Installation Ceremony of the new General Manager: Message of the General Manager to staff
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Dear David,
Thank you for your kind words.
I also want to thank Patrick for his contribution during his tenure.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Eneo People, Dear Colleagues.
M’shahti, A Mbolo, Wa Yėm Bè, Idiba Bwam, Me Nyéga, Ou Zi La, Pôkèt Nkùnjoù, Bonjour, Hello, Sannu, Salam Alikoum…
I would like to extend some warm greetings to all of you, regardless of your origin or culture.
I would also like to greet you with the same warmth with which you welcomed me two and a half years ago. Two and a half years during which I have been able to discover Eneo and this beautiful country, Cameroon.
Permit me to use this opportunity to thank the Board of Directors of Eneo, the Government of Cameroon and Actis for their confidence in me, and for entrusting me with the mission of managing this wonderful company, Eneo.
I accepted this mission with pride and humility.
While the mission is exhilarating, the task is difficult and the challenges are many.
If Eneo is a wonderful company, it is first and foremost because it has a noble mission:
Ensuring public electricity supply for all Cameroonians.
There is no gainsaying that this company is made up of men and women guided by a sense of duty and responsibility.
You have demonstrated this on several occasions, notably during the AFCON and more recently during the last National Day celebration... and, in fact, you demonstrate it every day.
You should be proud of yourselves.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Colleagues,
As you know, this change at the helm of our company is taking place at a particular time for Eneo and for the electricity sector in many respects:
- A very difficult financial situation
- A troubled social climate
- Increasingly demanding subcontractors;
- A decline in respect for our corporate values;
- ENEO's tarnished image.
- The announced departure of private shareholder Actis
We are also experiencing major changes in the electricity sector, notably with the arrival of the Nachtigal dam.
This difficult context compels us to excel, and to rise to a number of challenges.
First and foremost, Safety.
We need to strengthen our safety measures.
Today, people still die when they work at Eneo or for Eneo. This is not acceptable. Compliance with our safety procedures is mandatory. We cannot claim to be a responsible company without safety.
We are dealing with a dangerous product every day: electricity.
I will be asking our QHSE Department to propose concrete measures to strengthen our safety culture.
These include LOTO inspection programmes in the regions, as well as strict monitoring of the electrical qualifications of our employees and subcontractors. We are also stepping up our public awareness campaigns.
Improving safety must be at the heart of our operations.
With regard to human resources,
The social climate in our company has deteriorated sharply in recent months. I feel very sad about this.
As some of you know, I put people at the heart of the organisation.
We need to restore a calm and peaceful social climate.
This means providing answers to a number of issues that are of concern to Eneo's employees, and to you personally.
Let me start with health insurance. We will be working with the Human Resource Department to analyse our medical cover service, and we will be upgrading it as necessary to ensure that each employee and his or her family are properly protected.
Regional balance is an essential component of the country's stability and unity. We will ensure that this stability is maintained and promoted in the company, because diversity is a strength and an asset for Eneo. We will check with the Human Resource Department that our procedures guarantee respect for this diversity.
One of the company's latest development is the implementation of the New Collective Bargaining Agreement. This Agreement has been discussed for a long time with our social partners. It now needs to be implemented. I will make sure that it is, and if necessary, we will remove any obstacles to its deployment, because in the end, this agreement must benefit employees above all else.
We will also be speeding up work with the Human Resource Department on other important issues such as:
- Personal development and career management;
- Attracting and retaining talent;
- Training;
- Improving working conditions;
- Promotion and performance review;
- Discussions and communication with staff representatives and social partners...
Finally, it is also time to provide answers to the question of GIC-P ENEO. The Board of Directors has asked me to make proposals to ensure the financial viability of the GIC, and the respect of its commitments to its members. I will be working with the GIC representatives to this end. This is one of my priorities.
Dear Colleagues,
Eneo's image has been badly tarnished. Despite the professionalism of its staff, despite the daily work you do in the field, and despite our efforts in a difficult context, Eneo has a poor image.
We are going to restore it.
Eneo cannot and must no longer be perceived as the power sector's great satan!
Eneo's DNA is operational excellence. We have to pay attention to this and develop it.
This means:
- Improving quality of service;
- Extending distribution networks;
- Accelerating the installation of prepaid meters;
- Making our generation plants more reliable and reinforcing them;
- Developing renewable energies, especially solar power;
- Improving project management;
- Developing our commercial culture towards our customers, be they households, industry or public bodies.
And of course this will require a strengthening of our CSR policy and our communications, to communicate and explain the issues, challenges and constraints we face.
But the priority remains improving our cash flow and our financial capacity, through collection, redefining our Capex priorities and mobilising the necessary financing.
I will be working with the DFI and Commercial teams to accelerate this process. The survival of our company depends on it.
Finally, I will be working to develop our relations with the other players in the sector who are our partners. We need to work together for the benefit of the electricity sector.
I will not end without reiterating the importance of everyone's involvement if these challenges are to be met successfully. It is therefore essential to restore team spirit. I will be relying on the CODIR and the Top 200, and on all of you, to lead Eneo towards excellence.
I know I can count on you!
You can count on me as well.
Together, let’s make Eneo great again!
