Our

Capabilities

Our team of multi-lingual communications professionals harness their cultural diversity to embed impact into every capability we offer our clients.

Djembe is structured in a manner that sees client assignments supported across all time zones, which not only increases efficiencies but also maximizes the impact of timely engagement amongst our client’s target stakeholders.

Reputation Management

At Djembe, we protect and enhance the reputation of our clients in an ever-changing global ecosystem. Managing a client’s reputation means taking control of every aspect of communications – creating consistent messages and an authentic corporate voice that works to cultivate and support a strong reputation. We have managed the reputations of individuals, businesses, NGO’s and public sector projects across all the regions of the MEA region. 

 

Public Affairs Advice

Working effectively within a regulatory framework is crucial to reputational and business success. We advise clients across multiple jurisdictions on their regulatory responsibilities and actively promote their unique points of view to key government and policy audiences. 

Digital & Online Visibility

We provide clients with online reputation management and social media services that range from strategy planning, research & analysis, content creation & publishing, and campaign & community management to web development and monitoring strategies, bringing all digital platforms together under one communications strategy. With such a young, digitally switched-on demographic, social listening and social media planning is an integral part of our approach to communications in the MEA region. 

Events Management

We have extensive experience handling a wide range of on-the-ground, virtual, and hybrid events for our clients – from bespoke events to press conferences, roundtables, media briefings, panel discussions, product launches, exhibitions, webinars, and award shows. Our services encompass the full event lifecycle from conceptualization to execution including branding, collateral development, promotion, and logistics management. 

Crisis & Issues Management

Our primary objective in issues and crisis management is to prevent them from happening, but for our clients who operate across multiple markets as well as in different tax regimes and regulatory frameworks, there is always an element of risk. We provide high-level crisis preparedness and risk assessment counsel in all the major sectors, including developing crisis manuals and conducting crisis simulation exercises and training amongst others. 

Media Relations

Media engagement is a core service at Djembe. Our media relations experts are invested in building top-tier media relationships based on trust and integrity and going beyond basic press release development and distribution to produce thought leadership articles, by-lines, interviews and Q&As in leading media outlets. The international structure of the Consultancy allows us to complement our expertise in the MEA region with international media relations across all channels. 

Branding & Design

Developing new brands and driving the evolution of existing brands is part of our approach to building cohesive communications strategies. Our design function is an integral component of our communications function. This ensures that our clients’ brand DNA is consistently reflected throughout traditional and digital communications channels, including social media. 

Our in-house design team have created and refreshed the brand architecture for clients across a diverse range of sectors. We also produce high-quality annual reports, brochures, videos, websites, and intranets. 

 

Media Training 

A fundamental cornerstone of every communications campaign is training key spokespeople to enable them to effectively engage with media at the local, national and international level. Our media training approach ensures that spokespeople are proficient in articulating brand positioning and key messages with clarity and authority while mitigating any reputational risks.   We also provide tailored online and in-person Executive Coaching and Media Refresher Workshops for start-ups, entrepreneurs as well as small and large corporate groups. 

Research & Insights

As a best-in-class communications Consultancy, with many years direct exposure to socio-economic dynamics and trends in African and Middle Eastern countries, we place high importance on delivering intelligence-driven strategies and programs for our clients across the regions’ key growth sectors. Through our Djembe Insights research platform, we work in partnership with leading global research authorities, governments, and private sector organizations to produce high-quality research reports on the most relevant trends and developments impacting socio-economic growth in Africa and the Middle East. 

Sustainability

We believe that sustainability is not just a component of a business but rather a driver of the business itself – particularly in Africa and the Middle East where sustainable resource use and sustainable economic development are matters of high importance. We guide our clients in developing sustainable communications programs that cover a range of issues such as ethical sourcing, fair trade, environmental health and socio-economic inclusion.

Change Management

Change is a fundamental component of business and organizational development. It can range from smaller, process-oriented changes such as new employee policies to major structural changes including mergers and acquisitions. Internal communications for major changes should be handled and communicated carefully in order to reduce the potential for redundancy and crisis. 

We provide our clients with tailored approaches and tools to ensure that their organizations are prepared for periods of change. They range from fully functioning intranet sites to town-hall meetings and newsletters. 

Partnering with like-minded businesses

Featured Clients

What Our Clients Say

Testimonials

Djembe has been the partner of choice for the African region for four consecutive years, helping the Zayed Sustainability Prize build its brand awareness in the continent. Djembe’s selection as the outreach partner for the Prize was based not only on their professionalism and integrity, but in their strength and network within Africa’s innovation ecosystem, which has allowed the Prize to attract some of the brightest minds in innovation, many of whom have become winners. In 2020, the team were quick to move all previously planned in-person activities online, executing a strategic and focused campaign to support submissions resulting in a further 10% increase across the continent. A significant result achieved during the onset of a global pandemic.

