JULY 2017
ALEXANDER BEDE The brain behind Cameroon’s finest restaurant.
DISCOVER Christine DJAFA : Founder of Life As A CM BMeet : A B2B social network SolightTech : Democratize Solar energy in Africa
THE ELEVATOR IS BROKEN. TAKE THE STAIRS! 1| July 2017
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2| July 2017
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PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Hermès NZIKO CHIEF OPERATION OFFICER André MBENG EDITOR IN CHIEF Carmene NEPEYIME DESIGN Carmene NEPEYIME REG. REP. YAOUNDE Franky NAOUSSI MENTOR Marie-Caroline KINGUE EDITORS Hermès NZIKO, Carmene NEPEYIME, André MBENG, Rhodes ABAN MARKETING Samantha EDO’O COMMUNITY MANAGER Rhodes ABAN PUBLIC/ PRESS RELATION Pachouelle TCHAKOUNTE CONTRIBUTORS PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT Ulrick Sidney KOUOKAM
MARKETING MoMoB
TRANSLATION Hermès NZIKO, Brian TATIEKAM PROOFREADING Sidney KOUOKAM, Brian TATIEKAM, Hermès Nziko
www.beekome.com
CONTACT US
@bee_kome
+237 653-650-995
Beekome
marketing@beekome.com
@bee_kome
3| July 2017
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SUMMARY EMERGING ACTIVITY Culinary Art
6
ENTERTAINMENT & CULTURE
23
CINEMA: Makeba, hell hath no scorn like a woman’s fury CULTURE: My little Cameroon SPORT:
TIPS 5 Steps to gain self confidence
HOW IT WORKS Oculus
BEE-KOME DISCOVER 4| July 2017
Rainbow-sport, an impetus
8
for African Football
10 27
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
28
MARKETING
12 31
EXPRESS UNION: The Resurrection
EVENT Gala launching of the loincloth festival Bee-kome magazine
—EDITORIAL—
CHOICES
I
don't believe the choices we make are at a certain instance, good or bad. What I'm sure is that today you might be disappointed in the outcome of the choice you made, but tomorrow when receiving that award or signing that huge multi billion dollars deal you will be happy. Then you will realize that it was all because you earlier made a choice that you thought was wrong. Yes, certainly everything might not turn out as expected, but keep faith that whatever choice you make today will contribute in its own way to the accomplishment of your vision. Have faith in every Choice you make. Have faith in yourself and keep moving forward. In the light of things, we have been able to come forth with our first issue published in English. We really appreciate you all, readers, and pray you appreciate this as well. Enjoy your read and don't hesitate to forward back your thoughts and comments to our client care team. Regards, Hermès NZIKO
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR
5| July 2017
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—EMERGING ACTIVITY— CULINARY ART
I
t is one of the sectors that spreads in Cameroon, in its various forms. Finding space to satisfy one's hunger is child's play. It is becoming increasingly easy to make a trip and find a restaurant, a "backpack", a cafeteria or a "beignetariat". With all categories and prices, many innovative restaurateurs are growing at their level and according to their means. To attend a remarkable culinary revolution that reconciles the background and the form of the desired meal, the chosen frame. New formulas are being created and consumer demand is increasing. New culinary start-
IYA BUEA of Alexander Bede located in Great Soppo, Buea presents a rich and varied cuisine that promotes the culture and the seasons
ups are born, chic and cheaper restaurants grow like mushrooms. Today, choosing its environment and its meal is an art just as is the dedicated originality of its chefs, interior designers and interior decorators. More and more customers are enjoying the moment and sending themselves like majesties, ‘cause the new formula finally applied is: the customer is KING. When walking for this new trends, some restaurants bring their personal touch:
6| July 2017
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NJIK'SONS, a restaurant specializing in organic food and valorisation of the richness of the territory in respect of the seasons. It is located in Akwa, rue franqueville ROOT CAFE, a small corner cafe for entrepreneurs. It draws its charm not only from its simplistic menu but also its comfort and its atmosphere soothing and heavy opportunity. Its mini library and well selected music playlists to complete its charm on this street, Lottin Same in Akwa Apart from the restaurants, start-ups do not fall short : Mes petites gourmandises from Diana FOMO specialized in homemade pastry Creatives cakes by HervĂŠ NJIA
The home delivery service is expanding and allows many people to make their cuisine known through their city: Les dĂŠlices de Popo
By Carmene NEPEYIME 7| July 2017
Bee-kome magazine
—TIPS— 5 STEPS TO GAIN SELF CONFIDENCE
1 I
t happens to each of us to want to give up, apologizing missing opportunities
Take life on the right side Look at the glass half full, not half empty. When you think of something you want, it is necessary to realize
that you do not have it. Make a list of the 10 things you have and for which you are grateful. Read this list every day. If you think yourself very capable then your goal is almost reached
or making bad choices that will impact the rest of our teams. The moments of demotivations may cost us very dearly. It is therefore very important to gain self confidence. Here's a method to get there.
