BRINGING A CHANGE THROUGH EDUCATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Cameroon Dream Builders is proud to present to you one of our upcoming entrepreneur and educator in he diaspora. We present a young fellow who has taken the stand to make it in Cameroon and also mentor young people on how to make it in the difficult economy. We hope his story inspires others who wonder if it is possible to challenge this economy in which we find ourselves.

-          Please can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I am Angu  Ransom. Born in Bamenda , Cameroon North west Region Of Cameroon.

My major concerns about my country are ;

Education, self-made ideas and innovation.

This had been my target for 3 years now.

-          As a young Cameroonian in a difficult economy, what drove you towards entrepreneurship?

      The increase in unemployment, search for greener pastures (bush falling) and above all scamming are the main things that set me to think like an entrepreneur.

 Among this included the use of social media by Cameroonians.

-          What projects have you embarked on?

My first project was ‘’Teaching where there are no laboratories’’. A project aimed at teaching the Cameroon child to use products in Cameroon for his benefit.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201211230717.html

   This project is still in progress because of the lack of resources due to some circumstances.

Other projects include;

-Starting up 2545bc a consulting company in Limbe Cameroon.

-5careers.com

and other digital projects.

-At the moment, I am working on a  platform that will link experts from different fields on a site(in progress). These experts will be able to offer coaching services to Cameroonians, Africans and others.

   This project is an extension of ‘’Knowing the Real You program’’.

-I am also working on an educational platform that will feature educational articles-library-books , journals among others.   

-          What challenges have you faced so far on your journey as an entrepreneur and how have you faced those challenges?

The major challenge is getting a team to work with. The mentality ‘’of profit before risk’’ from those I encounter makes it difficult for me to move along with others.

-          Do you have any regrets choosing to be an entrepreneur?

No regrets. I love being an entrepreneur and looking forwad to create more entrepreneurs in Cameroon with my ‘’knowing the real you program’’ soon to be launched.

-          Have you any mentors or people who inspire you to do what you do?

None for now. I got engaged in entrepreneurship because of the nature of things in my Country(Scamming, unemployment, bush falling).  The why to all these problems had been my primary motivation?

-          If the government were to assist young entrepreneurs in Cameroon, how could they help?

I think creating events like the Mandela Washington fellowship can be a way to assist entrepreneurs. The best entrepreneurs in Cameroon are not well renowned and such events will expose the ‘’big brains’’.

-Creating low interest loan schemes for startups can also be a great way to assist entrepreneurs.

-Organizing seminars and forums on entrepreneurship can be a great way to assist entrepreneurs

-          What advice do you have for your young brothers and sisters out there struggling with conventional education?

Formal education is a just a  ‘’need’’ like food, water etc.  We all need it .But only not everyone is using it. Given the fact that Cameroon is a low income country, not every youth is opportune to get formal education. If you are chance to get it, blend it with your ideas(informal educations) and save the country, than writing  piles of CVs.

-          Finally, in a country with a lot of pessimists and resistance towards change, what advice do you give to young persons who look forward to owning their own businesses?

      Setting clear goals before starting up a business in Cameroon is very important.

This will help in ignoring the criticisms and other challenges you will encounter.

Many youths like success but are not aware of the challenges involve in achieving success.

In every thing you do ,  bear in mind that there challenges. Consider the success you thought of before starting ,this is what will drive you to work harder in your start up and finally ‘’be a boss’’

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I, YOU, WE ARE CHANGE(CAMEROON DREAM BUILDERS)

As a child, we are thought to see what the entire world has to offer us; but as we mature, we have to face that hard realization, that we need to offer something to our world and even to ourselves. As a diligent student in secondary school; I was naïve enough to believe good grades at school will open up any career door I wanted. It is a good thing to encourage our young ones to aspire good grades, degrees and certificates. However, what do they do when even a 4GPA can’t get them a job, what do they do when the world the look up to for so much turns its back on them? For two years, I carried my certificate on a fruitless job hunt. It was then it dawn on me, that our obstacles present us with opportunities. It was at this point I realized the plight that continuously lingers in this blessed country of mine. Every year thousands of students finish university to face joblessness. In an economy plagued by corruption and embezzlement, what happens to all these graduates? Will moving abroad solve this problem? How many Cameroonian youths living abroad are actually better off? How many Cameroonian youths living abroad are actually in to legal activities? We know the answers to these questions. Cameroon is our home. If we don’t do anything to change the conditions at home, no one will. We can’t abandon a ship because it is broken. If it is broken, we fix it. It is for this reason I was motivated to come up with the Cameroon Dream Builders. This is a team of Cameroonians determined to have their dreams realized in Cameroon. We are out to inspire, motivate and build entrepreneurs who would provide jobs for the many graduates out there. We welcome partners, advisers and members. Change does not come without sacrifice. We are welcoming Cameroonians within and abroad to share in our vision of making Cameroon great. Change is coming. It starts with you, it starts with me.

