European Driving School in Cameroon

European Driving School is involved with the training of students interested in learning to drive.

European Driving School is a one-man business owned by Mr. Mfunyom Blaise from the West Region of Cameroon.

He started his life as a small businessperson in Douala and later as a taxi driver where he generated part of the revenue to begin his driving school.

The demand for professional drivers was very high in the 1990s, which encouraged Mr. Mfunyom Blaise to start a driving school in Douala named M. Blaise Driving School.

The name was later changed to European Driving School in the year 2000 with the intention of giving his trainees the same quality of training as that of other driving schools located in Europe.

Today, European Driving School today is a Multinational company with thirty-six branches in Cameroon and two branches in France making a total of 38 branches.

Fifteen of these branches are located in Douala, 10 in Yaounde, and the rest in Bafoussam, Pouma, Bandjoun, Limbe, Mutengene, Buea, Souza, Ngaoundere, Garoua, and Kyossi. The school provides training to private individuals as well as company employees.

It offers the following programs: Normal course, Accelerated course, Fixed course, Prestigious course, and Recycling course.

The school currently has a partnership with Guinness Cameroon and a host of other companies in Douala. In the South West, European Driving School has a Partnership with SONARA Limbe, JSF Polytechnic Buea, Fotabe University College Buea, and Trustech Buea.  (European Driving School Daily Journal, 2015).

Currently, the management of the school is carrying out feasibility studies to open more branches both nationally and internationally (Interview by Amungwa Gerald with Mr. Fomakong Jacque, S.W Regional Manager of European Driving School, November 15, 2015).

European Driving School has a total of 155 employees in Cameroon and six employees in France making a total of 161 employees with the owner occupying the position of Managing Director. (European Driving School Daily Journal, 2015)

The marketing department at European Driving School is one of the most important departments because it generates the revenue needed by the other departments.

Advertisement is a core activity of the marketing department with the main goal of increasing students’ enrollments at European Driving School.

The procedure through which the school advertises its products is as follows:

• There is always sensitization of the public when a new branch is to be opened in any town through radios, televisions, banners, posters, etc.
• On the official day of the lunch, a minimum of 30 vehicles of the school with publicity vans are used to create awareness.
• Together with marketers from other Regions the marketers of the newly opened branch share handbills and answer questions from potential customers with respect to the products offered by the institution.
• After the official opening day, a specified monthly budget is allocated to the branch manager for advertising expenses on monthly bases, and the marketer is managed by Objective (MBO) since the marketer’s presence is not needed in the office on daily bases.
• After the official opening date, the marketing managers of the Region design how they will spend the portion on different channels of advert, after doing a cost-benefit analysis. The branch managers generally approve the draft expenditure format before execution by the marketing manager.