2
Find out what you need to do When you know the path you need to take, it is much easier to make a step through. Use your resources, re-
search the Internet and try to find the most effective way to do what you want to do. You will feel as if you were an expert in the matter.
8| July 2017
Bee-kome magazine
3
Surround yourself with good people They will help you better channel your mind. Nevertheless the world is full of negative people,
their doubts about your abilities can also give you enough adrenaline and determination to do what you want to do.
4
Start small Everything starts from a point, so start small. Set goals by stages, nothing comes of a sudden. Stay
optimistic and congratulate you every success. Start small in the morning. If you have a list of things to do, it might be beneficial to start with the smaller one. This allows you to set your-
5
Project yourself Several minutes a day, sit down and visualize yourself reaching your goal. Visualize
yourself with your goal, whether it is what you want to become, what you want to have or what you want to accomplish. What do you feel ? After several minutes of visualization, what do you feel? Make sure to use all your senses. What taste and what smell do you feel, what do you see, what do you feel, what do you hear? What does life really look like? What adjectives can you use to describe this new life? Dive into detail to make it as clear as possible. Where are you ? What are you doing? What are you wearing ? What do you look like ? Who is with you?
self in motion and facilitates the other activities of your day.
Ref: www.beekome.com
9| July 2017
By Carmene NEPEYIME
Bee-kome magazine
—HOW IT WORKS— OCULUS
V
ideo games as we know them are about to change. An advance in visual
axis of the eye. To operate, this screen must be connected, via a box, to a comput-
Then come a bunch of components that are found in
computing and new equipment such as the oculus rift offers players intense, interactive and immersive sensory experiences.
er and a graphics card. When connected and powered, the 720p 7-inches resolution LCD screen displays a digitally distorted
As if an extremely realistic sci-fi film unfolded before your eyes.
stereoscopic image to reverse the optical distortion created by two lenses located in front of each eye in order to increase the
Smartphones, such as an ARM processor, a gyro sensor, an accelerometer and a magnetometer. .All these components are present to
The oculus rift is a virtual reality computing device designed by Oculus VR. Designed in 2012 by the young American hobbyist Palmer Luckey dissatisfied with the gaming experience offered by his masks.
field of view and definition in front of the fovea. The screen is placed on the focal plane of these lenses, so that the virtual image thus created is at infinity.
detect the movements of the head of the user, of sorts that at each little head movement, the environment retransmitted on the screen adapts, for a total immersion in the virtual reality
But how can a simple mask carry the one who carries it into another world? The oculus rift is in the form of a ski-type mask, covering the eyes and attached to the face by a closed strap at the back of the skull. A digital screen is placed a few centimetres in front of the eyes, perpendicular to the 10| July 2017
By Andre MBENG Bee-kome magazine
11| July 2017
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—BEE-KOME DISCOVER—
ENTREPRENEUR
P 13
Alexander BEDE GUEST
P17
Christine DJAFA GOLDEN START-UP
P20
Bmeet DISCOVERY
P21
SolightTECH
12| July 2017
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ENTREPRENEUR Alexander BEDE
A
lexander BEDE is a technical business analyst and entre- it of himself, of his team, or even IYA, Alexander spoke with preneur. Graduate with a Master of Arts degree from such elegance and simplicity that it was hard to believe his
Kingston University, Alexander has worked for quite a number of companies and has founded some. Today, Alexander is most popularly known through his latest achievement : IYA Buea. Last December 2016, I was lucky enough to be present
story was true. Far from the fantasy we usually hear embodied around start-ups, Alexander went straight to the point telling us things as they were. We were not amazed by his achievement but by the way he spoke so easily about his set-
during the Wisdom Talks Conference held in Yaounde, where backs. Humble in everything he does and says, he credits his he presented to us the mind-blowing story behind the birth achievements not to excellence but to commonsense. Like of IYA. All through his presentation, it was so facinating to see he puts it « Some people might call it being smart, but I say the ease with which he spoke, the way he captivated his au- it’s commonsense ». dience. It was amazing and a first time experience for me. Be 13| July 2017
