In a bustling corner of Douala, Cameroon’s economic capital, a carpentry workshop is challenging long-held conventions. At the helm of Kenne Multi-Services SARL is Anne-Michèle Kenne, a former shipping executive who traded seaports for timber, and boardrooms for power saws. What began as an unlikely dream in a male-dominated industry has grown into a thriving business that employs local youth and inspires a new generation of women entrepreneurs.
The journey was far from easy. With no clear business strategy, limited access to financing, and skepticism from clients who struggled to accept a woman running a carpentry firm, Anne-Michèle had to prove the legitimacy of her vision. “Some clients would ask me straight out, ‘Where’s the real boss?’” she recalls, now smiling with confidence and pride.
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Everything changed in 2021 when she joined the Wonder Cameroon program, a flagship initiative of the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) supported by the African Development Bank. The program empowers women entrepreneurs through intensive training, mentorship, strategic guidance, and facilitated access to financing. Through this support, Anne-Michèle strengthened her business model and secured a loan of 70 million CFA francs (approximately €106,700) from Afriland First Bank, an AFAWA financial partner.
The investment allowed her to modernize the workshop, acquire state-of-the-art equipment, and launch a showroom that elevated her brand’s visibility and credibility. Today, Kenne Multi-Services SARL employs 18 young Cameroonians, with plans to hire at least 10 more by 2025. But her impact reaches far beyond job creation—Anne-Michèle has become a role model and mentor for women seeking to enter Cameroon’s wood processing sector, a key contributor to the national economy.
Her success is emblematic of the broader impact of the Wonder Cameroon program, which has supported over 500 women entrepreneurs across the country. Many have expanded their production, diversified their services, and entered new markets, with beneficiary businesses reporting an average growth rate of 30%.
“Seeing a woman leading a carpentry business is empowering. Wood can be shaped—and so can life,” Anne-Michèle says. With her sights set on regional markets and Europe, she also dreams of opening a training center to pass on her knowledge to other women and youth. Her story is a powerful testament to how, with the right support and determination, African women entrepreneurs can reshape industries and build lasting legacies.
