Reine Mbang Essobmadje “By adapting best practices to local context, we can ignite a spark”
Reine Mbang Essobmadje is the first Vice president of the Cameroonian Employers’ Association and a digital trailblazer. At the helm of Evolving consulting, she supports, advises, challenges and helps strengthen the digital ecosystem in Africa.
By Dounia Ben Mohamed
The discreet Reine Mbang Essobmadje is majestically advancing her position among the continent’s most influential tech players. Born in Cameroon, Reine’s credentials are impeccable. She holds a Master’s degree in Networks and Telecommunications from the Ecole Centrale d’Electronique in Paris, a Global Executive MBA from the Instituto Empresa in Spain, an Executive MBA from the University of Singapore and a management training program from Stafford University in England. She started her career as a network engineer at Colt Technology Services before joining Spie Communications in February 2004. In January 2006, she joined CheckPhone as a Security Consultant. In April 2008, she became a project manager at Devoteam Consulting for ten months. From January 2009 to January 2012, she was recruited by Alcatel Lucent as Services Manager.
I wanted to serve and be useful, to make a difference. And that impact can only be made in Africa
But the young woman has other goals, other ambitions. Reine wants to make a difference on the continent. In 2009, she launched Evolving Consulting. Based in Cameroon and France, the company will specialize in digital transformation in Europe and Africa. It is an eye-opener, » she says. I wanted to serve and be useful, to make an impact. And that impact can only be made in Africa.”
The firm wasted no time in strengthening the pan-African tech ecosystem by leveraging its expertise. « We had to position ourselves in a sector that is all about strategy and consulting. You can’t do strategy in this sector in Africa without being an engineer, without understanding the social and human aspects. The way I’m going to approach this strategy is from the bottom up. As our slogan says: technological and sustainable solutions. Most projects in Africa have little or no success because they are not structured enough. We start from the conception of the project; it has to be thought through from the ground up.”
Although she admits she had a rocky start, Reine, a true pioneer, has innovated, shaken things up and made her mark. « On a day-to-day basis, it’s difficult. You need references, a name, confidence and skills. That’s how you survive. You have to apply 20 times to get one. It takes perseverance and patience, and in the end our best calling cards are the billboard projects we do that are still in use years later.
Better still, beyond Evolving’s activities, Reine is multiplying initiatives in Cameroon and elsewhere to encourage, promote and strengthen local capacities. « If you look at China, which has sent pilgrims around the world who have come back to build. By adapting best practices to the local context, we can ignite a spark.
We’re still in a continent that needs to become more professional. These values, which we think are outdated, are essential. Community involvement contributes to this. To have a positive impact on the community, on the entire youth ecosystem, but also on the professional ecosystems that work, but not always according to international standards ».
Young people, « the continent’s diamonds in the rough », among whom « gems emerge in unstructured environments
In 2010, she co-founded Digital Coalition, an NGO that promotes the digital economy in Africa and organizes ICT Days with a number of partners, including UNESCO. And having chaired the Digital Economy Commission of the Cameroonian employers’ association GICAM since September 2017, she joined the board of GICAM in April 2018 before being appointed vice-president. In this role, she leads a number of advocacy initiatives, including on the issue of personal data. « This goes back to the question of the continent’s e-strategy. The challenge today is to influence young people on RSS, and to do that we need to know them, based on the profiles and data we can obtain. Politicians have not fully grasped its stakes. Africa’s young people, like the world’s young people, are affected by RSS, and the African Union has yet to reflect on these issues. How can we protect these young people?
These young people are « the continent’s diamonds in the rough », among whom « gems emerge in unstructured environments ». How can we help them to express themselves digitally? That’s the other side of innovation. We don’t need to police, but we need to be able to create the right conditions. We may not be able to go all the way, but we’ve set the ball rolling and others will follow ». Provided that « we have confidence in local companies ».
A true source of inspiration, Reine has received a number of awards. In 2020, she received the Epic “Award for Women Inspiring Women.” She is also the only African and one of the few women on the Tech MBA Advisory Board at IE Business School.
