Her Story
About Paulette
Paulette Mpouma is the founder and owner of The Africa Memory Game, a bilingual English-French educational tool that introduces children and families to the history, geography, and culture of Africa's 54 nations. Originally from Cameroon, Mpouma launched the venture nearly two decades ago after her children encountered troubling misconceptions about the continent at school, including a moment when her daughter, after watching a distressing classroom video, asked whether she had suffered from AIDS as a child. Rather than remain frustrated by these gaps, Mpouma began building educational activities at her kitchen table, drawing on the games she had loved growing up in Africa and her belief that children retain what they discover through play.
Although she attended law school and later earned a Master's degree in Private Law through Schoolnet Online in India, Mpouma never practiced law, choosing instead to spend more than fifteen years in administrative and project management roles while tutoring students on the side. That blend of legal training, organizational experience, and a lifelong passion for teaching eventually shaped her approach to educational entrepreneurship. What started as a home-built prototype, funded with help from friends and family, grew into a bilingual trivia game featuring 100 questions on African history, geography, and culture, now used by schools, homeschoolers, libraries, museums, and community organizations across the country.
Today, The Africa Memory Game has earned a place in the collection of the Smithsonian Museum of African Art and continues to expand into French immersion programs and cultural institutions nationwide. Mpouma has strengthened her entrepreneurial journey through her involvement with the Maryland Women Business Center, Empower Women International, and LEDC, crediting the relationships built within these communities of women and immigrant entrepreneurs as a lasting source of encouragement and practical knowledge. In recognition of her work, she was selected for a feature in Influential Woman's 2026 edition representing Bowie, Maryland. When she isn't developing new resources for the next generation, Mpouma finds balance and renewal in gardening, a practice she describes as a quiet reflection of the patient, intentional work she has devoted to helping children grow their understanding of the world.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Paulette
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the unwavering support of my family, especially my children, who served as my earliest collaborators by testing ideas and offering honest feedback. I'm also grateful for the strong network of women, parents, and fellow entrepreneurs who encouraged me along the way, as well as the training cohorts and organizations that gave me practical guidance and community when I needed it most.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I've carried with me is to remain a student, no matter how far you've come. Building a business takes humility, the willingness to ask questions, seek out professional guidance, and learn from people who have already made the mistakes you're trying to avoid. I've also learned that entrepreneurs don't have to build alone. Sometimes the person who moves your dream forward isn't someone you sought out. It's someone who heard your story and chose to share it with someone else.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice is to start by identifying a real problem and building something that genuinely solves it. Stay curious, join groups where you can learn from other entrepreneurs, and don't be afraid to ask for professional help when you need it. Learn as many practical and technical skills as you can, since that knowledge helps control costs and gives you more ownership over your business. Take advantage of the resources and networks available to women entrepreneurs, and don't wait until you feel like you know everything to begin. Start with what you have, stay teachable, and let the journey teach you the rest.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest opportunities I see is the growing demand for accurate, culturally meaningful educational resources that help children move beyond stereotypes and truly discover Africa's 54 countries. The challenge lies in getting culturally focused products into more classrooms, libraries, museums, and homes, especially while competing for attention in an increasingly digital learning environment. I also see this as an opportunity to build partnerships with schools and cultural institutions, since representation is most powerful when children aren't just told about a culture but invited to explore it with curiosity and joy.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Family, education, cultural pride, authenticity, community, perseverance, and service guide everything I do. I believe education carries a responsibility to tell fuller, more honest stories, and that children deserve to encounter Africa through knowledge that respects its people, achievements, history, and diversity. Whether I'm mentoring another entrepreneur, developing a new resource, spending time with my family, or tending to my garden, I try to live out the same lesson: when we plant knowledge with intention, we give the next generation something powerful to grow from.
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