Cameroon is hosting a historic visit by hashtag#PopeLeoXIV. While the nation gathered in major hubs, my professional duties took me to the hinterlands: hashtag#Ngaoundéré, hashtag#Ngaoui, hashtag#Ngaoundal, and hashtag#Dir to communicate on vital council projects aligned with the hashtag#SDGs in education, water, and housing.
Despite being in the field, I’m closely following highlights of the Pontiff’s sojourn. The visit is a resounding success on many fronts:
The Atmosphere is an exceptional display of hospitality across hashtag#Yaoundé, hashtag#Bamenda, and hashtag#Douala.
Looking at the Pope’s messages, they are a timely and powerful call for peace and human progress. Security and stability wise, the relative silencing of “Amba guns” cannot go unnoticed.
The beautiful promotion of the North West Region through the Pope’s chasuble, crafted from traditional grassfield fabric is a powerful show of cultural pride.
However, from a professional standpoint, the visit is marred by the public friction between the Cameroon Radio Television (hashtag#CRTV) and Cameroon Telecommunication (hashtag#CAMTEL).
The “cat and mouse” game regarding broadcast quality and bandwidth supply during the Pope’s speech at the Unity Palace is very disappointing. Watching two major entities trade accusations of bad faith and poor performance in a public space is a textbook example of how not to handle a crisis.
In my practice of corporate and strategic communication (almost two decades), this situation reminds me that the truth in crisis management is often simple to state but difficult to establish.
My counsel to both organizations:
1. Stop the Blame Game: Public finger-pointing only erodes your reputations;
2. Identify Root Causes: Focus on the technical and structural failures rather than individual egos;
3. The Power of Apology: Acknowledge the shortfall to the public directly and sincerely;
4. Preventive Planning: Establish concrete measures to ensure such dismal performance does not recur.
Organizations must find the humility to accept their limitations. We owe it to the taxpayers to stop making excuses and start delivering the service they deserve.
Crisis Communication and the Papal Visit to Cameroon
