The inspiration for the ...name came from the Duala language in the Wouri estuary of Cameroon…..Wasamundi basically means ‘find the world’… In the technology age, this translates to "search for help”.... “In less than two years, we have been able to build a series of products that the world has recognized and is using”…“Our enterprise is currently modestly valued at 250 million FCFA (US$ 500,000), and when we finish our expansion plans into the sub-region of Central Africa it will be valued at 2.5 billion FCFA (US$ 1 million),’’ says Laurence the smiley CEO.
By Stephen Njumbe Sako
Urban planners in Africa are in the mothers-of-all-battles to catch up with the evolution of digital technology. In Cameroon, town planners are breathless catching pace with urban settlers. It is more of an awesome task for technology providers, whether cable television or internet service providers, to circumvent tortuous paths to neighborhoods to reach millions of consumers. Even locating enterprises is an uphill task for consumers wanting particular services. Arriving at hotels, restaurants and homes of friends relies on mundane mouth-to-mouth roadside inquiry. In fact, it was easier for the biblical three wise men to rely on the stars to find the baby Jesus born to the house of David in a manger in Bethlehem. In Cameroon, there is no known directory to get information on the geographical coordinates and location of enterprises in towns and cities.
The fifteenth edition of the Cameroon University Games ended on Saturday May 12, 2012 in Buea with the National Institute of Youth and Sports (INJS) occupying top position in the medal classification table. The four-time champions of the annual sports jamboree finished first this year, grabbing a total of 43 medals, 17 in gold, 15 in silver and 11 in bronze. The University of Yaounde II came second, winning a total 43 medals, 10 in gold, 10 in silver and 23 in bronze; while the University of Dschang occupied the third position accumulating a total of 30 medals of which 9 were in gold, 6 in silver and 15 in bronze. The University of Buea’s unsavoury performance and eigth position left a bitter taste in the mouth its supporters and stakeholders.
The University of Buea is hosting the fifteenth Cameroon University Games, which kicked-off on May 5, 2012. While athletes slugged out their muscles in intensive competition amongst Cameroon’s nineteen universities and colleges of higher learning, proprietors of local businesses have been busy lining their pockets and smiling into local banks to augment their savings. The games village crammed with shops and grocery stalls has witnessed a twenty-four hour carnival atmosphere. Shops in the Molyko neighbourhood of Buea have kept late-night opening hours to cash on the business fair. Some business men and women have been boastful of their returns due to the high demand of their products. The university games are held once a year, rotating amongst competing institutions. The University of Buea have been proud hosts of the 2012 edition of the games. As a mark of its bullish enthusiasm, the university erected a giant size sculpted elephant on its campus to serve not only as the official mascot of the games, but also as a befitting monument to enshrine the occasion in the hearts and minds of its stakeholders.
MINESUP Boss Enjoins Fair Play in Cameroon University Games By Stephen Njumbe Sako
Cameroon’s Minister for Higher Education (MINESUP), Professor Jacques Fame Ndongo, has called on all participants at the 15th edition of the Cameroon University Games to exercise fair play. Prof Ndongo made the call on Saturday, May 5, 2012 in Buea, during the opening ceremony of this year’s University Games, taking place on the campus of the University of Buea under the theme “together, let’s build a Cameroon of excellence.” The MINESUP boss encouraged the youths participating at the event to use the games as an avenue to blend physical talents to their intellect, which to him would make a Cameroon of excellence.
Africa's Private Sector: What's Wrong with the Business Environment and What to Do About It
By Vijaya Ramachandran, Alan Gelb and Manju Kedia Shah
Paperback: 110 pages; Publisher: Center for Global Development (January 13, 2009); Language: English; ISBN-10: 1933286288; ISBN-13: 978-1933286280
Why is business performance lagging in Africa? To provide answers, this volume focuses on the day-to-day problems that private sector managers and entrepreneurs there encounter. Through enterprise surveys conducted in several African countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, these businesspeople identify poor infrastructure —particularly the lack of a reliable source of power —as a huge constraint on private sector activity. Politics also plays a key role in limiting the success of African businesses. Many countries there have private sectors that are ethnically segmented or dominated by ethnic minorities or both. Segmented networks in already sparse economic environments limit competition, encourage an ambivalent attitude toward facilitating a good business environment, and constrain the growth of firms outside the dominant network. Consequently, Africa has yet to see the emergence of a broad-based business class. Africa's Private Sector identifies several solutions to address both the infrastructure and political economy constraints hampering business growth in Africa.
The Association of Student Journalists in the University of Buea (ASJUB), on Thursday May 3, 2012 joined journalists across the globe to celebrate the 17th edition of the World Press Freedom Day under the theme, “New voices, media freedom in helping to transform society’’. The event which took place at the Open Commons of the University of Buea was celebrated by ASJUB under a localized theme, “Media freedom in promoting professional ethics.” The event brought together more than 500 students and some university lecturers of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication.
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