Aimée Ogouma: diagnosis before the plan
A business adviser at SENS Bénin, she equips social and solidarity economy organisations. An interview about her career, her working method and her vision of impact entrepreneurship in Benin.
A business adviser and trainer at SENS Bénin, Aimée Ogouma has for years supported social and solidarity economy organisations — farming cooperatives, impact businesses, producer groups. Methodical work, carried out far from the spotlight, on which the survival of dozens of organisations nonetheless depends.
In this interview, she looks back on her career and explains how she works.
What you will hear
- The path. How you come to advise solidarity enterprises, and what is different about it compared with conventional consultancy.
- The method. Why the diagnosis always comes before the plan — and what it reveals that the project leader cannot see.
- The social and solidarity economy in Benin. What the model makes possible, what it demands, and where it still runs up against financing.
- Her vision. What she expects from the next generation of Beninese entrepreneurs, and what would need to change to support them.
Key takeaways
“A precise diagnosis is worth more than a fine plan.” Support that works does not start with a solution, but with an honest reading of the situation.