Kinshasa, May 21st, 2025 (CPA)– A new book on the creation and management of a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), by Professor Paul Omandji from the Democratic Republic of Congo, considered to be a ‘hostile environment’, was presented on Wednesday in an interview with the CPA.
‘It is a work that has the advantage of helping students and people motivated to create and manage an SME, to have a guide tool that provides the information and training necessary for a less risky start-up and the sustainability of their businesses, in a hostile environment such as that of the DRC,’ said the author of the book. ‘This 479-page handbook, divided into 12 chapters and published by Médias Paul, is aimed at anyone with a keen interest in the creation and successful management of a small or medium-sized business’, he said, adding that entrepreneurship is not just about setting up a business, but also about developing management skills and competencies within that entity. According to the author, this task is all the more difficult in the context of the DRC, characterized by shrinking markets, tough competition, regulatory restrictions and scarcity of resources. ‘So, in a practical and methodical way, this book helps readers to understand what an SME is and its environment, an entrepreneur and his or her profile, and how to carry out feasibility studies for a project to set up an SME, not forgetting how to draw up a business plan and the formalities to be completed to launch an SME successfully’, says Professor Paul Omandji. The book also discusses the tools for managing an SME, and ends with the strategies to be put in place by the owner or director of an SME as a manager and leader. With a doctorate from Hesam University in Paris, Professor Paul Omandji’s research has focused on developing the entrepreneurial culture of young people and the business model of SMEs in a hostile environment. He is head of internal audit at the General Tax Directorate, a government financial agency in the DRC, and teaches at the University of Kinshasa (Unikin) and a number of other universities in the country.