Irvine Partners, a leading creative communications agency with offices in Africa and Europe, has signed an exclusive licence with Dreaminfluence as their Africa partner. Dreaminfluence, an all-in-one platform that empowers brands to build and scale influencer marketing has executed 1,000s of influencer campaigns and worked with over 20,000 influencers.

This innovative platform’s digital capabilities will support the content creators who are driving Africa’s rapidly expanding $3.08 billion creator economy. Despite creators on the continent taking advantage of platforms like TikTok, African creators still earn significantly less than their counterparts in other regions, despite producing high-quality content. Furthermore, infrastructure limitations and a digital skills gap hinder the progress of the creator ecosystem.

Monetization should not be out of reach for African creators says Rachel Irvine, CEO of Irvine Partners. She adds that “Dreaminfluence provides digital infrastructure and connects creators to brands, backing their work so they too can unlock opportunities while brands can grow their reach with authentic content that resonates with audiences.”

Dreaminfluence CEO, Mads Wedderkopp, explains “We have worked with many leading brands in the Nordics and are excited to finally bring our platform to Africa through this exclusive partnership with Irvine Partners.”

“The decision to work with Irvine Partners as our Africa partner was a no-brainer, given the roster of clients they serve, and their continental and European footprint.”

Some of the leading brands that use Dreaminfluence for their influencer campaigns are Nivea, L’Occitane, and Estee Lauder Group.

How it works

Dreaminfluence was founded in 2018, to transform influencer marketing from being about affiliate links and discount codes to focusing on actual brand ambassadorship. This vision is translated into the features that Dreaminfluence offers, for both brands and influencers.

These brand features include: 

• Discovery of influencers: Brands can find the right influencers for their campaigns, without wasting time on influencer outreach

• Campaign analytics: Track campaign performance, report the value and identify the best-performing influencers

• Building relationships: Influencers move from short-term brand campaigns to long-term brand ambassadorship

• Campaign management: Manage influencer payments, product shipping and secure content usage rights

• Paying multiple influencers at a time with one click

For influencers, the features are: 

• Apply to join a brand team or campaign through the app

• Be selected as part of the ambassador team

• Join new campaigns when they are published 

• Run all campaign admin including payments, content ideas, and approvals through the app

The Dreaminfluence difference

Irvine Partners is constantly working with influencers across Africa on different campaigns for its clients and Dreaminfluence provides an innovative way to streamline agency relations with leading and emerging content creators on the continent. 

Mohale Moloi, Content Director at Irvine Partners explains that “creator marketing studies tell us that more than 50% of brands plan to increase their spending on influencer marketing in 2025. But making sure these campaigns deliver results across the whole marketing funnel requires an in-depth understanding of market nuances, which is what we bring to the table.”

By working with a dynamic platform like Dreaminfluence, Irvine Partners will take influencer campaigns to the next level by combining local insights with a platform that makes everything from campaign selection to payments more efficient.

“We are most excited about the actionable campaign data and high ROI that Dreaminfluence offers,” says Moloi.

By Louis Gouend

The Cameroonian diaspora in the Russian Federation, although relatively recent, constitutes an essential vector for Cameroon’s influence and the maintenance of strong ties with the nation. In this perspective, and following a fruitful video conference on January 27, 2024, with the Minister of Youth and Civic Education, it was decided to organize, on February 8 and 11, 2025, the first celebration of Youth Day within the Russian diaspora.

This unprecedented initiative, benefiting from the Minister’s valuable support, aimed to consolidate patriotism and the spirit of initiative among Cameroonian youth residing in Russia, by offering a framework for exchange and promotion of Cameroonian cultural wealth. It mobilized Cameroonian students, young professionals, and entrepreneurs established in Russian territory.

The commemoration of the 59th anniversary of Cameroon’s Youth Day took the form of a dual celebration: a physical meeting at the Cameroonian Embassy in Moscow on February 8, 2025, and a virtual meeting on Zoom on February 11, 2025. These events brought together a total of more than 150 participants from over 50 cities in Russia, representing diverse backgrounds, including presidents of Cameroonian associations, members of the Diaspocam executive council, deans, honorary guests, and embassy officials.

The diaspora had the honour of welcoming, via video conference, Mr Mounouna Foutsou, Minister of Youth and Civic Education, whose encouragement and vision were a source of inspiration. The Minister outlined the productive initiatives implemented by the Cameroonian government in favour of its youth in the diaspora in Russia, emphasizing the willingness to support projects led by young entrepreneurs through a specific support mechanism and the operationalization of the guarantee fund.

During his address, the Minister recalled the commitments made during the video conference of January 27, 2024, emphasizing the need for increased collaboration between the government and the youth of the diaspora. He stressed the immense potential represented by this youth and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to addressing their concerns.

Among the initiatives put in place to support the youth of the diaspora, he mentioned:

• The Guarantee Fund for Young Entrepreneurs (FOGAJEUNE), which finances projects in four key sectors (agriculture, digital economy, industry/crafts and technological innovation).
• The special DIALYJ window, designed to promote co-ventures between young people from Cameroon and the diaspora.
• The Program to Aid the Return and Integration of Young People from the Diaspora (PARIJEDI), which facilitates the return and integration of young people in Cameroon.

“We express our deep gratitude to the Cameroonian government and personally to Minister Mounouna Foutsou for their support of our initiative,” said the President of Diaspocam, Louis Gouend. “Thanks to their assistance and the support of the Cameroonian Embassy in Russia, we were able to organize this important event, which has strengthened ties between the diaspora and Cameroon.”

Aware of the positive impact of this first celebration, we hope that this innovative initiative will be included in the calendar of activities of the Ministry of Youth and Civic Education for the years to come.

