Leadership
Business
The Architecture of Anticipation: Ousmane Sonko and the New Phase of Senegalese Governance
A lawyer close to Ousmane Sonko reflects on his client's strategic acumen and the shift from PASTEF's campaign for power to a new institutional phase in which Sonko, now National Assembly president, and President Diomaye must navigate their distinct visions for Senegal's future. The interview suggests that divergence of strategy, rather than conflict, characterizes their emerging relationship.
Have Our Billionaires Betrayed Us? Seven Years Later
Reflecting on a 2018 question about billionaire silence in Cameroon, Poise examines whether wealthy elites have a duty to share the knowledge behind their fortunes. The piece contrasts the opacity of Cameroonian business magnates with figures like Aliko Dangote, who use their power publicly, and argues that what matters is not wealth itself but the visibility and teachability of how it was built.
Greatness Against Hype: Apprenticeship and Depth in African Enterprise
The writer reflects on the gap between online self-presentation and actual competence in African business, arguing that true mastery requires patient, sustained apprenticeship rather than rapid reinvention or pursuit of visibility. Drawing on personal experience across tech and finance, he contends that depth of knowledge—earned through close study of exemplary practitioners—remains undervalued in an age of manufactured credentials and hype.
Women and the Evolutionary World: On Progress, Recognition, and Future Leadership
A celebratory essay tracing women's gradual emergence from domestic confinement into visible leadership across politics, arts, and music. The writer argues that recognizing women's historical exclusion and current contributions is essential to building a sustainable future.
Twenty-Two Uncomfortable Truths About Life and Business (Part 2)
A collection of aphoristic observations on business, relationships, and personal development, emphasizing emotional logic over rational calculation, the primacy of service and value creation, and the discipline required to sustain success. The writer argues that competence, vulnerability, curiosity, and strategic silence matter more than intelligence, credentials, or clever positioning.
Small Business Spotlight: Constance and the Craft of Self-Reliance
Poise profiles Constance, a Cameroonian tailor-turned-artisan who transitioned from sewing into cement and recycled-material design work, building ZHOD (Zionite House of Decor) in Bonaberi. The piece celebrates her self-taught methods, her ability to generate income across price points, and her capacity to create work for others, particularly young people during economic uncertainty.
Finding Your Brand Voice: How Bimstr Built a Platform Through Authentic Language
An analysis of how Bimstr, a Cameroonian music promotional platform, succeeded by speaking directly to its young, urban audience in Franc-Anglais—the colloquial blend of French and English that dominates social media in Cameroon. The writer argues that effective brand communication requires first knowing your ideal customer, then choosing a voice that is both authentic to your brand and genuinely familiar to those behind it.
On Service and the Uniform: Rethinking Leadership in Cameroon
The writer observes how uniformed officials—police, gendarmes, soldiers—receive deference and queue-jumping privileges in everyday transactions like paying utility bills, and questions whether this reflects a genuine understanding of service. Through personal anecdote and reflection on Desmond Tutu's definition of leadership as serving, suffering, and sacrifice, the piece argues that Cameroon has inverted the relationship between those in authority and those they are meant to serve.
The Cameroonian Reticence: Corporate Culture, Information Opacity, and the Cost of Secrecy
The writer examines two interconnected cultural phenomena in Cameroon: weak corporate cultures that fail to invest employees in their companies' success, and a broader cultural tendency to withhold good news and business information. Using the example of a chef's deal with a multinational corporation, the piece argues that both corporate leaders and individuals perpetuate economic stagnation by refusing to share knowledge, celebrate achievement, or build transparent systems.
Customer Service and the Economics of Dignity
A sharp critique of customer service failures in Cameroon, traced through a frustrating dry-cleaning transaction. The writer argues that poor service discipline reflects—and perpetuates—a cycle of low wages, business failure, and mutual blame between employers and employees.
Leadership Lessons from Dr Nkeng: Building Loyalty in the Entertainment Industry
The writer observes Dr Nkeng's sustained success in building and maintaining a cohesive video production team—CPE—as a rare model of organizational stability in an industry marked by frequent conflict and dissolution. Rather than offering a direct answer, the piece poses the question of what principles might underlie such loyalty and competence, positioning Nkeng as a quiet exemplar worth studying.
The Architecture of Influence: Chantal Biya and Power in Cameroon's Presidential Circle
A February 2019 post examines the shifting public profile and apparent political influence of Chantal Biya, reported on the cover of Jeune Afrique at age 48. Drawing on analysis of cabinet reshuffles and institutional positioning, the piece traces how she has moved from ceremonial presence to a figure whose preferences appear to shape personnel decisions and governance culture.
Is Stanley Enow Fit for President of Cameroon?
This piece examines the prospect of Stanley Enow, a prominent Cameroonian musician, running for president—a question prompted by global celebrity-to-politics movements and local precedent. The writer weighs his artistic reputation, communication skills, and bilingualism against his political silence, selective collaborations, and apparent distance from Cameroon's pressing crises.
Service as Subordination: On Leadership and the Deference We Grant Power
The writer observes how Cameroonians grant exemptions and deference to uniformed officials—particularly police—in everyday spaces like utility offices, and argues this reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of what service and leadership mean. Drawing on Desmond Tutu's definition of leadership as sacrifice and suffering for others, the piece critiques a culture where those in authority are treated as above rather than as servants of the public good.
On Entrepreneurship and the Illusion of Escape
The writer argues that entrepreneurship is an inborn temperament, not an aspirational title—and that most people drawn to it are chasing celebrity and escape rather than confronting their actual aptitudes. The post separates genuine entrepreneurial drive from self-employment and cautions against performing ambition on social media.