Growing together, taking care of young potentials
How do you rejuvenate your teams? Michael Titi Mappah has been facing this challenge ever since he joined SOSUCAM a year and a half ago. The company has an aging population, with 60% of employees over 45. But attracting young people to the remote regions of Mbandjock and Nkoteng, a six-hour drive from Douala and two hours from Yaoundé, where many potential candidates live, is no easy task. That’s where Michael comes in: “I’m there to take them by the hand”, he says, keen to provide a reassuring environment for young people far from their families. The SOSUCAM strives to promote access to accommodation for its new recruits and to support them as they immerse themselves in a rural world they know nothing about. They are shown useful places (town halls, markets, tourist sites, etc.) and places to avoid. Site managers meet with them to familiarize them with the challenges of the sugar factory.
Admittedly, the working hours can be a deterrent for some young people. But we guarantee them rapid development,” Michael points out. We tell them ‘you have 3-4 years to concentrate on your work or you’re going to learn a lot, much more quickly than if you were in town because you’re going to learn several trades’.” SOSUCAM also organizes bush walks, sports activities and Sunday brunches to ensure that everyone feels part of the community.
The next generation needs to be nurtured, like any other precious resource.
