Paul Raymond Tamignaie, CEO of Tami Jardin: Portrait of an Agro-Pastoral Entrepreneur with an Unusual Path

Paul Raymond Tamignaie Tsombeng, his full legal name, is a young Cameroonian agro-pastoral entrepreneur born on April 18, 1983 in the town of Dschang. CEO and founder of Tami Jardin, a platform promoting the agro-pastoral sector. Passionate about farming, livestock, and beekeeping, this young man decided to leave Europe after his higher education to build his own paradise in a small village in Cameroon's West region, which he commonly calls Lap Zeukeng. We went to meet him to learn more about his journey and the work he does day to day.

Tell us about your academic and professional background

Having done all of my primary and secondary schooling in the town of Dschang, I earned my Baccalaureate F4 BA in 2005. In 2009, I received a scholarship from the Italian government and flew to Parma, Italy, where I enrolled at the University of Parma in civil engineering.

In 2010, I lost the scholarship and entered one of the most difficult periods of my life. I now had to work to pay for my studies in a country where there was no work even for Italians, let alone for a Black man.

These lean years continued until 2013, when I decided to leave Italy and settle in France.

Once in France, I found a fairly favorable environment for odd jobs. I didn't work in construction, but rather in luxury hospitality, until 2018, when I gave up Parisian luxury to go back home and build my own, in Lap Zeukeng (Dschang).

Since 2018, I've worked as an agro-pastoral entrepreneur. I'm a farmer, a beekeeper, and I make a rather good living in this key sector for a country's development.

Unlike those who prefer big capital cities, I feel at home in the countryside, where almost everything is free. Water is free, there's no property tax, and raphia palm wine flows in abundance from the palm groves.

Tell us about Tami Jardin?

I started my farming activities in 2018, but it was in 2020 that I founded Tami Jardin. We specialize in producing fruit trees of all kinds, including trees some thought impossible to grow in Africa, such as apple trees, kiwi, and chestnut trees...

We also produce one of the finest honeys in the world, cold-harvested in the highlands of Lap Zeukeng. We also run various online training courses on different crops, such as growing bitter kola and tomatoes, to name just those.

How did you come to the decision to really get into farming?

I'm a follower of Jean Paul Pougala's thinking. Before getting started, I regularly read his posts on Facebook. I had even bought both of his books, Geostrategie Africaine, volumes 1 and 2. From following him so closely, I decided to carve out my own path and fly on my own wings - something I don't regret today.

An update on Tami Jardin today

Today, our reach extends beyond the borders of our native Cameroon. We deliver our products throughout the sub-region and beyond.

The major difficulties encountered on your journey

Like any entrepreneur, we run into problems with poor road conditions when transporting our produce. But as they often say, every difficulty hides an opportunity. So you have to stay alert to spot the opportunity hidden within the difficulty.

Any support along the way?

I have great support from my family members, because family is the foundation of all development. No entrepreneur succeeds without being in harmony with their own.

Any advice for people who want to get into entrepreneurship?

Before starting any entrepreneurial project, always reach out to your elders. They have mastered many techniques and shortcuts that will let you accomplish in 2 days what someone else would take 2 months to do.