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During that Conference, Alexander narrated to us the story of his childhood. He was born in a very big family and lived under one roof with all his brothers and sisters. All of them were well taken care of by their mother, whose economic activity was selling roasted bony fish. He grew up to love the culture transmitted by his mother which was : cooking. After graduating highschool he followed his siblings’ footsteps and went to study in one of the best colleges in Germany : RWTH Aachen where he obtained a degree in computer science in 2002. Later, in 2005, he obtained a degree in Communications Engineeering and Computer Sciences from the University of Duisburg-Essen. And in 2008 obtained an M.A from Kingston University. During his days in college, he used to have a part-time job as a barman and as such learned the skill of making cocktails. A skill which he eventually found very useful. A couple of years after his degree, Alexander started laying the foundations for IYA. As he says, it took him 05 years to give birth to IYA. 14| July 2017
During those 05 years, Alexander called in for the crème de la crème to help shape IYA. When he had to find a site, after all the administrative work was over, he did not hesitate to call over the best Architect to rethink the structure of the building. Present day IYA used to be the Franco Alliance building and at the time of the renovation, was a total wreck. Some people doubted the fact that the place could one day be used again for anything. All the furnitures found in IYA are handcrafted, designed to make sure they suit the customer. Alexander recounts how he went for a couple of months reading, reading and doing nothing but reading. He learned so much about culture, about food and the culinary arts that he began understanding how the receipts gotten as a culture from our mothers could be integrated into today’s modern culinary world. As such, He decided to approach the issue of integrating our culture into modern culinary world in two steps ;
By bringing in top chefs from abroad to train local chefs, and on the other side he decided to create a catalog refrencing all the receipts transmitted from our mothers so that they might last forever through IYA
Bee-kome magazine
ABOUT IYA Named in honour of our mothers, to thank them for all they have done for our culture, IYA is a fine diner restaurant that pays homage to Cameroon’s rich and diverse gastronomy and cultural heritage. Trained by the gourmet chef Dieuveil Malonga, the chefs at IYA are taught how to present the African culture in its best image. IYA establishes itself as a leading Food & Culture destination in Cameroon, and a contender to
also partners with artists, entrepreneurs, event promoters and much more to
the experience at IYA has been described to be one of a kind and these has led
serve as a culture breeding ground and
them to be named Central and Eastern
help promote the existing cameroonian culture. At IYA it’s not all about the food,
Africa’s best restaurant by Luxury Travel Guide.
you get an opportunity to explore Cameroon’s culture through the museum present there. Seasonally, IYA presents a variety of events open to the public. But one thing IYA is most known for is its unique customer care experience. For every person who has gone to IYA for a
memorable African gastronomic experi-
meal, one thing stays in mind : the expe-
ence in general.
rience. At IYA, everyone is treated not like a king, but like a mother will treat
IYA does not only provide a cozy space for the best gastronomic experience, but
15| July 2017
Compiled by Hermès NZIKO
her child. From the janitor to the cook,
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16| July 2017
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GUEST Christine DJAFA
THE COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT 17| July 2017
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H
i Christine, could you introduce yourself to our readers please?
(Academic, professional course) Hello, I am Christine Djafa, digital marketer. I have been practicing this profession for two years now but I an academic background in financial engineering. Digital marketing is for me a combination of two passions; as a geek I always liked the digital and very chatty I always liked communication and marketing. In my lost hours, I hold a blog on the feedback of a community manager in Cameroon, I also love photography and recently I got to the guitar. You are known to wear so many caps : student, ’blogger’, freelance marketer and promoter of Life As A CM. How do you manage all these activities and in addition continue with your studies ? Organization & Discipline.
“
For any skill, it
is always necessary to invest in the expertise that goes with it.
