LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

After a professional career spanning more than three decades, I've concluded that the impact of a person's life is not measured by longevity or wealth, but by the impact of their actions and the number of lives positively influenced during a lifetime.

By all accounts, Africa today is faced with a fierce urgency. This urgency manifests itself in the need to develop sustainable energy and transport infrastructures, as well as human capacity building in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), leading to inclusive, sustainable and strong economic growth.

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Dr Aminou Mal Adji

WHO WE ARE

The Rhumsiki Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS) is an initiative of the intellectual, political, economic, social and traditional elite of Cameroon's three northern regions and its diaspora.

RISS aims to produce and disseminate innovative and transformative public policy solutions for Cameroon and Africa in general.

RISS aims to provide an independent platform for public policy research and analysis in all fields. This responds to the growing need for reliable, objective information to guide policymakers and stakeholders.

A think-tank, free and independent of all political and economic constraints, the Institute is organized around working groups, bringing together representatives of civil society (intellectuals, academics, opinion leaders, experts, business leaders, qualified personalities, etc.).

Dealing with a wide range of subjects, the Institute also draws up and disseminates concrete proposals for the progress and development of Cameroon. These proposals are the result of rigorous, critical analysis, based on the study of relevant foreign experience. Once adopted, these recommendations are made public and relayed to public opinion, which appropriates and debates them as widely as possible.

The Institute may also take part in all operations, including experiments and research, aimed at studying and implementing the concrete proposals and recommendations it draws up.

The Institute may, exceptionally and as far as possible, provide the resources necessary for these operations, including by participating in their financing, insofar as they constitute the extension and implementation of its concrete proposals and recommendations. The fundamental role of the Institute is to represent, embody and express a message, a vision, a position, a philosophy or an opinion to and for the public.

VISION

For a prosperous, peaceful and inclusive Cameroon, where all citizens can realize their full potential by taking their destiny into their own hands. "What is done for us without us, is done against us", a statement attributed to Nelson Mandela in the twilight of his life.

MISSION

Transform people's mindsets and unleash their creative capacities, so that they can stand on their own two feet and become masters of their own destiny.

• Cameroon is facing a period of instability and insecurity marked by tensions (NoSo, Boko Haram, cross-border banditry) and governance challenges (endemic corruption, embezzlement of public funds and injustice), making the upcoming general elections crucial for the country's future;

• The deep divisions between the north and south of Cameroon, particularly in economic and social terms, constitute a major challenge to be met to ensure equitable representation of all regions and a fair redistribution of wealth and investment;

• Cameroonians expect real changes in terms of socio-economic and environmental development, infrastructure, security and the fight against poverty, all of which represent major challenges for the candidates;

• To do this, Cameroonians need a diagnosis of the 65 years of independence, an analysis of current political dynamics and an identification of future trends;

• Examine the geostrategic challenges facing Cameroon and suggest ways of addressing them and strengthening Cameroon's position on the international stage;

• These analyses will help to renew the political class and build capacity and leadership to improve democratization and good governance.

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

Main objective :

OBJECTIVES

• Capitalize on the resources and thinkings on the role of northern region and develop a political offer for northern region with the aim of

  • Put an end to the ineffective system of governance that has crippled Cameroon with poverty, underdevelopment and insecurity;

  • Resolve the problems of our colonial past, and reconcile the Cameroonian people, now divided on several fronts;

  • Rebuild the foundations of our country to build a just and democratic nation, a state governed by the rule of law that offers development opportunities to every citizen

Specific objectives:

• Create a framework for thinking and exchange around a diagnosis and proposals for a better contribution of the northern region to the political project for Cameroon;

• Stimulate the emergence of a new, legitimate leadership for the northern area;

• Contribute to the emergence of a specific and inclusive political offer for the northern region through ongoing dialogue;

• Lobbying and advocacy to ensure acceptance of the northern’s position on the nation's major issues;

• Stimulate the identification and emergence of technocratic and political executives (Transpartisans) from the northern region

OUR ACTIVITIES

Sustainable Development

Science & Innovation

Education

Entrepreneurship

Health

Leadership

Public Policy

Economy

OUR PROGRAMS

• RISS Political and Geopolitical Institute

• Center for SMEs and Entrepreneurship

• Leadership Program

• Rhumsiki Institute prizes and scholarships

• Sustainable Development Program

• Health Initiative

AREAS OF INTEREST

LEVERS FOR ACTION

• Publication of memoranda, appeals and other public alerts on specific deadlines.

• ⁠Publication of strategic notes (information, economic situation, orientation, research, etc.) on specific themes.

• ⁠Organization of seminars, workshops and webinars on controversial topics and publication of proceedings.

