About Me
Journalist/Comm Expert
A Mutually Reinforcing Career Path
I have maintained two mutually reinforcing career tracks in journalism and corporate communications. At the core, I am a journalist. While I do more of sporadic reporting and commentaries for international news media such as Reuters, I now offer strategic support to the Washington D.C-based Pulitzer Center in rolling out its USD 5 million Rainforest Journalism Fund (RJF). The RFJ is meant primarily to raise awareness of underreported stories. I also serve as an editorial board member of Our Future on Earth, a yearly landmark report providing robust analysis on the state of our planet on a pro bono basis. In February 2020, I led the presentation of the report to West African development actors in Dakar, Senegal.
Some references
"While at the GEF, David impressed me with his thirst for knowledge, skill and poise in public speaking, dedication to his work and the success of the office, and his drive for excellence. David has a deep understanding of M&E, climate change, and communications."
"I have known David since Summer 2011 when he enrolled in the program (Journalism program at Virginia Commonwealth University). He set the pace for other members of that class with his work ethic and energy. David excelled in the course I taught (MASC 644 Computer-Assisted Reporting), publishing several stories that broke significant ground."
"David worked for the GEF Independent Evaluation Office (GEFIEO) for almost two years as moderator of the community of practice Climate-Eval reporting to me. He is well organized, a good communicator, dependable and always ready to take any challenges presented to him, such as the task of improving the interaction among the community members and the updating of the website."
"His professional conduct, editorial and organization skills, rapport with the participants and interviewing techniques contributed to a rich exchange of environmental evaluation experiences."
"An excellent communicator and team player. I worked with David in Mauritania, at the time UNEP was developing its Communication Strategy for the Poverty and Environment Project. His contribution to the process was commendable. His ability to multi task roles is also excellent."
My full-time job in the past seven years has included supporting the World Bank Group in Washington D.C. and the African Development Bank in Abidjan to advance the communications of development finance and other sustainability initiatives. Presently, I am supporting the Dakar-based CORAF, a principal implementing agency of the World Bank, USAID, EU, and IsDB-funded projects with a focus on agricultural innovations.
Drilling the Powerful
As a reporter, I was privileged to investigate livelihood issues affecting poor communities in my native Cameroon and also drilling the powerful across the continent. My high profile interviews include the former Military ruler of Mauritania, Ely Ould Mouhamed Vall, global development leaders such as Don McKinnon, former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, Achim Steiner, former Director of UNEP and now of UNDP, and Wangari Maathai, the late Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Interdisciplinarity
My career mirrors my academic path. My foundational studies are in journalism and mass communication. But, I veered towards development evaluation, climate change, and other sustainable development topics to perform my responsibilities in these global organizations successfully. Not only am I a graduate of the prestigious International Program on Development Evaluation Training (IPDET 2014), a joint World Bank/University of Carlton program, I am also a holder of a certificate of climate change from the University of Melbourne in Australia. At the University of California, School of Journalism at Berkeley, I studied data visualization and sensor journalism. At the Google Headquarters in San Francisco, I learned how to use Google tools for journalism reporting.
Passion
I am passionate about the silent African majority living on the fringes of systems benefiting only those at the top.
Specializations
Strategic Communication
Content Creation
Marketing & Social Media
Branding
Risk Management
Media Engagement
KM & Learning
Data and analytics
Current and Previous Employers