”
18| July 2017
All too often, things seem difficult or impossible to do, because we do not take the time to think and organize them properly. It is obviously very heavy also to juggle between all these activities, that is when discipline comes in. Know when to ne hard on yourself and do a little more each time to achieve your goals. A typical day in my life runs from 6:30 am to 11 pm. You imagine that if in this short time you do not organize things properly, you get lost ! Why did you chose to become an entrepreneur? "Having chosen to become an entrepreneur". The sentence is very well placed. Because it is a choice. And a heavy choice that does come with its consequences. Initially, I created an association with three friends: Camer
Youthnited, which works for the civic engagement of young people. Several awareness campaigns later, it helped me to understand that it is difficult to tell young people to move economically by not being an example. At that time I was a Free-lance provider and from there came my motivation to set up a business model and set things straight. The need to set an example, to motivate, to inspire. To pass this stage it takes a lot of determination and a great assumption of its choices to be able to push when it is hard. Apart from being a student in finance, you have opted to be a freelancer in the field of digital communication. Let's talk about this in entrepreneurship. What do you think of the role of a start-up must give to its digital communication? In your opinion, is it necessary to invest in an expert in this sector or it is better to do it yourself. It always sounds as paradoxical every time I answer this question, but with the current wind of "start-up" blowing, I would like to say that digital communication is not the Messiah of their communication. No! Digital communication remains an optimization of classical communication (offline); and it is always judicious according to the product that is sold, to bet on a cross-media communication (to choose a mix of channels offline and online). For any skill, it is always necessary to invest in the expertise that goes with it. As an entrepreneur, believing that one can be the omnipotent 'Manie-tout' and that one can do everything by one's self is a utopy. From IT to marketing to finance and management, to every skill, expertise ils needed !
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Still in the same vein, let's talk about Life As A CM? What is it? Why did you start it? More importantly, what is your vision? Life As A CM is an accompanist of small & medium-sized company in digital marketing. It mainly targets companies in the fields of tech and finance. It has a CSR pole that has been focused for eight months now in the empowerment of young people through their introduction to NICTs. An emphasis is placed on young women. These young people come from a Communication / Marketing academic background and are trained in the management of professional social networks to make themselves more competitive on the job market. I started it due to circumstances, as explained above I wanted to go from freelancer to entrepreneur but due to the growing customer demand, I had to find a policy of expansion. Recruitment, training and payment of benefits had to
find a legal roof to be made at Life As A CM.
and how I put it into practice in my daily business.
Our vision is to develop an army of digital marketers, from the receptionist to the accountant, trained to the needs of the digital Africa we are building.
Thank you very much for answering our questions. Would you have a last word for the end?
What challenge do you have that prevents you from realizing the vision you have with Life As A CM? There are many challenges, but most of all there are always challenges. Here I would especially like to focus on how to overcome them and capitalize on them. I am a great perfectionist. And generally facing a challenge I have a process of resolution in two steps:
The great clichĂŠ for young people: DARE! But above all give yourself the means to succeed. Less Facebook, less Guinness, and more research and volunteering, will not hurt you!
- Repeat this: "Obstacles are only walls that we raise in our minds so as not to face our fears, break them!" - Then, once the wall is broken, I always wonder what I can learn from this test
Interviewed by Hermès NZIKO
After an CSR pole for Life As A CM 19| July 2017
Bee-kome magazine
GOLDEN START-UP BMEET: The professional network of enterprises in Africa
By Hermès NZIKO
BMEET SAS, an innovative young start-up in the B2B business market. Its main mission is to facilitate exchanges between
To date, they have won the 2nd prize at Start-up Weekend Africa, held at Tours in September 2016. BMEET is one of the 1000 high-potential start-ups selected from
companies.
among 94,000 start-ups applying to the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program starting in August 2017.
It all started from a misdemeanor he ex-
HOW IT WORKS ?