Dalal YassinSenior Manager

Djembe Consultants has been instrumental in building international awareness of the development work that we are doing at ITFC to advance trade and improve the economic conditions and livelihoods of people across the developing world. In the wake of COVID-19, ITFC swiftly reassigned and repurposed operational priorities to support the immediate needs of Member Countries, which had implications on our communications objectives and needs. Djembe was instrumental in providing strategic communications support for ITFC’s key initiatives under the IsDB Group’s 3R Strategic Preparedness and Response Program (SPRP)- Respond (R1), Restore (R2) & Restart (R3). With all of ITFC’s activities switching entirely to virtual formats, Djembe demonstrated agility and flexibility in seamlessly moving all communications outreach online and continued to deliver strong and consistent stakeholder engagement programs throughout the pandemic.
Overall, through an impressive understanding of the key issues in our target markets and by executing strategic outreach programs across the Middle and Africa regions, Djembe has done extremely well in communicating our business objectives via a wide range of communications channels including videos, media relations, events, design, and digital communications. We really value the team’s creativity and commitment to deliver results that have an impact in the communities ITFC supports.

Raghda Moawad ElsharawySenior Manager, Corporate Communications

As our long-term and trusted communications partner of choice, Djembe Consultants has executed numerous marketing campaigns within West Africa (Ghana, Togo & Nigeria), thus supporting Vlisco to achieve its brand and business objectives in the region. Year after year, the passion and motivation from the Djembe team furthers our strategy to empower future female leaders through mentorship programs that impact the lives of numerous women, their families and communities in West Africa. The Djembe team has also been extremely resilient and adaptive to the global pandemic, always returning with fresh perspectives and creative ideas to achieve our goals whilst maintaining a high degree of flexibility to accomplish the agreed results.  As a result, our Vlisco Women’s Month and Mentoring Programs have been highly successful campaigns for the brand.

Rev. Stephen BaduMarketing Director

I have a long-standing working relationship with Djembe and always liked their creative, innovative and results-driven approach to communications. Most recently they have provided support with the implementation of a thought leadership campaign to demonstrate my ongoing commitment to sustainable development in Africa through the fostering of innovation, diversity, inclusion and empowerment for youth and women. Solid foundations have been laid through the development of a strong positioning and compelling messaging which will be leveraged for a comprehensive thought leadership campaign throughout 2021 involving speaking opportunities, media engagement and digital activities.

Pauline KoelblFounder & CEO, Afriprospect & ShEquity

One of the most difficult steps in any venture is to create its story. Getting started, positioning yourself with a strong brand and finding the right people to help you do it is a challenge. This is where Djembe Consultants came in to work their magic. Djembe's knowledge of the African market was an asset for us as we looked to launch a complex LNG feasibility study in West Africa. Djembe sees the big picture but also understands the details well enough to get things done. They have great people skills and were therefore able to help us expand the idea of launching a critical study during a pandemic in West Africa. The Djembe team really demonstrated they understood the developmental aspects of introducing LNG while recognizing the need to address the local market communication requirements as well.

Kathleen CohenAnalyst

For many years Djembe has continued to impress us with their creativity, tenacity and exceptional service. The team played a key role in the launch of the global makeup brand, Maybelline New York, in Ghana which was a major milestone in our growth in West Africa. Their event management skills for the launch, spanned from concept development through to planning and execution, delivering a successful and high impact event on our behalf.
The Djembe team has also continued to provide media support for our annual CSR initiative, Citizen’s Day, and have demonstrated their media relations expertise through securing extensive media coverage in tier one print and online media in Ghana.

Baaba OpokuHuman Resources Manager

Djembe played a key role in the launch of Honoris in 2017, executing a high impact launch strategy that was instrumental in garnering widespread awareness in key markets. As a highly efficient and extremely responsive Consultancy, Djembe continues to support Honoris, helping us to bring focus to some of our most important developments during a period of intense growth and developmental activity.

Laura KakonGlobal Chief Marketing Officer

For the past year, Djembe Consultants has been one of our chosen partners for building the communications strength of countless MEST entrepreneurs and start-ups. In particular, they’ve been an integral part of the MEST Express acceleration program launched in response to the impact of the pandemic on start-ups in Ghana, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and its Young Africa Works program. Through our work with Djembe Consultants, we have been able to support over 30 start-ups with a range of tailored training and guidance. Their professionalism and expertise in their field has made them an indispensable component of our own offering to Africa’s entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem.

Felix DarkoProgram Manager at MEST Africa

As the official communications partner for the AfriLabs Annual Gathering 2020, we partnered with Djembe Consultants for the first time to co-create an in-depth report on Africa’s innovation ecosystem, Building a Resilient Innovative Africa, launched in October 2020. The team were a pleasure and an inspiration to work with, leveraging their network across the continent and their diverse, tenacious team to deliver an insightful account of the opportunities in Africa’s vast innovations and entrepreneurship scene, especially amidst challenges presented by COVID-19. Djembe continues to go above and beyond to provide value added capacity building services through media training workshops for AfriLabs’ network of hub operators and start-ups. As a business with a vision aligned to our own, we at AfriLabs look forward to ongoing collaboration with Djembe.

Nekesa WereDirector of Strategy, AfriLabs

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