I&P Accélération au Sahel (IPAS): Pioneering acceleration program for SMEs in the Sahel region draws to a close

 

In 2019, Investisseurs & Partenaires launched I&P Accélération au Sahel thanks to funding from the European Union, more specifically through The EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa. Financed up to €15.5 million, and deployed over 5 years, this program is aimed at start-ups and small businesses in the Sahel region with one main objective: to give them access to the financing and skills they need to enable their development and thus promote job creation.

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AS Pharm

Sector of activity: Digital, Tech
Status: Financement d'amorçage
Entrepreneur: Regis SALAKO, Sidick ABOUDOU
Country: Ivory Coast
A propos:

Founded in 2016, AS Pharm is an innovative pan-African start-up that offers pharmacies a SaaS platform to optimise their operational management. This comprehensive solution covers all the essential aspects of their business, such as sales management, customer relations, invoicing, stock tracking, accounting, data analysis, and much more. Available both online and offline, the platform guarantees total flexibility to meet the specific needs of each pharmacy.

The entrepreneurs

AS Pharm was co-founded by two entrepreneurs, Régis Salako and Aboubakar Sidick Aboudou:

  • Régis Salako is an experienced IT professional with a solid university education and more than 10 years' experience in the sector. He graduated from the University of Rennes in 2012 with a Master's degree in Computer Science specialising in MIAGE (computer methods applied to business management).
  • Aboubakar Sidick Aboudou has gained significant experience in the IT sector, having worked as an Analyst Programmer, Design Engineer and Information System Manager in an IT consultancy firm in France for seven years. He graduated from ENSSAT (Ecole Nationale Supérieures des Sciences Appliquées et de Technologie) in 2011 with a degree in Software and Computer Systems Engineering.

Partnership with I&P and Fako Capital

AS Pharm is supported by I&P Accélération Technologies, a €2.5 million programme to finance and support around 15 digital start-ups in sub-Saharan Africa, backed by AFD through Digital Africa. In Côte d'Ivoire , this programme is implemented by Comoé Capital.

This partnership will enable the start-up to :

  • Recruit technical and sales staff 
  • Expand its activities in Côte d'Ivoire and accelerate its growth in Senegal.
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In portfolio since: 2024

Espace Véritable Santé (EVS)

Sector of activity: Health
Status: Investissement en capital
Associed fund: Comoé Capital
Entrepreneur: Dr ALLA Konan Barthelémy
Country: Ivory Coast
A propos:

The Espace Véritable Santé (EVS) medical center is a private health facility offering day care such as generalist consultations but also specialized consultations (ultrasound, radiology, maternity excluding caesarean sections and medical analyses).

EVS is located in San-Pédro, in the Bas-Sassandra district of Côte d'Ivoire.

The entrepreneur

EVS was founded in 2017 by Dr ALLA Konan Barthelémy.

Partnership with Comoé Capital and I&P

EVS is supported by Comoé Capital, a partner of I&P, through private equity.

Expected impacts

  • Increasing reception capacity and diversifying care offerings
  • Improvement in the quality of care, particularly in medical imaging and maternity care, given the alarming infant mortality figures in Côte d'Ivoire.
  • Staff training and capacity building
In portfolio since: 2023

Ivoire Garba

Sector of activity: Agro-food
Status: Investissement en capital
Associed fund: Comoé Capital
Entrepreneur: Mamadou Sidibé
Country: Ivory Coast
A propos:

Ivoire Garba, commonly known as I-Garba, is a company that markets and promotes an Ivorian dish called garba. The company's ambition is to create a fast-food chain in Côte d'Ivoire, and in the future to export its model to the interior of the country and to neighboring countries.

The entrepreneur

Ivoire Garba was created by Mamadou Sidibé, an entrepreneur from Côte d'Ivoire. Holder of a BTS in business management, he worked as a security professional, launching several activities including the export of Abidjan's piqué chicken to the interior of the country.  He had to abandon this activity following the various crises that Côte d'Ivoire has experienced. In 2018, he led an attempt to open a McDonald's franchise.

