Sandrine Atabong

"Sandrine ATABONG serves as the CEO and Founder of WIHD. Additionally, she takes on the role of President of Research and Incubation within the organization, utilizing her extensive background in Business administration, Human Rights and Social Protection. Her dedication lies in shaping WIHD's strategic vision, with the primary objective of ensuring the organization's steadfast commitment to empowering informal workers and driving positive societal change.

Sandrine's journey began with active involvement in both the Center of Social Affairs under the Ministry of Social and Women's Affairs in Cameroon and the National Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms. These experiences fostered a profound commitment to effecting positive societal change, with a particular emphasis on advancing social protection, gender equality, and human rights legislation.

In 2013, Sandrine founded WIHD, as a network committed to enhancing the working conditions of the working poor, particularly women, within the informal economy. Today, WIHD stands at the forefront of advocating for equal economic opportunities, rights, and representation with a focus on bridging the gap between membership-based organizations (MBOs) of informal workers and key stakeholders, including researchers and development practitioners, to address grassroots concerns effectively.

Within WIHD, Sandrine leads research across six core programs: Organization and Representation, Statistics, Law, Social Protection, Rural-Urban Integration, and Empowerment initiatives such as Exposure, and Policy Dialogues. She also directs multiple business incubation initiatives focused on innovative research-powered lines of business within the informal sector. These initiatives are critical in nurturing and developing innovative ventures through leveraging research methodologies to address the challenges faced by individuals in informal economies.

Sandrine's approach involves identifying key areas within the informal sector economy where innovation can have a significant impact, such as for domestic workers, street vendors, and waste pickers. She then selects promising ventures or projects to support through WIHD's incubation process, providing comprehensive support, including mentorship, access to resources, technical assistance, and networking opportunities. Sandrine integrates research into the development and implementation of new business ideas, conducts rigorous market research, user interviews, and data analysis to inform strategies, and prioritizes innovation to encourage novel solutions within the informal sector.

Collaboration with other organizations, academia, government agencies, and private sector partners is essential to the success of Sandrine's initiatives. By leveraging diverse expertise and resources, WIHD creates a supportive ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship within the informal sector, ultimately driving meaningful change for marginalized communities.

Sandrine's vision for the future of WIHD involves leveraging data science methods to differentiate the organization from other global research and advocacy groups. She plans to conduct impactful research to advocate for policy reforms, and empower informal workers, particularly women, in the pursuit of their rights and dignity within the informal economy in the global south."