• Stimulating strategic debate on societal issues, to develop a common position on these topics.

• Publication of public policy alerts to the Government (Sectoral Development Plans, Communal Development Plans, Regional Development Plans) and to political forces on spontaneous and urgent issues.

• Intervention on media and social networks.

METHODOLOGY

Research will be carried out through case studies, comparative analyses, surveys and consultations with experts and stakeholders from different public policy sectors.

The results will be published in the form of reports, policy briefs and presentations in the media and social networks :

• Mobilize available human resources, inform and train them;

• Organize a permanent consultation framework by mobilizing and pooling a critical mass of political forces;

• ⁠Set up thematic collaboration platforms;

• Produce bibliographic summaries on subjects of interest

• Carry out case studies through exchange visits and capitalize on the experience of other players;

• Create a website and web TV with social media to disseminate the Institute's findings and organize advocacy efforts.

TARGET GROUPS

Primary audience:

• Political Decision Makers: Ministers, parliamentarians, political advisors, Mayors and Presidents of Regions.

• Media: Journalists, editors, bloggers and influencers.

• Academic Environments: Researchers, academics, students.

Secondary audience:

• Civil Society: NGOs, Foundations, think tanks, opinion leaders.

• General Public: Citizens interested in public policies.

• Companies, Institutions and International Organizations: IMF, WB, ADB, BID, EU, BEI, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, embassies and diplomatic representations, Companies.

GOVERNANCE: BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dr. AMINOU MAL ADJI

Président

Retiree from the European Space Agency –ESA- at ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands - Directorate of Earth Observation

Senior Engineer in Electrical Engineering and PhD in Physics (High Energy Laser) with over 5 years in industries and 32 years with the European Space Agency-ESA.

Prior to his retirement, his experience can be summarized as: Satellites and Payloads from Design to Development, Large Project Management involving +1000 experts & workers, Lecturer at SpaceTech, CNES & Delft University, Netherlands 2007-2011, Lecturer at SpaceTech, CNES & University of Graz, Austria 2012-2023+, Lecturer at Université de Paris Saclay (Master 2, NewSpace 3. 0), World-renowned expert on geostationary orbit weather satellites and Member of the American Meteorological Society, and Manager of the Third Generation Meteosat (MTG) satellite series.

Alfa Alim has spent his entire professional career with the CFAO Group, where he held positions as CFO and then Managing Director of subsidiaries in Cameroon, Algeria, Equatorial Guinea and Mauritania. He holds a Master's degree from Robert Schuman University in Strasbourg and an MBA from IAE Paris-Sorbonne.

ALFA ALIM

Vice-President

Managing Director Mauritanian Automobile Distribution Company (CMDA SA)

AHMADOU Abdoul-Kadir

Vice-President

Managing Director - Rubis Group Limited

Managing Director of Rubis Africa Limited Holding, a Mauritius-based company with a stake in Cameroon-based Rubis Group Limited specializing in infrastructure and industrial projects in Africa. He was previously Senior Accountant Auditor (Ernst and Young), Financial Manager Assets and Inventory and Financial Manager Sales and Revenue (MTN Cameroon), Chief Financial Officer (Africell SA Burundi and Belvedere Group -Transport & Hotel-Rwanda), Managing Director (JMCA Petroleum Uganda, Rwanda Mineral Resources, CORTEC Mining Rwanda and Uganda, and Rubis Group Limited Uganda and Cameroon), Managing Director (Osiris Petroleum Limited Marshall Islands and Cameroon, International Local Development Consortium Rwanda), Vice-Chairman and Board Members of First African Resources Inc (NGO Cameroon, USA and Canada) ACT Cameroon, Member of Associations: CODEWOC, KAWRITAL, AVD. He holds a Diploma in Accounting and Financial Studies from the Montpellier academy and several certificates in Business Organization and Management, Financial Management, Management Control, Financial Modeling and Project Management.

A quintilingual computer scientist (Fulfulde, German, French, English, Dutch) trained at the Aachen University of Technology (RWTH Aachen), Roufaou works as a computer scientist within the Colruyt Group in Belgium. Before that he worked for more than a decade as an IT Consultant at HP Customer Delivery Services, a subsidiary of Hewlett Packard which became DXC Technology since 2017. During these years he was seconded as a consultant to several large companies such as Symantec, Proximus and Rhenus Logistics.

Alongside his professional career as an employee, he has been working as a freelance Web Developer since 2006 on a complementary basis.

Throughout his adult life Roufaou has regularly campaigned within civil society organizations, first within student organizations in Belgium and Germany, then within non-profit associations of the Cameroonian Diaspora and Belgians local initiatives.

