INNOVATION IN THE CAMEROON BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM

We live in a rapidly changing and innovative business and social ecosystem where preferences and parameters influence the choices and voices in our dynamic world. Demystifying these two (change and innovation) have been a great issue at every level of human interference.

Change has to a larger extend been doing things differently while innovation is doing something slightly different from the original (doing things slightly differently). Over these years, many have claimed there hasn’t been any static way to survive other than Change but we say it wasn’t the responsibility of change, but that of innovation. Tango, Manyan and vinto, all of Brasseries Du Cameroun were not drinks born of change but of innovation.

Given the massive influence of innovation on the survival, success, growth and sustainability of businesses, Cameroon has a lot to do in order to further exploit its potentials full scale. We have long believed in doing business for money and not for value reasons why the economic value of the nation is at all times downward sloping. Innovation has got to be a business culture. The Multinationals have kept on doing relevant businesses due to innovation but we as locals are being fed and killed by them at the same time due to lack of it. Looking at express union being swallowed up by MTN/ORANGE Money is a good definition of death by multinationals via innovation. Business men and women fail to be relevant through research and development to innovate. The country is seriously affected with ventures like DSX, CAMCUL and many others both private and public gradually falling and failing due to lack of innovation

Despite all these, the nation has the potential to be the king of innovation in west and central Africa due to the more than proportionate portion of the population being educated youths. The Silicon Mountain of Buea has been an evident indication of what the young could do for this nation if given the support and liberal sphere to expound on these magical talents in diverse economic and socio-cultural sectors.

HOW TO INNOVATE IN CAMEROON

Companies innovate in several ways but 2 easy ways to innovate are by;

1.    Professional Copyright

Companies may choose to benchmark within their industry, sector or operational milieu to seek out professional standards and innovation tenets being implemented by their counterparts and professional decipher ways of using these findings to gain market grounds and sustainability in business. A good example of this has been the copycat nature of Orange Cameroon towards the MTN Mobile Money. The beauty in this is the way they innovated on it by introducing the easy pay system via the orange money E-pay cards.

2.    Adding Value

Most often all clients want is the elimination of a further step involved in acquiring, usage or consumption of a particular good or service. If you could buy a detergent and get your cloth washed and dried by that company, then the outcome is actually not far from what you are thinking right now. Dolly Fast food has been one of the most awesome recent concept which didn’t just bring the purchasing of items online but the purchase of food. This eliminates over two to three processes before consumption thus adding value.