(Business in Cameroon) - In 2016, when it entered the Cameroonian market by merging with Clientos, a local customer relationship management firm, Intelcia Cameroon (the local subsidiary of Moroccan group Intelcia) had only 300 staff. Five years later, the firm now has 1200 staff in Cameroon.

This is at least what it claimed on June 10, 2021, at its headquarters in Douala during a video press conference organized on the sidelines of the celebration of the 20 years of existence of the parent company Intelcia, which was established in Morocco in 2000 with 200 staff but now has 27,000 staff in 17 African countries.

Within five years, Intelcia Cameroon has successfully become a strategic subsidiary for the Moroccan group, which shifted from being just a customer relationship management firm to a global outsourcing company that handles various tasks like digital marketing and IT consulting for its clients. Apart from becoming a large company with almost four times the number of staff that began the adventure, Intelcia Cameroon now offers its services to clients in various sectors other than local and international telecom operators. It also became the host of the Moroccan group’s “IT solutions” branch, the parent company explains. Therefore, in the Sub-Saharan African region, close to 40% of the technical services offered by Intelcia are offered by its Cameroonian subsidiary. These performances are achieved thanks to a 3-fold increase in the initial investment officially estimated to be about XAF1 billion, we learn.

With a significant boost of its Cameroonian subsidiary, Intelcia group recorded a €360 million (over XAF235 billion) turnover in 2020 and is currently forecasting €500 million (over XAF327 billion) for 2021.

Nevertheless, the sad note to this string of performance is that within the five years of its existence, Intelcia Cameroon has been unable to substantially develop its client portfolio, because local companies are reluctant to outsource their tasks like multinationals do.

“Currently, we are sensitizing local companies to show them that we can offer them the same services we are offering multinationals,” Jean Yves Kotto said.

Karim Bernoussi, CEO and co-founder of Intelcia group, announced that to celebrate its 20 years of existence, the group will publish a book. This book will share the experience the group accumulated since its creation and the rising support it is offering African startups and SMEs to help develop and transform them into Intelcia, meaning firms that achieve their dreams.

Brice R. Mbodiam