challenge in her country's hospitals - ge ng essen al blood supplies to those in need in order to save lives.
We Cash Up
So she became an impact entrepreneur, choosing to change the situa on rather than being part of it and launched her online blood bank Infiuss as a solu on.
"Our vision is to make blood available to those in extreme need and fight against deaths related to blood shortages." – Melissa Bime
Jangolo Farm
A Universal Payment Pla orm which accepts
and disburses payments in Cash, Mobile Money, Bank wallets, Cards and Crypto-currencies via a single API integra on.
We Cash Up was founded by Cedric Atangana is a product of IiNFINITY SPACE, a social innovation Jangolo Farm is an E Commerce platform developed
finTech startup born in Douala (Cameroon),
by Jangolo SARL. This platform is dedicated to the
expanded to Nairobi (Kenya) and now based in
sale of agricultural products and processed products
Marseille (France). In everything we do, we believe
made in Cameroon and offers a delivery service as
in Challenging the i'mPOSSIBLE; making the
well. Since its creation in 2016, the platform
impossibles possible, in an unstoppable way.
currently counts more than 8000 stakeholders in the
And one of these impossibles is the fact that
agricultural and agri-food sectors, including more
more than 2 Billions people in the world are
than 4,000 farmers from whom the marketed
unbanked (no credit cards) and cannot pay online.
products are obtained. The platform's mobile app,
Up to 800 million of them are based in Africa,
Jangolo Market is available on Google play store
around 500 million in South Asia and 300 million
to facilitate access to local products via its catalog
in Latin America. This is a brake for the global
and speed up the products' ordering process.
economic exchanges. However, the majority of
Jangolo SARL aims to facilitate the interactions
these people own mobile phones.
between the stakeholders of the value chain of the
That's why we decided to go through this
agricultural and agri-food sectors by grouping them
challenge and work to enable people in these
through the platform thereby leading to the overall
areas to be part of the e-business wave that
Improvement of their performances.
drives the world today and will create the next generation of social innovation in the future.
www.cameroonachievers.cm
Wasamundi
SmobilPay
SmobilPay stands for Simplicity in bill payments. Since 2015, Wasamundi has been creating products that for third party electronic bill payment that supports
increase and improve visibility of local businesses
multiple payment and notification options.
online across search engines, social networks and
It meets the highest standards of quality resulting
mobile phones. Our key product www.wasamundi.com,
from thorough testing and certification by leading
allows users to find relevant and trusted information
African companies based on their deep understanding
about businesses and places of various categories
of the market.
(including but not limited to: restaurants, hotels, bars, plumbers, hospitals, pharmacies, beauty salons etc)
Smobilpay™ comes with a flexible design that enables
in cities throughout Cameroon. Visitors to each of our
it to integrate and work with the IT systems of any
city guides will find contact information, business
company. It offers third party merchants acting as
details, perfect location description, maps, photos and
bill collectors for service providers the possibility
user reviews of the businesses listed. We also make it
of collecting the payments via web (in the branches)
possible for users to contact these businesses directly
or via mobile devices (used by agents on the field).
from the platform via SMS.
It offers consumers the possibility of paying their bills at the location of their choice. Smobilpay™ is developed by maviance GmbH using its Smart Mobile
Through wasamundi.com, users are empowered to rate and review businesses which they love or did not like at the same time reward themselves with badges
Application Platform.
which can be redeemed.
CAMEROON
CAMEROON
Cameroon’s Leading Online Publication
ACHIEVERS Thought Leaders - Innovators - Entrepreneurs - Mavericks
MAGAZINE
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Issue N 3 Dec 2018 -Feb 2019
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Top - Notch Entrepreneurs Business News World Affairs
His Eminence
CHRISTIAN CARDINAL TUMI, Thoughts on Cameroon, Her People And What the Next Seven Years Hold.
Game Changers Innovators Nation Builders
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Interview Marc Olivier ENOH TONYE
Speaks about the 'Fourth Industrial Revolution' and how Cameroon can benefit from it. line with the values of the Global Shapers Community, that is to improve on the state of the local community, the Global Shapers Yaoundé Hub decided to organise the first edition of the 'Shaping Cameroon Conference' - a platform for exchange and a think tank which set the stage for collaboration between the public, private, civil society and university dons on ways Cameroon could leverage on innovations in technology ushered in by the Fourth Industrial Revolution in a way that increases prosperity, standards of living and inclusive growth for all Cameroonians. The agenda laid emphasis on the potential disruptive and transformative power of technology in many key sectors such as finance,
Today, Cameroon is faced with numerous challenges in various fields of activity which include but are not limited to economic policy, public-private partnerships, entrepreneurship and technological advances which government alone, despite their efforts, cannot solve all by themselves. The scope and dynamic of these challenges require constant long term strategic dialogue between major segments of society which will help the
health, culture, entertainment, policies, just to name these. The objective, at the end of this meeting, was to produce a strategic and cross-disciplinary document with a multi-sectoral approach which will be forwarded to the actors and decision makers of the public and private sectors. There would be follow-ups with various institutions concerned to ensure a proper implementation of the recommendations The first edition of
community gear up in a consensual and concerted
‘Shaping Cameroon'
manner for the countless external challenges especially
Emerging through Values in the Era of the
with regards to globalisation. With this in mind and in
Fourth Industrial Revolution
under the theme:
th
took place on the 29 of June 2018 at Djeuga Palace Hotel in Yaoundé. Marc Olivier Enoh tells us more about the 'Fourth Industrial Revolution' and its impact on the Cameroonian socio-economic landscape. Cameroon Achievers Magazine (CAM): Greetings. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Marc Olivier Enoh: Thank you for the opportunity you give me to throw light on a number of key
Decisions made and taken by Cameroonians today will affect us in the long run that is why we young people have to be at the center of all these decisions!