OUMAROU ROUFAOU

Permanent Secretary

Software Support Engineer at Colruyt Group

Ing. PAUL SAMANGASSOU

Deputy Permanent Secretary

Management Consulting Engineer - InterActions

He heads the Yaounde-based consultancy InterActions. A specialist in organizational and institutional development, he has been training managers of development organizations and business leaders since 2006, and coaching change within companies and associations in 14 African countries. A project evaluator and training engineering specialist, he headed Caritas Cameroun, the development and humanitarian action coordination department of the Cameroon Episcopal Conference, for 8 years. He is the author of numerous articles on economic development issues, strategies for combating the causes of poverty, the promotion of women, respect for human rights, the contribution of communities to their own development... He is equally at home in the corporate environment and with farmers, with whom he worked for several years in the "North-West Benue" area, in Garoua.

Lawyer and currently legal advisor to the Islamic Development Bank. In this capacity, I deal with all legal aspects relating to operations financed and investments made by the IDB, as well as the resulting litigation.

Me Mohamadou Gamdji

Director

Legal Advisor - Islamic Development Bank – Saoudia Arabia

HAMADOU SANOUSSI

Director

Lecturer - researcher at the University of Lyon - France

Teacher – researcher at the University of Lyon – France. His teaching and research areas are economics, energy and strategy.

Author and co-author of numerous academic works which have been published in peer-reviewed specialist journals, such as The Journal of Energy and Development, Energy Review Studies, Energy Review. He makes academic and professional presentations in Africa and Asia, and regularly participates in seminars and conferences in France and abroad.

Member of several professional and academic associations, such as the Association of Energy Economists, the International Association of Economic Intelligence. Finally, he is a member of the Board of Directors and a member of the executive board of Academics Without Borders as Secretary.

Lecturer and researcher in political and social history at the University of Maroua (Cameroon). His work focuses on the history of slavery, the slave trade and their memories in African, Atlantic and Islamic contexts. He was Researcher-Resident at the Institute of Advanced Studies of Nantes (IEA) promotion 2020-2021. He is also involved in the European project "Slavery in Africa: a dialogue between Europe and Africa" (Slafnet-Rise H2017-2023). He is an associate member of the Center for Research in International and Atlantic History (CRHIA, Nantes University and University of La Rochelle) and of the Rings of Memory international association, with which he has conducted several studies on sites of memory and museums. He is also founder-coordinator of the Center for Multidisciplinary Studies on Slavery and Trafficking in Africa (CERPETA-Cameroon). He has just been appointed President of the African Slavery Researchers Network, created in Dakar on November 09, 2022.

AHMADOU SEHOU

Director

Lecturer in political and social history

MAÏMOUNATOU ÉPSE SOUNOU

Director

High School Teacher and Researcher in Political and Cultural History

High school teacher at the Ministry of Secondary Education and researcher in political and cultural history. Her work focuses on the political history of Cameroon, with an emphasis on the North. She is a member of the Forum of Historians of Cameroon (FOHIC), and of the International Association of African Teachers and Teacher-Researchers in Educational Sciences (AIEECSE). She is active in several other associations for development and environmental protection. Since 2012, she has been involved in the production of educational resources at MINESEC, including pedagogical innovation projects, digitalized courses, annals of official exams.

Agricultural economist working in international cooperation. He is an expert in agricultural value chains and specializes in cotton. An agricultural engineer with a degree from the Faculty of Agronomy at the University of Dschang, he worked as an executive at SODECOTON between 2001 and 2010, where he coordinated research and development. In 2012, he was awarded a PhD in Economics from Agri of Montpellier, and embarked on an international career that took him successively to the International Trade Center (ITC - GENEVA), the ECCAS Commission (Libreville), and since 2015 to the French Cooperation (CIRAD - Montpellier). He is particularly interested in agricultural policy issues and value chain development. In addition to being an International Consultant in Agri-management and agricultural value chains, he is involved as: - Member of the FRANCE-CAMEROON Working Group - Member of the European Union's Cotton Expert Group - Africa Expert on the Agroecological Transition Panel - Consultant to the Emirati Agro-industrial Investment Fund - OLAM Consultant in support of cotton agro-industries.

Ing. Dr. OUMAROU BALARABE

Director

Agricultural Engineer - Doctor in Agricultural Economics

Ing. SANI YAYA

Director

Telecom Engineer

10 years with Siemens Cameroon on various projects: installation, commissioning and maintenance of Cameroon's first GSM network, installation of Camrail's telecom network and introduction of Siemens pabxes in Cameroon. Just over a year with CFAO Technologie as telecom manager in Yaoundé. More than 15 years as a consultant with Proximus Belgium, Belgium's leading telecom operator in the field of analog, digital and now cloud PBXs.