1- Hello, first of all, could you introduce yourself, tell us about your background, and your activities?
I am Ngwain Sih Elisabeth, 29 years old founder of Phoenix Revival Association and Young Senator of the Littoral Region at the Cameroon National Assembly.
I am a masters degree holder in Business management and entrepreneurship and holder of a BSC in Political science.
In June 2020 I founded a social organisation called Phoenix Revival Association which aims to break the vicious circle of hate and conflicts in African while tackling the factors of unemployment and poverty through it’s income generating skills programs around various sectors like; handicraft, renewable economy, AI & digitalisation, agriculture etc. then after the best alumnis are enrolled for an incubator program whose aim is to guide them through the procedure of creating their products.
In February 2024 I was appointed as Young Senator by a committee made of the National Assembly and the ministry of Youth ( Cameroon)
I also serve as the Youth Delegate at the divisional level ( Wouri Division) for the Cameroon National Youth Council.
Finally I am a member of the UNESCO Global Youth Committee
2- How about your professional life?
As for my personal life all I can say is am single with no child yet , but I have plans of getting married and creating a beautiful beautiful family with the lucky man who will take me as his beloved wife.
That’s all I can say about my private life, I like keeping my personal life out of the lamp light.
3- What drew you to this ?
Since my childhood I had always dreamt to be a leader in my beloved country Cameroon and I knew the only way to be a good leader was to find a problem which needed to be solved .that’s why in 2020 I decided to create an organisation which will train and rehabilitate female IDPs which fled the English Regions of Cameroon which are facing political unrest.
Later on I realised that creating and implementing a solution to solve hate, conflict and poverty , I needed to be sited at the table with the stake holders which work for the betterness of youths and women in Cameroon and at the national level
4- What are your upcoming projects?
My future projects are as followed;
1. Keep organising quality income generating programs for women and youths.
2. Continue to evaluate my National youth leadership journey to more prominent national decision making positions.
3. Expansion project from Douala to Yaounde Open a branch in Yaounde by 1st May 2024 so as to train more youths and women in different income generating skills.
4. We have the project to sign and work on international partnerships with key stakeholders in the Civil society and impact investors.
5. Lastly, as founder of Phoenix Revival my team and I have embarked on a journey to build a training center which will be able to receive 250 learners at once , this center will have a large variety of income generating programs, offices and a ceremonial hall .
6. Lastly we plan in 20 years time to have the same type of training center buildings in key Countries where illegal migration and poverty are at a large rate.
5- Can you share moments or events that have changed your life?
The event that triggered change in my life was in 2018 when I saw the level at which women from the English Regions of Cameroon were involved into prostitution due to the anglophone crisis since 2017 .
This was so heartbreaking that I promised myself to create an organisation which will help rehabilitate these women while indirectly providing a better future for their kids ( most of them were now single mothers ) for these women could become financially autonomous thanks to the organisation.
A year after ( 2019 ) I enrolled for a masters degree in business management and entrepreneurship at the Pan African Institute for Development ( West African).
In June 2020 I took the bold step to legalise Phoenix Revival and on 1st October 2020 I officially opened the doors of Phoenix Revival Association and so far it has been a success.
So far Phoenix Revival has been a success and has been able to reach a total of 230.395 persons thanks to our strategic sensitisation campaign against hate speech and xenophobia. We also trained 277 persons in income generating skills.
Finally we have a keys to national and international partners like the ministry of Youth and Civics education, National commission for the promotion of bilingualism and multiculturalism, etc and at the international level we have Teens in AI, Drone Lab etc.
6- What advice do you have for women who want to succeed?
The advice I can give women is , no matter how they tell you that you can’t make it , do not give up .
Stay true to your principles, improve in your skills , mindset and professional Etiquette.
Never compare yourself to anyone because each of us are born under a different star and our journeys are different.
7- What are your thoughts on the status of women in Cameroon
From my point of view women in Cameroon are very industrious and push full. They are aim for top corporate positions and most of the time have it.
But the main issue they have is the choice of marital partners. Because societal pressure they go for men with less substance than them and these men later recent their success which regularly brings marital problems.
Not forgetting the fact there has been an increased rise of domestic violence in marriages during the past 3 years and this has even led to the murder of the women. The government and local NGOs are working on this societal phenomenon.
8- What are your thoughts on the website?
I will start by saying, the site is doing a great job exposing new talents in women in leadership and in corporate positions I give you a hand of applause. Finally, I wish to say the interface of the site is beautiful.
9- Any final words?
My last word is ;
When I was told I cannot make it, I Made it .
Where I was told I could not enter, I entered and I had a place on the table . Women needs to recognise their strength and don’t need to be scared to express it .
Entretien réalisé par Aziz HARCHA
Avril 2024