Diaspocam establishes a legal platform to come together, helps each other, interacts and establishes viable strategic networks and partnerships; presents, shares and expands proven diaspora business models; promotes and assists businesses and investments in Cameroon.

It strengthens a good image of Cameroon in Russia while maintaining close liaison with the Cameroonian and Russian governments and any other representative body pursuing objectives similar to those of the Association. Cameroonian Diaspora in the Russian Federation is a public organization which encourages participation, representation, diversity and cooperation between Cameroon, African diaspora and Russian society.

By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh

In this insightful conversation, the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Dubai BRICS Investment Forum, academician Konstantin Klimenko-Bogdanov, highlights the primary importance of the forthcoming corporate business forum within the context of the geopolitical situation and offers a distinctive roadmap for economic collaboration of the BRICS countries. Here are the interview excerpts:

What does the upcoming BRICS Investment Forum in Dubai mean, especially in the context of geopolitical rivalry and competitive struggle?

In theory, competitive struggle should contribute to the development of the economy. After all, competition does not allow for the establishment of a monopoly, the dominance of only an exclusive minority of market participants. But on the condition that this is fair competition. But we are witnessing uncivilized methods of dividing spheres of influence in the market, cynical exploitation of natural resources in Africa and Asia by Western transnational corporations, and monopolization of entire industries in developing countries.

For example, the telecommunications sector, and the banking sector in Africa practically do not belong to Africans. Sometimes the name of a bank can have the word “Africa”. The real owners of banking capital are in Paris, London, and New York.

The income from the national wealth of African and Asian countries is distributed amazingly cynically. For example, coffee is purchased in Africa for a price of 1 dollar per kilogram, and sold in Europe for 4 dollars!

Unfair competition is supplemented by geopolitical rivalry in the form of escalating international tensions, declaring trade wars, and sanctions, and creating artificial military conflicts. Again, the goal of conflicts and military operations is only one – to seize resources. For example, in Iraq, and Syria, the Americans brazenly pump oil, without losing money on its purchase. And the US President does not hesitate to take away the Panama Canal or seize the island of Greenland.

Therefore, the goal of holding the Dubai BRICS Investment Forum is to find ways to facilitate civilized international economic cooperation in the conditions of trade wars, military conflicts, and sanctions. It is necessary to make an honest analysis and develop a roadmap for the joint economic development of the BRICS countries and friendly states.

Can you point to the prospects for its preservation (the forum) as an extraordinary annual platform for stimulating bilateral and multilateral transactions, and investments and, possibly, establishing a flow of corporate transactions between BRICS+ members and partner countries?

The Dubai BRICS Investment Forum is definitely not a one-off event. It is the basis for creating a global BRICS business community, which will operate on an ongoing basis. It will consist of the BRICS International Club, the BRICS House International Network, the Alliance of Small and Medium Enterprises, the Tourism Alliance, the Women’s Business Association and a number of other organizations. A digital platform, BRICS INFO, will be created.

The task of these structures is to establish a flow of trade, concentrate investment resources, and create a flow of corporate transactions.

Special attention will be paid to small and medium businesses. We intend to connect about 10,000 small and medium businesses into one ecosystem. The total turnover of this ecosystem in 2025 alone will amount to about US$700 billion.

We will also have social investment projects. The BRICS Student Card project is being created for students. With this card, students will receive various forms of social support in the form of discounts on air tickets, train tickets, purchases of goods in supermarkets, and so on. The most talented students will receive incentive scholarships.

It is planned to create a network of BRICS campuses through joint investments of BRICS businessmen. The campuses will house a university, college, and lyceum. The network will operate in 10 countries.

What priority investment projects will the forum promote?

Our priority is the Small Energy project. Half of the African continent and part of Asia have no electricity at all! This is unacceptable for the 21st century! We plan to create hundreds of small power plants on solar panels, wind turbines, and diesel generators through joint investments.

We have very interesting joint investment projects planned in the real estate sector. New housing complexes under the BRICS House brand will be built in many countries. In essence, these will be “cities of the future.” The main priority in the concept of these cities is “human ecology.” For example, these cities will not have any gasoline-powered vehicles at all. Only electric vehicles. But there will also be restrictions on cellular repeaters that emit harmful electromagnetic radiation. The goal of the project is to create areas that are as favourable as possible for human life. Many investors are already ready to invest in these projects.

By the way, why are you holding this important BRICS event in Dubai, United Arab Emirates? Are there any distinctive advantages that it offers to potential business participants, including women and young entrepreneurs?

The choice of Dubai as a permanent venue for our forum is based on expert opinion. We are confident that the most comfortable infrastructure and conditions for holding large-scale summits and creating business development centres have been created here. The UAE has a balanced tax system, thoughtful economic policy, and a tolerant atmosphere. And Dubai is a city of dreams, a bright future. Therefore, our forum will be held here annually and the residences of the BRICS House, BRICS Club, and the Alliance of Small and Medium Business will operate here permanently.

Based on the above reasoning, can we perhaps see the difference between the World Economic Forum in Davos and the BRICS Investment Forum in Dubai in the current situation of ongoing global transformations and development?

The difference in key approaches. At the Davos Forum, the agenda is set by Western transnational corporations. They initiate discussions of globalization plans. Our forum is intended for small and medium-sized businesses in Eurasia and Africa. We intend to discuss not globalization, but how to develop national economies and establish active cooperation between them.

At the Davos Forum, trends are created by politicians. Many participants go to this forum to listen to heads of state and high-ranking government officials. There will also be officials and parliamentarians at the Dubai Investment Forum. But they are not the main participants here. They will listen more than they speak. It will be entrepreneurs and taxpayers who support officials with their taxes who will speak more often. Because this is a platform for business, not a tribune for politicians.