Cameroon goes digital

Digitalisation is transforming Cameroon. It may not get the same attention as other tech hubs on the continent but it is a sector that is thriving and with a number of continental success stories. This is largely thanks to a number of entrepreneurs who innovate and who dare to think big and move mountains.

In the field of health, Serge Armel Njidjou recently shone at the 2021 edition of AfriCom in Cape Town, with his interactive neonatal incubators, which will save the lives of many babies. He joins his peers, such as Théodore Lejuste Abobda, who is in the process of developing an artificial heart, the first of its kind, and Arthur Zang, whose touch screen Cardiopad enables heart examinations to be conducted remotely.

In agritech, Erik Gyslain Tiam Dzembouon has developed a technology that allows farmers to irrigate farms remotely, by sending a simple SMS. In the energy sector, Wolf Njitia has developed a smart electricity meter. In urban transport, another Cameroonian, Lionel Mobi, is overseeing the expansion of Gozem (below), a mobility service already established in several African countries.

Anthony Same, with his company ST Digital and its datacenter, based in Douala, now sells Cloud services, not only in Cameroon, but also in Côte d’Ivoire, Congo, Benin and Togo.

Public administration is not to be outdone: three digital campuses will be built in 2022, with the support of South Korea, designed to develop the skills necessary for the digitisation of public services and administration.

Recently, the World Bank announced a credit of $100m to support Cameroon in developing digital skills and to help develop the tech sector in the country. According to the bank, digitisation could increase the growth rate by 2% and reduce poverty by 1% annually.