The reinforcement of technical skills required by CIAY resonated well with the Ministry of SMEs and was materialised by a training
The Ministry of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts, on behalf of the Cameroon International Handicrafts Centre (CIAY), organised a training on Community Management on 3 June 2020 in the meeting room of the Ministerial building No 1. This centre functions under the coordination of the Minister of SMEs. Thus, Minister Achille Bassilekin III instructed his umbrella structure, for visibility purposes, to support and supervise the CIAY in obtaining a communication plan which is adapted to its targets. It is in this light that the said training on Community Management was organised.
This training which was provided by digital and computer science professionals from the Communication and Computer Units of MINPMEESA resulted in constructive discussions with many lessons drawn. To achieve this, the training focused on the notion of Community Management but also on its stakes. It is worth noting that Community Management is part and parcel of the category of new digital professions as well as social media and digital marketing. Therefore, digital communication is proving to be a significant aspect especially as we are in a digital era. Moreover, the current health context requires us to use digital tools to ensure the communication activities of structures such as CIAY. In this regard, this training was very timely.
During the discussions, trainees learned inter alia about the role of community management, how to create a Facebook and Twitter account, sponsoring methods on pages, the 10 commandments of community management and how to manage a crisis with one’s community. This last point was discussed thanks to the technical support of the Computer Unit. The participation of these two units speaks volumes of MINPMEESA’s manifest support to CIAY so that it can gain its roots. To ensure that this approach enables to achieve expected results, effort must be made in synergy. It was therefore agreed that it behoves on CIAY to draft some technical documents, namely its communication plan. This plan is a kingpin in enabling CIAY to be in line with MINPMEESA’s communication strategy, thereby projecting the image that CIAY would like its targets to have of it. For this purpose, MINPMEESA will spare no effort in achieving this objective.
At the end of this training, participants heaped praises on the trainers and were keen to express their satisfaction. They intend to put this training to good use by applying lessons learned so that the process which has been triggered will be satisfactory for all.
It is worth recalling that the Cameroon International Handicrafts Centre (CIAY) is located at the heart of the commercial centre in the capital of Cameroon. It was inaugurated on 4 March 2016. This structure is the place par excellence to exhibit ancestral know-how stored-up by craftspeople. This space dedicated to craftspeople avails them with an opportunity to showcase prestigious objects and their works of art. The unrelenting support that the Minister of SME’s offers this structure will surely contribute to the materialisation of its management policy and thus, enable it to take-off.