perienced as he sought a way to industrialize the spicy oils that his father produced. He encountered a lot of issues when it came to trust in complementary businesses. Jean Phillipe Veigne (current COO & Co-founder) gathered two friends: Harry Youmbi (CEO & Co-founder) and Maxime Kuitche (CTO & Co-founder) and together they began the passionate adventure of BMeet. In just one year, BMeet has shown its potential by seducing thousands of people across Africa 20| July 2017
The company page on BMEET will be structured as a website, easier to use, faster to design and cheaper than the current process of designing a website by a subcontractor. Moreover, visitors will only come on BMEET to do business: find partners, customers, search for products or services, maintain its reputation and of course convert its visitors into buyers. The BMEET platform is available online, and the first subscribers benefit a freemium subscription until the end of 2017. In order to be eligible for this package, companies must fill in the form available on www.bmeet.co and receive an e-mail confirming that it has been registered. The only condition for integrating BMEET is to be a company. Companies will be able to register and create the profile that corresponds to their image. Bee-kome magazine
DISCOVERY SolightTECH
Although it is known by its cities often called "city of light", Cameroon is full of areas covered by the darkness (villages, roads abandoned or not very frequented).To this effect, young Cameroonians have thought of an effective way to overcome this great problem, and hence the SoLightTech concept. SoLightTech is a start-up co-founded by Geoffroy TALLA and AssociĂŠs with the ambition to democratize solar energy in a context where energy supply is problematic in rural areas.Geoffroy's experience in Asia follows a pathway in the prestigious Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.But very quickly, he feels the need to be useful in Africa and decides to return to live his African Dream. Project started about 6 months ago on own funds with savings, SoLighTech gets shortly after its first customer thanks to their Facebook page (facebook.com/SolightPower). It offers Solight Power solar lamps that combine both LED and solar panel lamps in a single package, suitable for external and public lighting.Plus Solight Kit including a radio / mp3 player, a solar panel, 3 LED bulbs and a phone charger for home lighting in rural areas. "Our dream is to set up a local production workshop for streetlights and solar kits.
By Rhodes ABAN
21| July 2017
Bee-kome magazine
22| July 2017
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—ENTERTAINMENT & CULTURE— MUSIQUE
MODE
LIFESTYLE
CULTURE
ART
CUISINE
SPORT CUISINE
CINEMA ART
MODE
LIFESTYLE MUSIQUE
MODE SPORT
ART CINEMA LIFESTYLE 23| July 2017
CULTURE CUISINE SPORT Bee-kome magazine
CINEMA
C
hristian Kengne, the Cameroonian director tells the story of Makeba, a young woman in love with Mokonzi, her boyfriend. They decide to marry, and to seal their union, make a pact of blood with a marabout. After
this pact, both spouses celebrate customary marriage and eventually become parents of a little boy, Dave. Some time later, Mokonzi lost his job, and became fearless towards his family. The daily life of this formerly peaceful home will become a series of beatings. Prisoner of this pact-the word that the person who separates from the other will die before seven days-she undergoes all these violence. Through special effects, the 83-minute film takes the cinephile to the privacy of several homes where girls and women are subjected to various traumas related to African customs where domestic violence prevails. It also discusses the after-effects on the behavior of children from families. The consequences of the pacts that one and the other realize in the unconscious is also a subject of this feature film. Faced with this infernal cycle of suffering and desolation caused by an alcoholic, desperate and violent man, the young woman takes dark paths to get rid of the pact that is the knot of her separation with her husband Mokonzi. The release of the film was premiered on June 9, 2017 at La terrasse de Ndogbong and the 11 at OTHNI in Yaounde.
Compiled by Carmene NEPEYIME 24| July 2017
Bee-kome magazine
CULTURE
MY LITTLE CAMEROON
"Cameroon is a destination that reveals itself only to the most curious. We can find numerous nature reserves and national parks for lovers of flora and fauna, Mount Cameroon for hikers, and beautiful beaches. Pepper of Penja, Oku Honey and other labeled delights".
My Little Cameroon is a group of Cameroonian diaspora graduates of Belgian and French universities and colleges. Gathered as an Association, to enhance the wealth of our country Cameroon, all over the world, arousing the interest of tourists and investors. My Little Cameroon grows through several projects. For example, the ‘Young Ladies Wake Up and Shine’ is an entrepreneurship training program that aims to educate young women in the world of business and entrepreneurship. That they might understand the place of business in society and the importance of their role in sustainable, social and environmental economic development. The key words of the training given to these young women are: Corporate culture, spirit of initiative, innovation, creativity, risk taking, digital. 'The night of the chic and glamorous loincloth' which is an annual cultural and intellectual event. This event brings to life the revelation of the young talents indissociable from their learned mastery of new information and communication technologies. The goal is to pull out the woven fabric of its traditional banal boubou to give it a seductive, impressive and omnipresent value.