As Global Shapers, we understand that there is a sense of urgency to fix the problems plaguing our societies and this problem must be fixed NOW and to quote Mme Rebecca Enonchong “Global Shapers is the most powerful youth voice i n t h e w o r l d ! ” . We t h e r e f o r e h a v e t h e responsibility to engage, transform and inform.
issues relating to the Cameroonian economy and society at large!
My name is Marc Olivier Enoh Tonye I am a holder of two Bachelor degrees in Economics and Political Science from the University of Michigan in the
CAM: You are the chairman of the organizing committee of the 'SHAPING CAMEROON CONFERENCE' which was held under the theme: Emerging through Values in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution What is the Fourth Industrial Revolution?
United States of America where I focused on International Finance and the Political Economy. In 2011 I moved back to Cameroon, did a couple
Marc: The fourth Industrial Revolution describes
of internships then got employed by the Autonomous
how innovations and digital technologies are being
Sinking Fund of Cameroon (CAA) where I currently
used in every single aspect of life and in every
serve as Head of Risk Management. I am passionate
business sector – be it Production be it distribution
about technology, youth development and sports.
etc. what the fourth Industrial revolution is doing is...
I climbed mount Cameroon 6 times and Mount
it is not creating goods and services but it's solving
Kilimanjaro once.
problems using technology. We know that technology can be used by people everywhere.
CAM: When and why did you join the Global Shapers Network?
Even people in villages with no roads have access to technology. The fourth Industrial revolution is the democratization of this technology. And harnessing the power of this to produce
Marc: I joined the Global Shapers Community
products that solve daily problems because as at
2 years ago because I was looking for a platform
now, few people in Cameroon harness the productive
where young people can come together and discuss about problems then seek tangible solutions to solve these issues. also, I believe young people should be central to solution building, policy making and lasting change especially in a country like Cameroon where about 70% of its population made of young people.
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capabilities of technologies. The fourth Industrial Revolution therefore is the practice of using technology in every system of life. And we are proud that for the first time in Cameroon history, we bring together stakeholder to discuss concrete and practical ways we can use these technologies to improve ever day life in out community.
This is why we organized the 'Shaping Cameroon Conference' because if we do not embrace
The key questions asked were – where are we today?
technology and apply it in our everyday lives,
Where are we heading to? And How do we get there?!
we might lose out on our economic strength.
For example, when we look at our educational system,
The rate of unemployment will surely increase,
we all know everything has become so redundant!
health care will obviously see a decline and much
What is taught in schools nowadays is just theory
more deficiencies will be incurred and this because
that prepares students to become unproductive
the whole world is functioning on different levels
employees. What happened to the importance the
now. We can always have the possibility with this
sciences and technology once had? What happened
same technology to adapt its use in our own context,
to studying scientific subjects that lead students
culture and environment. We do not need to imitate the west, neither do we need to copy and paste.
to become great inventors and value creators. Look
We must embrace the fact that to be part of a global
at the finance sector, we can not tell how many
village primarily means applying technology to
start-up companies close down on a daily basis
express ourselves or to produce goods and services
because of the lack of access to funds! There
that will make our society and the world better.
we asked ourselves how can technology solve
We must use this opportunity to integrate global
this problem?! Take mobile cash transfer for
value chains at the highest levels; only then will
example. Mobile technology has facilitated
real economic prosperity abound in our country.
cash transfers even to the most remote area of the nation. Many areas of Cameroon that do not have road access, do have access to mobile connectivity
CAM: Tell us about the Conference proper. Marc: Essentially, the conference was held because we believe that as Global Shapers, we must be proactive. We must set the agenda and follow through with its implementation. So this conference served as a platform for us to evaluate our present situation with regards to our country's digital performance in every sector namely – education, finance, social inclusion, governance, industrialisation, agriculture etc.
and money transfer options, making it possible to do business in a more efficient way. This just goes to highlight one of the few positive impacts of technology and its positive effects on social inclusivity. However, the negative effects of digitalization cannot be ignored...it is argued that many people are at risk of losing their j o b s a n d w i t h t h e r i s e o f t e c h n o l o g y. Looking at the aforementioned example, many Express Union workers are on the
www.cameroonachievers.cm verge of losing their jobs due to the rise of
order to prepare adequately. We don't have
mobile money. Solutions need to be found
much leeway in terms of time, its either we
fast enough before a large number of obsolete workers get into poverty. At the conference, we also talked about cybersecurity and
act now, or forever remain at the lowest levels of global productivity.
how data can be protected because any digital
CAM: It is always good to talk and have conversations
system without data security cannot survive in the
on these issues, how does your global shapers
technological age. That in a nutshell this was what t
community here in Cameroon intend to implement the
he conference was all about – asking these
resolutions attained at the conference?
questions and proposing solutions to them. The theme was motivated by the current and future changes orchestrated by the advent of
digitalisation which is a new challenge
Marc: The conference was very successful, the turn-out was massive (over 400 people) and many concrete solutions and recommendations were proposed! Now comes the hardest part; making
for the world – now a global village –
sure the recommendations are channelled to the
but even more so for Africa and particularly
appropriate stakeholders and implemented in a
Cameroon with implications in the fields
timely fashion and coherent fashion. Global
mentioned above. Since our countries are
Shapers Yaoundé intend to follow up on these
not technologically advanced, it is absolutely necessary to hold these discussions now in
recommendations and draft quarterly reports on their implementation. Thank you!