Back to Gabon: Les Sambas Professionnels 2024

Returning to Gabon in June to mark the 10th edition of Les Sambas Professionnels was a pleasure. Thank you, Josiane Matene and Latif Ogoula, for the invitation and your vision and energy to birth and sustain this extraordinary initiative. Les Sambas Professionnels has endured a decade of empowering young professionals and entrepreneurs in Gabon, a feat we can all be proud of. Thank you, Sylvere Boussamba, for your Godfather's guidance and wisdom.

Let me share some of the highlights and the fantastic coaches and leaders gathered for Les Sambas Professionnels 2024.

Alpha Nury and Ndeye Awa Faye from UPENDO were among the youngest professionals present, and they came to share their skills in creating social media content with interested participants. Senegalese tech enthusiast Alpha is a member of the Forbes Africa 30 under 30 class of 2019 and the founder and CEO of Jamaafunding , which crowdfunds worldwide humanitarian projects with time and money. Ndeye is a self-described cultural hybrid interested in social media communication and has worked as a team lead, translator, content creator, and videographer.

This year’s Les Sambas edition was Bassirou Niang’s second time running the workshop on photography and video, and it was a joy to watch him share his expertise with an even bigger group of participants. Yolande Bodiong also returned to Les Sambas, delivering a session on TV and radio in the digital era.

Ousmane Alédji, who facilitated the workshop on cultural projects and organisation development, is a senior arts and culture promoter who runs the beautiful Centre Culturel Artisttik Africa in the Benin Republic. It was a pleasure to meet and learn about Ousamne’s passion for arts and culture, his cultural centre, and his experience organising and managing a cultural organisation.

Alexandre Siewe, a management and communications consultant and AI enthusiast, facilitated the workshop on Artificial Intelligence. What struck me the most about Alexandre was how he shared his in-depth knowledge of event management and organisation with his workshop participants and the organisers of Les Sambas. Alexandre is also dedicated to sharing his expertise and interest in artificial intelligence with the continent, particularly in Francophone Africa, where he often speaks about AI’s importance to Africa's development.

Dr Massamba Gueye, who served as last year’s Godfather, led several classes on leadership together with this year’s godfather, Sylvere Boussamba. It was a delight to meet them again and attend one of the leadership masterclasses, where Sylvere imparted valuable knowledge gained from being a certified John Maxwell leadership coach.

Noted Ivorian entrepreneur and financier Stanislas Zézé ran the project financing and entrepreneurship masterclass. As founder of Bloomfield, the first financial rating agency in Francophone Africa, Stanislas shared his decades of expertise with the participants. Ziedou Marius and his infectious energy and passion were sadly missed this year as he could not attend.

It was a pleasure to be reminded of my film career as I facilitated a masterclass on film production and finance. I shared my knowledge and experiences using examples from my filmography.

A special mention must go to Tognidaho Emmanuel Tometin, photographer extraordinaire, who captured the special moments of this edition’s gathering. Tognidaho is a talented Beninese photographer of arts, artists, and culture, particularly interested in stage photography. I encourage artists and performers to explore his work.

With the organisers from Sambas Labs, I also had the opportunity to meet the Gabonese Minister of Communication and the Mayor of Libreville to discuss support for entrepreneurs and the Les Sambas Professionnels programme. Both were highly supportive and committed to working with Josiane and Latif for the next edition of this decade-long programme.

Lastly, this visit allowed me to witness Libreville after the August 2023 military coup that ended the 56-year rule of the Bongo family. I had anticipated a significant military presence, but the city was calm, with evidence of infrastructural investment. Indeed, all the young people I spoke to welcomed the change and backed Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, the Transitional President of Gabon. They all seemed to believe in the new administration and look forward to next year’s elections.

Congratulations again to the Sambas Labs team on another successful year connecting passionate professionals and entrepreneurs in Gabon. The challenge for the next decade is to scale and institutionalise this significant initiative.

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About Parminder Vir OBE

Over a 40-year distinguished career, Parminder Vir OBE has passionately devoted her life to amplifying untold narratives and resourcing the skills and imagination of underserved communities. At the core of her mission lies an unshakable faith in the transformative potential of ideas and stories to ignite profound change. Her diverse expertise spans African entrepreneurship, an impressive portfolio as an award-winning film and television producer, and unwavering advocacy for the arts and culture.

Currently, Parminder Vir lends her strategic insights as an Advisory Board Member of Mamamoni Limited and HelpMum Africa , and contributes as a Narrative Advisor at Mustard Venture Agency. She is also a director of ZIKORA Media & Arts African Cultural Heritage Initiative , an inspirational cultural institution for Africa.

In her prior role as CEO of the Tony Elumelu Foundation and Advisory Board Member, she masterminded and executed a comprehensive entrepreneurship programme, impacting over 10,000 African entrepreneurs across 54 African nations from 2014 to 2021. Her tireless commitment to championing entrepreneurship as the keystone for Africa's social and economic advancement continues to be a resounding call to action.