Interview: Roland FOMUNDAM

from Zinzin Magazine #3

by Zinzin Magazine

COUP DE COEUR

INTERVIEW

Roland FOMUNDAM

AGRO ENTREPRENEUR

Founder and CEO of GreenHouse Ventures

Motivator, winning character, frankness, here are the engines of success of our entrepreneur Roland Fomundam founder of Greenhouse Ventures, who has bet on the branch of agro entrepreneur. His greatest satisfaction is to have abandoned the life of glitter under the skies of the United States, to come to Cameroon to develop another form of agriculture, which moreover does wonders during the harvest. The month of April being the beginning of the rainy season, it was as usual, a great honor to invite an impacting personality, which, by his strength of enterprise, gives some keys to success. Let’s read....

Roland holds a Master of Science in Technological Entrepreneurship from Northeastern University (2010). He also holds a dual Bachelors in Biology and Business Management from Northeastern University.

Before GHV, Roland founded two non-profit-making companies - Youth Action Africa Inc. (founded in June 2007) and the SAFAM Center for Learning and Entrepreneurship.

He has been a visiting lecturer to universities in Cameroon, teaching Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship since 2012.

ZINZIN MAGAZINE: Who is the guest?

ROLAND FOMUNDAM: Roland Fomundam - founder and CEO of GreenHouse Ventures, was born on August 2nd, in Douala, Cameroon. The astute social entrepreneur and business development consultant founded GreenHouse Ventures (GHV) Ltd - Cameroon’s premier sustainable agriculture company - in 2013.

Before introducing greenhouses in Cameroon, Roland led the development and deployment of the first solar dehydrator in the country, and introduced other eco-friendly technologies such as corn deshellers, green charcoal and the mechanical water pump (in 2012).

Z.M: What led you to start your own business?

R.F: There was a need in the marketplace – farming needed to be done differently and no one was taking advantage of that.

Z.M: Describe a typical day for you

R.F: Every day is different. From visiting and working on farms, connecting with clients, attending meetings, working with teams in the office etc. The beauty of our work is the fact that is is outdoor and always fun.

Z.M: Do you work exclusively with Cameroonian collaborators?

R.F: No. We have clients nationally and regionally

Z.M: How many hectares of greenhouses have you already established in Cameroon?

R.F: Over 5 hectares of greenhouses in total

Z.M: What are the main difficulties you encounter in the exercise of your activity?

R.F: We really don’t see difficulties in our works – we always see as ways to innovate. Every difficult moment simply calls for a new way of thinking – hence we are always thinking of new ways of doing things which leads to new discoveries and innovations.

Z.M: How did you get the desire to be an agro entrepreneur?

R.F: I am an entrepreneur with a focus on the agro industry. This means I could be an entrepreneur with a focus on any industry where I find need and opportunity.

Z.M: Your perspectives of evolution

R.F: Evolution is nature and natural

Z.M: What is the difference between you and the other agri-entrepreneurs who use the old or archaic method? R.F: We are all entrepreneurs using different solutions to solve same problem. Every one has a role to play in the ecosystem .

Z.M: in a post of March 17, 2021 you describe two types of entrepreneurs: one who is inspired and the other who is motivated - why this comparison?

R.F: Because this is the underlying difference between true entrepreneurs and the non true ones. There are those who give up after their first failure and there are those who are committed to succeeding despite their numerous failures.

Z.M: you said that entrepreneurship is a sacrifice, what did you sacrifice?

R.F: I sacrificed a lifestyle. I had to let many things go to be on this path. For example leaving the comfort of the USA to come and work in the farms in Cameroon and more so in my village where I started work.

Z.M: What is it like to be an influential entrepreneur like you?

R.F: Though I don’t see myself as one already but being any one of influence comes with a a lot of responsibility which requires discipline, accountability and leadership

Z.M: There are young people who struggle to make their way in entrepreneurship, for you what is needed or missing?

R.F: They just need the right mentorship. Most of them don’t know what they are getting into. And there is usually no one to hold their hands and or show them the way to make it sustainably.

Z.M: How is the greenhouse culture done?

R.F: It is an indoor method of farming that requires very little space with maximum yields compared to outdoor farms on same size of land.

Z.M: Do you advise grandparents, who are used to waiting for the right seasons to sow, to use your method? Or is it for the new generation of entrepreneurs?

R.F: Greenhouse farming is for all. We will someday get to a point when every one values the need to be involved in greenhouse farming in one way or the other.

Z.F: You are a direct and frank character, what are your motivations?

R.F: We are simply motivated by the winds of change. When you are in the position to ignite and create change, you have the responsibility to be truthful , honest and a person of high integrity.

Z.M: Any advice for young people who would like to start a business but have no basis?

R.F: They should first of all find their purpose. Their purpose will lead them on to a journey of self disco very, realizations and then actualizations – this will form the basis of their entrepreneurial story.

Z.M: A word for the end...

R.F: A measure of our individual success is a factor of our collective successes. This means we need each other to succeed. Success is collective and not individual. We are one and stronger together so must find ways to work together despite the odds.