Influence communication and ecosystem engagement, between Africa and France
For Cabinet 86, influence means making a position, a brand or a project known to the people who make decisions, at the right time and through the right channels. We design and run influence communication strategies for companies, institutions and programmes operating between Africa and France, from our offices in Paris and Abidjan.
What we mean by influence
Influence is the ability to shape how a subject is understood and discussed within a given ecosystem: public decision-makers, investors, journalists, experts, partners, professional communities, the general public. It is built by identifying the people and places where opinion is formed, giving them useful and credible content, and holding a consistent line over time.
Our approach combines three disciplines: strategic monitoring, which tells us where the conversation is happening and who is driving it; editorial strategy, which gives our clients a clear and regular voice; and ecosystem engagement, which connects that voice with the people who will carry it further. We do not do regulatory lobbying and we do not buy coverage: we work on the narrative, the choice of channels and a regular presence.
- Monitoring: where the conversation happens
- Editorial strategy: a clear, regular voice
- Ecosystem engagement: the amplifiers
Our influence communication services
Six services, from influence strategy to events, for companies, institutions and major projects.
Influence strategy and narrative
We start from your real objectives (obtaining a licence, raising funds, establishing a brand in a new market, winning acceptance for a project, moving past a controversy) and we shape the narrative that serves them: positioning, key messages, proof points, tone. This narrative then underpins every public statement, in France as in Africa.
Mapping ecosystems and opinion leaders
Who shapes opinion on your subject, in your country and in your target countries? We map media, journalists, experts, think tanks, influential accounts, professional associations and institutional channels, then assess their weight, their stance and how accessible they are. This map then guides outreach and content.
Editorial calendars and content orchestration
Influence requires regularity. We build editorial calendars that bring together the organisation’s key moments, sector news and the ecosystem’s major events (summits, forums, reference publications), and we orchestrate production: op-eds, studies, interviews, LinkedIn posts, newsletters, videos.
Corporate communication and stakeholder relations
For ministries, public agencies, local authorities, international organisations and companies with a public service mission, we design corporate communication: annual reports, speeches, briefing notes, consultation processes, communication with donors and technical and financial partners.
Communication for major programmes and flagship projects
Infrastructure, mining and energy, development programmes, major events: these projects affect local communities, elected officials, media and investors with different expectations. We build the programme’s communication strategy, from announcement to delivery, with particular attention to local acceptance and to consistency between what is said on the ground and what is said in Paris, Brussels or Washington. When a programme becomes the target of a disinformation campaign, we bring in our expertise in countering information manipulation.
Events, speaking engagements and presence at forums
We identify the stages that matter for your subject (business forums, international summits, sector conferences, trade fairs), we prepare the speeches and we handle amplification before, during and after the event, so that a twenty-minute talk stays visible for weeks.
Between Africa and France: our ground
Communicating between Africa and France means understanding two media landscapes and two decision-making cultures, and knowing what gets lost or distorted when crossing the Mediterranean. A message that reassures in Paris can worry people in Abidjan. We work on both sides, with a team in Paris and Abidjan and partners in several of the continent’s capitals.
Our assignments have taken us notably to Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Senegal, Morocco and Madagascar, in sectors such as mining and energy, telecommunications, finance and investment, infrastructure, agribusiness, healthcare and higher education. We also support African organisations that want a voice in the French and European debate: investors, regional groups, public institutions, public figures.
These strategies build on our strategic monitoring, protect the reputation of the executives who carry them and extend into content creation and spokesperson training.
Examples of assignments
For a major mining programme in West Africa: design of the project’s communication strategy, mapping of local and international stakeholders, daily monitoring and a response set-up, production of explanatory content on the economic and environmental impact.
For a public institution: overhaul of the institutional narrative, an annual editorial calendar, preparation of executives’ speeches at international forums and management of relations with specialist media.
For a French group entering an African market: study of the country’s media and opinion ecosystem, identification of credible voices, a twelve-month influence plan and support for the first local public statements.
For a pan-African investment fund: positioning of the firm and its partners with European investors, a programme of expert content, presence at the African finance events held in Paris and London.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between influence communication and press relations?
Press relations are one part of it. Influence communication covers all the channels that shape opinion on a subject: the media, but also experts, professional social networks, institutions, events and owned content. It is managed over time, with objectives and indicators.
Do you do lobbying?
No. We do not represent interests to public decision-makers and we are not registered as interest representatives. We help our clients make their position understandable and credible in public; approaches to public authorities are a matter for their own teams or for specialist firms, with whom we can coordinate.
How do you measure influence?
With indicators set at the outset and tracked in regular reviews: share of voice on key topics, tone of mentions, pick-up by the identified opinion leaders, quality of the contacts made, changes in search results and in AI engine answers, and of course the concrete effects on your objectives (meetings, partnerships, decisions).
Do you work with local partners in Africa?
Yes. Our Paris and Abidjan offices run assignments together and we rely on a network of partners (agencies, freelance journalists, producers, lawyers) in the other countries where we work. We remain your single point of contact.
How long does an influence assignment last?
A strategy and a map are delivered in four to eight weeks. Ongoing engagement runs over renewable six- to twelve-month programmes, because influence is built through regularity. We also work on short assignments to prepare an event or an announcement.