{"id":7405,"date":"2026-01-07T16:11:40","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T15:11:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/?post_type=insights&#038;p=7405"},"modified":"2026-02-25T10:14:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T09:14:42","slug":"in-their-own-words-barnabe-cameroon","status":"publish","type":"insights","link":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/insights\/in-their-own-words-barnabe-cameroon\/","title":{"rendered":"In their Own Words &#8211; Barnabe, Cameroon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n    <div id=\"\" class=\"video-block-main-CMSp\">\n        <div class=\"video-block-innder-CMSp\">\n            <div class=\"video-top-img-CMSp\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/themes\/advans\/assets\/images\/hero_top_img.svg\" alt=\"\">\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"container\">\n                <div class=\"row\">\n                    <div class=\"col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 col-12 video-block-in-CMSp\">\n                        <div class=\"video-box-main-CMSp\">\n                            <div class=\"video-box-img-CMSp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Barnabe-2-e1767865559104.jpg\" alt=\"\"><\/div>\n                                                                                                                                <div class=\"testimony-video-btn-hp\">\n                                        <a class=\"video-btn tilt-shake\"  aria-label=\"Play video\" href=\"javascript:void(0);\" data-toggle=\"modal\" data-target=\"#testimony_video\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kdCtJoP5KKw?feature=oembed\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/themes\/advans\/assets\/images\/right_arrow_icon_green_hp.svg\" alt=\"\"><\/a>\n                                    <\/div>\n                                                                                    <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"video-bot-img-CMSp\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/themes\/advans\/assets\/images\/hero_bot_img.svg\" alt=\"\">\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n            <!-- VIDEO_MODAL_START -->\n        <div class=\"video-modal-main-hp modal fade\" id=\"testimony_video\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-labelledby=\"exampleModalLabel\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n            <div class=\"video-modal-close-hp\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span aria-hidden=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/themes\/advans\/assets\/images\/close_icon_white_hp.svg\" alt=\"\"> Close<\/span>\n                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-dialog-centered\">\n                <div class=\"modal-content\">\n                    <div class=\"modal-body\">\n                        <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" src=\"\" id=\"video\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <!-- VIDEO_MODAL_END -->\n    \n\n\n\n\n    <div id=\"\" class=\"IArticle-block-main-saip IArticle-block-main-saip--white\">\n        <div class=\"container\">\n            <div class=\"row\">\n                <div class=\"col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 col-12 IArticle-block-in-saip\">\n                    <div class=\"container-1130\">\n                        <div class=\"IArticle-info-text-saip\">\n                            <p data-start=\"63\" data-end=\"366\">Entrepreneurship in Africa is growing, thanks to local initiatives and support from specialized financial institutions. In this interview, Barnab\u00e9 Kokou\u00e9 from Cameroon, shares his journey, from building his energy solutions company from scratch to receiving critical support from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.advanscameroun.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Advans Cameroun<\/a>, a leading player in <strong data-start=\"680\" data-end=\"706\">microfinance in Africa<\/strong>, which enabled him to launch and expand his innovative projects.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I am Barnab\u00e9 Kokou\u00e9. I am an entrepreneur working with a team, and we provide electrical installation solutions and energy supplies. Everyone needs energy, so for me, serving as many people as possible is a true passion. People need quality equipment, but at that time, it was hard to find any on the market.<br \/>\nThat&#8217;s why many were buying second-hand materials from Europe at exorbitant prices. I told myself: &#8220;Here is a niche market, people deserve better&#8221;. I started from scratch. It tooks almost two years of patience for the business to take shape.<br \/>\nThe first challenge was financial. And when I found this location, Advans was the organisation that trusted me by giving me some funding. And I think that, as of today, we have multiplied that by ten, even by twenty, and it\u2019s thanks to Advans.<br \/>\nMy biggest dream is to have products under my own brand. That is my ultimate goal and my most ambitious project. Supporting SMEs, automatically boosts a country\u2019s economy, because real economy growth comes from SMEs, not large corporations.<br \/>\nAfrica is not yet fully built. And to build a country, a continent, the very first thing we need is energy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1100\" data-end=\"1205\">Barnab\u00e9 Kokou\u00e9\u2019s story demonstrates how access to <strong data-start=\"221\" data-end=\"248\">SME financing in Africa<\/strong> can transform an idea into a successful business. With the right support from financial institutions like Advans Cameroun, entrepreneurs can grow their ventures, create jobs, and contribute to sustainable economic and energy development across the continent.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1100\" data-end=\"1205\"><a href=\"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/insights\/in-their-own-words-herve-cote-divoire\/\">Disover the story of Herve, a cocoa farmer in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire whose life has taken a hopeful turn thanks to his cooperative and its partnership with Advans.<\/a><\/p>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n    <div id=\"\" class=\"ins-article-block-main-CMSp\">\n        <div class=\"container\">\n            <div class=\"row\">\n                <div class=\"col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 col-12 ins-article-block-in-CMSp\">\n                    <div class=\"row\">\n                        <div class=\"container-1130\">\n                            <div class=\"ins-article-card-main-CMSp\">\n                                <div class=\"ins-article-card-img-CMSp\">\n                                                                            <img width=\"464\" height=\"235\" src=\"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Advans_Cameroun_Logo.png\" class=\"attachment-advans-text-link-image-video size-advans-text-link-image-video\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Advans_Cameroun_Logo.png 2500w, https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Advans_Cameroun_Logo-300x152.png 300w, https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Advans_Cameroun_Logo-1024x518.png 1024w, https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Advans_Cameroun_Logo-768x389.png 768w, https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Advans_Cameroun_Logo-1536x777.png 1536w, https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Advans_Cameroun_Logo-2048x1036.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 464px) 100vw, 464px\" \/>                                                                    <\/div>\n                                <div class=\"ins-article-card-info-CMSp\">\n                                                                            <h3>About Advans Cameroun<\/h3>\n<p>With 18 years of operations, Advans Cameroon is the Group\u2019s oldest institution in Africa and the first to begin activities on the continent. Headquartered in Douala, it now operates through 14 branches, supported by 375 employees serving over 82,000 clients. As the second-largest microfinance player in Cameroon, with \u20ac46 million in deposits, a \u20ac57 million gross loan portfolio, and an average loan size of \u20ac8,200, Advans Cameroon plays a key role in financing entrepreneurs and SMEs. Its history is also marked by its first employee, Jean-Luc Nzoubou, who is now CEO of Advans Congo.<\/p>\n                                                                                                        <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":7416,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"insights_types":[144],"insights_tags":[164],"class_list":["post-7405","insights","type-insights","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","insights_types-interview-en","insights_tags-interview"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insights\/7405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insights"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/insights"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insights\/7405\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"insights_types","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insights_types?post=7405"},{"taxonomy":"insights_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insights_tags?post=7405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}