Personality of The Week: El Hadj Bako Harouna; SONARA General Manager.

Before May 31, 2019, when fire razed four of its 13 production units, SONARA was the dream corporation of almost everyone and stakeholder. 

In the corridors of power, people dreamed of having their names among the men running the show at the lone oil refinery in the country. Since the May 2019 mishap, the glow and growth of SONARA have been tainted and slowed. 

With the huge debt burden the incident brought on the corporation and antecedent effects on the entire nation and the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, CEMAC Subregion, SONARA has been in the wait for the person to realign and shape a new path for the corporation.

This search, of course, has since the incident been hinged on Presidential commitment to see that SONARA does not sink. 

Over five years on, some greenlight is beginning to show up following a deal the company engaged with French international engineering company, AXENS, for initial design studies for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of affected facilities. 

It is an exercise that is expected to run through 2025, paving the way for the fixing of SONARA. News of the deal, penned on February 19, 2025, was only released to the public this week, triggering celebrations in several quarters that SONARA still has a future. 

It was its General Manager, El Hadj Bako Harouna, who saw that deal through. Now, he is the character who has touched the hearts of millions of Cameroonians and oil industry experts within CEMAC; wherein SONARA plays a key role in foreign exchange reserve backup. 

El Hadj Bako Harouna, a silent achiever who is known for always maintaining a low profile, despite his professional parkour, has this season failed to escape the praises of millions who are celebrating the latest deal that would result in SONARA bouncing back in the coming years.

He does get log No.9 for 2025, Cameroon’s Personality of The Week; for what many are saying is his extraordinary opening of a new chapter for SONARA. 

With the development, citizens across the globe say Bako Harouna has proven himself as a wonder man and results-oriented public office holder of distinct value.

Your Personality of The Week, it is being said, is on the 'A' list of replicas of the concept of continuous improvement. The latest deal, admirers say, undisputedly ranks Bako Harouna as a man of success who does not deal in excuses. He is hitting the star this season on the basis of hard work, vision and foresight clouded in patriotism.

Many say from a common man’s perspective, the only way they can reward Bako Harouna today and for posterity is to enlist him in the hall of fame of Personality of The Week.

In an age wherein people are becoming increasingly critical, many say, they have come out of such a crowd to honour Bako Harouna, for his power of daring to be different and efficacy in negotiation that has moved the SONARA rehabilitation/ reconstruction agenda a step further.

Others say they are moved by the charisma and individuality of Bako Harouna, who prioritises authenticity over perfection, in delivering on his assignment as SONARA General Manager. 

As the captain of the SONARA ship, he gets extra-terrestrial acclamation this season for triggering the first wave that is energising other stakeholders in the refinery’s reconstruction bid to take their responsibilities.

He is also being pictured as a man with an endearing legacy, given is unmatched commitment to make SONARA an enduring brand from his heart and not head.

Your Personality of The Week thus gets a golden placement for today and the future, based on the intertwining positive effects of his great push for SONARA to bounce back.

Bako Harouna is a man of integrity who runs on the philosophy of continuous improvement over delayed perfection. 

Those who know him say he is never satisfied with what has been done; rather, he is always seeking for ways to make things better. 

Your Personality of The Week is a man of new dimensions. Many say they have pushed Bako Harouna to the spotlight because he has irresistibly been the best of himself, giving himself to service without reservation. 

On this score, they say, while seeking to revive the nation’s refinery, he has worked his way into the global and national honour of being not just a legacy builder but a dealer in hope.

While some see him as being the man with the experience and wisdom needed for SONARA in a time such as this, others are throwing flours on his path for simply being the to-go man who is dismantling the complex obstacles that had before now clouded moves to revive SONARA. 

The strides he has made as SONARA GM, others are concurring, show he masters something about the business and industry in a way no one else does. 

This distinguished public servant is a man of discipline which has become the refining fire in his work. He has remained classic in service.

He is emerging this season on grounds of him having refused to fit in the club of complainers. With such a positive mindset, your Personality of The Week has turned out to be a standout material.

Bako Harouna is shining at the top this season for being the lead burden career in spinning the wheels to get damaged units of SONARA working. 

In this view, he is getting endless love, admiration, praises and endorsements for passionately putting his energy to get SONARA back to its position as the pride of the nation and CEMAC.

In the club of the few men shaping Cameroon’s future, those who have featured Bako Harouna on this respected platform this season say, he merits to be called the Head of State’s foot soldier for the battles won so far towards rescuing SONARA.

With the situation at the refinery, it is now being said and rightly so, that  even if a tree does not make a forest, Bako Harouna is making the difference.

It is that life of a man of difference that has seen him enjoy presidential confidence repeatedly.

The magistrate, trained at the National School of Administration and Magistracy, ENAM, first made a name as a prosecutor of reference within the judiciary sector before being called to other duties.

Before taking over the reins of SONARA on February 9, 2024, Harouna Bako was General Manager of the Cameroon Oil Transportation Company, COTCO. 

He also occupied the post of Deputy Director General of the Kribi Port Authority. He also held several professional certifications in public management, obtained from renowned institutions at home and abroad.

His integrity and rigour in public service reached exceptional levels when he was Attorney General of the Court of Appeal of the West Region. 

That he continuous to operate in principles of excellence, creating new records and reassign investors, many say,

 Harouna Bako has become an all-time first grade nation builder of stainless Statesman.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3385 of Friday March 07, 2025