Paul Fokam, Founder and Chairman, Afriland First Bank

The Cameroonian economist Paul Fokam (born 1948), who has a doctorate in administrative science, views management as a social science rather than a mathematical challenge.

He is President of the Afriland First Bank, which he co-founded in 1987. This bank is managed by Cameroonians and provides microfinance, for example to farmers and market women.

Afriland is one of the country's leading banks - in addition to its branches in the Republic of the Congo, Paris and Beijing, it has set up a micro-bank system, which now brings together over 50 village banks with some 200,000 customers, including many women. Rural dwellers and small business owners can thus receive the financial backing they need to build their livelihoods.

Dr Fokam was awarded the Africa Prize of the German Africa Foundation in 2005.