Partnership with Comoé Capital and I&P

Ivoire Garba is financed by Comoé Capital, a partner of I&P, through an equity investment.

Expected impact

  • Enhancement of a local specialty contributes to the promotion of Ivorian culture 
  • Creation of over 40 sustainable jobs
In portfolio since: 2023

How to support the acceleration phase of small businesses in the Sahel region : I&P publishes lessons from I&P Acceleration in Sahel’s mid-term evaluation

Since 2019 with the support of the European Union, I&P has been preparing small and medium-sized enterprises in the Sahelian sub-region for investment through the I&P Acceleration in the Sahel program. Three years after its launch, I&P is proud to present the first lessons of the program, identified following the mid-term evaluation carried out by Dalberg consulting firm.

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SPAA

Sector of activity: Agro-food
Status: Financement d'amorçage
Entrepreneur: Armand Siallou Kouadio
Country: Ivory Coast
A propos:

Siallou Production Agricole & Animale (SPAA) is a company specialized in the transformation of coffee beans (green coffee) into ground coffee in Ivory Coast.

The entrepreneur

SPAA was founded by Armand Siallou Kouadio, a young entrepreneur with a DUT in Communication and Human Resources and a BTS in Business Communication. After spending 11 years with agricultural cooperatives in coffee and cocoa, he founded his own company.

Partnership with I&P and Comoé Capital

SPAA is supported by I&P and Comoé Capital through I&P Acceleration in Sahel. This partnership will enable to organize the production unit and to improve its production capacity. SPAA will also benefit from a technical support which will revitalize the accounting and commercial functions of the company and improve the production process as well as the quality of the products.

In portfolio since: 2022

Gain

Sector of activity: Digital, Tech
Status: Financement d'amorçage
Entrepreneur: Guy Kouakou Attaboth Etchielou
Country: Ivory Coast
A propos:

Gain is a company in Côte d'Ivoire specialized in the development of administrative management software, the sale of access control systems in schools, and the automated control of staff presence and movements on site for companies.

The entrepreneur

The company was founded in 2020 by Guy Kouakou Attaboth Etchielou.

Holding a BTS in communication, he has worked as a freelance salesman in a company marketing poultry products and commercial ADELCI-Daloa. In 2006, he was charge of communication at Ivoire Finance microfinance. Then he ended up becoming head of agency within this structure from 2007 to 2008. He decided to set up his own business. With the help of one of his acquaintances, he developed an SMS messaging service between schools and parents, and later an administrative management and access control software for schools.

Partnership with I&P andComoé Capital

Gain is supported by I&P Acceleration in Sahel program, which is implemented in Côte d'Ivoire by Comoé Capital sponsored by I&P. The support will essentially enable the company to increase its production capacity and develop its brand. Gain will also benefit from the support of several consultants who will strengthen the technical capacities (software), boost the growth of the activity and revitalize the accounting and finance functions of the company.

In portfolio since: 2022

I&P reveals the annual ESG & impact report of IPDEV 2 fund

Each year, Investisseurs & Partenaires monitors and publishes a report of the environmental, social and governance impact of its different lines of business. Launched in 2002, I&P Développement line (IPDEV 1, IPDEV 2) aims at create, develop and sponsor a dozen impact funds and support 500 SMEs in several sub-Saharan African countries.

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E'Sens: promoting local citrus production in Côte d'Ivoire

Located in the heart of the Sassandra region, West of Abidjan, in Côte d'Ivoire, Epices et Essences de Côte d'Ivoire (E'Sens) produces citrus-based essential oils (bigarade, bergamot). This young start-up with high impact potential is supported by the I&P Acceleration in the Sahel program launched in 2019 by I&P, funded by the European Union and implemented by Comoé Capital in Côte d'Ivoire.

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