Compiled by Rhodes ABAN 25| July 2017
Bee-kome magazine
SPORT Rainbow-sport
Compiled by AndrĂŠ MBENG
I
n Africa football is more than just a simple game, it is a way of life. It is a true art, and as in the other classical arts some gifted artisans remain in the shadow and
are considered as non-existent due to lack of means, advertisements, channeling and many others. To compensate for this, certain structures like the Brasseries of Cameroon, FECAFOOT and others have undertaken to collect these talent carriers in the handling of the ball, to manage them, to maintain them, train them and put them in the right place. Today we will talk about Rainbow-sports, our favorite. Rainbow-sport offers to these young recruits one of the most varied menus. Among others we have: Talent scouting and representation: In this service, the RSI society manages the career of some of the most promising and talented footballers. Thanks to the network of its influential agents in the world of football. Marketing and consulting: the particularities are the following: Rainbow works with its clients hand in glove in order to ensure that the decisions taken are in line
Funding for sports and football clubs: Rainbow seeks to connect capital to ideas by using their knowledge in the sports industry and their pool of contacts to help clubs struggling to achieve their goals or to acquire New players. Rainbow-sports enhances the colors of African football by growing and nurturing its nugget. Offers various training courses enabling all its clients to benefit from an ideal framework for their development and services that will enable them to ensure the smooth running of their careers.
with those of the client and that he feels comfortable and reassured that his opinion counts. On the other hand, the company works with his client from the beginning of his career to his retirement in order to better the financial situation of the player and ensure a good retirement. Rainbow provides them with services including savings and investment, tax planning and retirement planning advice and mortgage solutions. 26| July 2017
Bee-kome magazine
—PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT—
W
e at Bee-Kome, wish to welcome you to our latest rubric. Bee-Kome wishes to empower the youth, get them dreaming and most importantly to help them fulfill and truly achieve their true potential. In our latest rubric, we will be discussing character traits and aptitudes that make the difference between prospects and achievers. It is a fact that life in Africa isn’t easy. We strive to survive on a daily basis; so much so that we find it difficult or crazy for anyone to dream about success. For those who dare to dream, they find a plethora of obstacles that surround, cover and swallow them. That said, the only question is “What are you gonna do about it? Cry?” Of course not, you my dear are African. Africans are living proof of Sir Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. So you have this dream on your mind, it’s nagging you, driving you crazy. Good! Just as it is impossible for you to fathom what it will
27| July 2017
feel like soon as you achieve this dream, it is impossible for you to imagine the difficulties you will meet; and that’s fine! You might not be able to foretell what the future holds, but you can definitely do some scouting: read about your project, read African success and failure stories about your domain, meet people who have “been there and done that” and surround yourself with people that believe in you. This last point is very important because you are going to have a lot of rough patches, rainy days, “sh*t has hit the fan” days … call it what you want. When this happens, all you will have left will be your day one companions. You are batman, get yourself a robin. PS: Ditch the leggings though Make it a habit of having a hierarchical to-dolist. This list has to be organised into mustdo, should-do and nice-to-do. If you are wondering whether something is a must-do or a nice-to-do, it is probably in the latter.
Must-dos are functional while nice-to-dos are aesthetic; think of it this way – you have a date with your crush: while it will be great to dress stylish, it is vital that you put something on. The same list should have deadlines: deadlines have to be realistic and have to be made in time. Finally, I must advise you to keep a diary in which you record your successes, failures and setbacks.
By Coach Sidney Bee-kome magazine
—MARKETING— EXPRESS UNION: THE RESURRECTION
T
he decade after 2001 saw Express offered incentives to encourage indivi-
Union’ become THE money trans- duals to subscribe to mobile money fer leader. However, as the Cameroo- through bonus for airtime purchased nian company grew, innovation stifled. using mobile money. This was an imSo stifled were they that as I write mediate benefit. When Express Union these lines, they are nearing oblivion. eventually launched its Express Union Though it is clear that Orange and MTN Mobile, the incentives were not as dimobile money are threatening to extinguish Express Union, one wonders, ‘why Express Union did nothing to face the mobile money threat? What can Express Union do to escape death?