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YOUNG CAMEROONIANS: CHANGE BEGINS WITH YOU

This article is written based on the contribution of a reader to my blog…I couldn’t help but share it…In his own words;

“Young Cameroonians and even millennia plus young adults need to create a mindset that stimulates growth. Most university and professional graduates hope to seek employment in the civil service or scanty industrial landscape of the country. That alone should be enough to make every job seeker to know the situation of the job market.
Points to take note;

1 Cameroon is bilingual;
This is very important for English speaking Cameroonians. Majority of industries and international organization are found in the eight regions comprising francophone Cameroon. You must be fluent in both languages if you must stand out from the crowd.
2 Give back to the Community;
It’s not only thinking of gaining a job from the government. Yes, there's no doubt that the economic conditions and living standards are very low. However, Cameroonians must think of giving back to the society. Donate to Charity, volunteer and work without pay and build an experience. Learn other skills side-by-side education, and strive to do a part-time job while in school.
3 Revisit your Habits;
It’s not doubt, alcohol is the number one killer of youth potential in Cameroon. Entrepreneurial minds cannot blossom with alcohol infested brains. If young stars dream of a bright future, then we must limit drastically, if not abstain from alcohol consumption.
4 Reading and continuous learning
We must embrace education as the only way out of darkness, and into the glorious light. Reading will teach us new ideas, new habits, and secrets to break through from our present condition. Since politics has failed though the opposition, we must now take individual and small group approaches to change our immediate condition. Such small changes will only give birth to a new nation where development will expand from many directions making the whole landscape a favorable place to be.

 By Lutherking Ngolle E.

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HONOURING TIME…

“Black man time” is a common phrase used in Cameroon. It is very normal for an event to start 2hours later than the scheduled time. It has gone so bad that if you hope to start an event early, you have to actually give the guests or invitees a 2 or 3 hours time slot earlier. Even at that, the event won’t start early. We play around so much with time; we don’t actually understand the consequences of dishonoring time. Anyone who doesn’t keep to time they scheduled for an appointment, tells people that;

1)      I am not disciplined.

2)      Other people’s time is not important to me.

3)      My word cannot be trusted. I said I will be here at 3 am and arrived at 6am, next time don’t take my word for it.

4)      I do not have a steady plan by which I live by…I flow with the wind.

5)      I am not a serious person.

6)      I cannot be trusted with responsibility. I can’t make it in time to meet up any emergencies or deadlines.

Sometimes we dishonor appointments with mates, relatives, and people we are conversant with. We just brush this bad attitude off because we believe these people won’t mind us being late. Little bad habits stick and actually become character. The bad habit of dishonoring time, could cost you a career and to extremes someone’s life or even yours. How you honor time tells people a lot about you;

1)      It says you are trustworthy and honor you word.

2)      It shows you are organized and discipline.

3)      It shows you can be trusted with responsibility.

4)      It shows you respect other. When you honor time in keeping and appointment with someone else, you tell that person their time is important to you.

5)      It says you are serious and mean business.

How you honor time as a student will have an effect on you in your career. Our officials should learn to respect time and not leave crowds of people standing in the sun. At our public offices, time should be respected. Many people have missed important exams, interviews and opportunities because of their attitude towards being on time. Take time seriously. Live on a schedule. Don’t be blown by the wind. Time keepers live life to the full. Avoid wasting time. Account for time. You waste it, you can’t return to get it back. Honor appointments and be on time. Let us schedule events for a particular time and actually start at that time. Time is precious; let us treat it as such.

God Bless!

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