Summer 2012 Trip To Cameroon Report

The trip was one of the very important trips I’ve made to Cameroon so far. My daughter’s presence was an added value that made the trip even more special and interesting. She was returning to the country for the first time in 20 years. And we have to face the unexpected challenge of the raining season with the muddy and slippery dirt roads. We experienced the scare and the chill of our lives riding on the roads. Although the torrential rain constantly hit Bankondji, we were able to accomplish a lot more than we expected.

In no particular order of importance, below are different tasks that we completed during the visit:

• Roofing the library building
• Installing the doors and windows
• Completing the slab flooring of the school building
• Moving the machine to a safe location
• Starting the registration process of the blockyard business
• Recruiting a new project manager
• Holding our 1st official meeting with Aumazo Cameroonian team
• Meeting with the Bankondji elite group in Douala
• Meeting with the Director of Public Affairs at the US Embassy in Yaoundé

Despite all the work done onsite, we noted upon arrival that delays are commonplace and unavoidable pitfalls to project management. The trip gave me the opportunity to manage the project in real time and learn why the initial plan is derailing. Since we came home, the Aumazo board and I are working on appropriate solutions to address existing problems and design concrete actions that are imperative to resolve issues.

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