WHY EU STUMBLED
rect as those of MTN (Tombolas and others). The lack of immediate incentive gave mobile money an edge over for Express Union. 3- Convincing. MTN and Orange don’t only have some of the biggest marketing budgets in Cameroon., they also
EU TRIES TO SURVIVE Of course Express Union has tried to react. They are alarmed by the fact 5 million mobile money accounts exist in Cameroon (Orange and MTN combined) while Express Union agencies are almost empty. Recently, they claimed to have opened 600 withdrawal points offering up to 40％ commissions for each transaction to outlet operators. Though this is already interesting, I feel - as a Cameroonian and Patriot - that the biggest challenge is to convince current over 5 million non-users of mobile money to adopt Express Union Mobile.
spend smartly. It is fair to say that their When Mobile money was introduced in mobile money was better and more 2011, no one expected them to overtake consistently communicated than ExExpress Union. However, they suc- press Union Mobile. ceeded because of three key reasons:
1- Motivated agents: MTN and Orange enlisted mobile money agents - shop owners, barbers, call boxers through 35％ commissions. With this financial innovation, the agents not only offered quality service, but also advertised the service. At the same period, Express Union quality was consistently poor, with frustrated, frowning agents in almost every service points 2- Incentives. MTN and Orange money 28| July 2017
Bee-kome magazine
Operation Seduction Everyone knows that Express Union has to be more creative in their communications. Orange and MTN have bigger marketing budgets that Express Union, so
First, create a culture that supports and
Four ways to always stay ahead of com-
brews innovation. Strict lines of hierar-
petition.
chy will have to be broken, and open communication installed. Second, capacity building of all key em-
creativity is the only point where the
ployees on key themes like digital dis-
Cameroonian company can compete.
ruption, customer-centricity and servant leadership will have to be emphasized.
I believe there’s need for a huge appeal to the cameroonness in all of us. And I
An Express Union Academy or hub could
don’t mean that Express union should paint their offices green-red-yellow or
be created to constantly monitor the economy and find new ways of coping
print ‘Made In Cameroon’ on their receipts. What’s on my mind is a social me-
with or benefiting from digital changes.
dia campaign, that will utilize games, videos and a lot of user-generated content to appeal to people of the nation. The ultimate aim of the campaign will be to get customers to say or think “I’m Cameroonian. I’m Express Union” Beyond Facelift Note that the marketing campaign is just a makeup. I believe express Union needs to reengineer its whole system. This could entail the following changes:
OUT OF MONEY? Perhaps, Express Union may have to abandon money transfer all together. They have become a household brand. They are credible. Couldn’t they invest in a sector out of mobile money? Many companies in the past have had to change their sectors of operation. Who knows? The destiny of Express Union may be in financial Artificial Intelligence
1. Run a weekly analysis of your competitors’ strengths, weaknesses, strategies and tactics. 2. Second, create an organizational culture that is friendly, open-minded. This will help promote innovation. 3. Create, within your organization an innovation lab in charge of criticizing your current processes and proposing creative suggestions on a monthly basis. 4. Never. Never. Never be satisfied with your current conditions.
or express drones. By Bertrand MOMO
29| July 2017
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—EVENT— GALA LAUNCHING OF THE LOINCLOTH FESTIVAL
I
n order to promote the Cameroonian fashion and culture industry, the association My Little Cameroon has the honor to announce the Loincloth festival which will take place from the 23rd to the 24th July 2017 at the Hilton hotel of Yaoundé.
Thus the Week of the Loincloth Chic & Glamour will be punctuated by several interesting points as follows:
Reflection on the loincloth
My Little Cameroon is a group of Came-
For children: workshops "draw me a loincloth" and the story of loincloth told to the children
roonians gathered as an Association to value the wealth of our country Cameroon all over the world. For the 5th consecutive year, My Little Cameroon will be celebrating the Loincloth Chic and Glamour and its e-Talents Awards. Given the success of previous editions, and in an effort to include the public in the growing interest of this event, My Little
Practical part: workshops "how to tie a turban" followed by the contest of the most beautiful turban for adults
"Doing Business": exposures and sales animated by the young Cameroonian talents of fashion and design
Cameroon has decided to extend it to two days rich in cultural activities. The Loincloth festival will kick off on Sunday July 23, 2017 with a day of activities related to fashion and African gastronomy. The gala dinner will be accompanied by the final of the Cameroon e-Talents & Lifestyle Awards and the theme chosen this year is "The loincloth: culture, traditions, fashion, beauty and economic development". By Rhodes ABAN 31| July 2017
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32| July 2017
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33| July 2017
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