Comoé Capital

Épices et Essences de Côte d'Ivoire (E'Sens) specializes in the production of citrus essential oils (bigarade, bergamot). The company sources its essential oils from a network of 80 small-scale producers in Côte d'Ivoire, revitalizing a production that had been abandoned.

Watch our video report on E'Sens

The Entrepreneurs

E'Sens was created in 2016 by two young Ivorian finance professionals who saw the potential of an industry that had been abandoned in the Bas Sassandra region.

• Pierre-Yves N'Goran (Co-founder and Executive Director)

He holds a Master's degree in International Business from Hult International Business School, London, England. Between 2011 and 2014, he participated in several professional finance rotation programmes, notably at the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Ace Global Depository. In 2014, he returned to Côte d'Ivoire where he held the position of Credit Analyst at NSIA Banque Côte d'Ivoire for four years. Today, he is co-founder of E'Sens and is in charge of running the business full time as the company's Executive Director.

• Karl Akueson-Gannyi (Co-Founder)

After graduating in chemical engineering with a Master's degree in Finance in England, he worked for several years at BMO Capital Markets, London (investment bank specialising in mining and oil operations - finance and M&A department). In 2014, he decided to return to Côte d'Ivoire and set up his own business by creating the financial group La Financière de l'Eléphant (LAFINELE), which advises, designs and creates companies to carry out several projects, particularly in mining, agriculture and technological innovation. Karl co-founded the company E'Sens in 2016.

I&P support

E'Sens benefits from the seed funding of the I&P Acceleration in Sahel programme which is implemented in Ivory Coast by Comoé Capital sponsored by I&P. The objectives are :

• increase the company's efficiency and optimisation of logistics
• increasing the area of E'Sen plantations
• support and evaluation of environmental and agronomic issues

Expected Impacts

• Creation of new jobs
• Support for the network of small producers with whom E'Sens works

About I&P Acceleration in the Sahel

The I&P Accélération au Sahel program, supported by the European Union, 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. Find out more →

About Comoé Capital

Comoé Capital is the first impact investment fund dedicated to financing and supporting Ivorian SMEs and start-ups. Headed by Issa Sidibé, Comoé Capital is the fifth African fund sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires as part of the I&P Développement 2 fund. The fund network currently includes a fund in Niger (Sinergi Niger), Burkina Faso (Sinergi Burkina), Senegal (Teranga Capital) and Madagascar (Miarakap). Comoé Capital website → 

Created in 2005, Tropic 105 is a clothing company under the brand name Ciss St Moïse. For 30 years, the promoter has been promoting African fashion and has established itself as a key player in the clothing sector. The company has 4 shops open in 3 boroughs of Abidjan.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Holder of a degree in history and geography, M. Moussa Cissé began his career as a history and geography teacher. In 1989, he launched his custom-made clothing business. In addition to being the manager of the haute couture house Ciss St Moïse where he makes ready-to-wear and made-to-measure clothes, he is also the promoter of the N'ZASSA MODE festival organised in Ivory Coast since 2014.

ABOUT COMOE CAPITAL

Comoé Capital is the first impact investment fund dedicated to the financing and support of Ivorian SMEs and start-ups. Headed by Issa Sidibé, Comoé Capital is the fifth African fund sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires as part of the I&P Développement 2 fund. The fund network currently includes a fund in Niger (Sinergi Niger), Burkina Faso (Sinergi Burkina), Senegal (Teranga Capital) and Madagascar (Miarakap). →Site of Comoé Capital​

La Coccinelle is a private kindergarten and early childhood care centre offering a childcare service for young children in the interval between daycare (06 to 24 months) and kindergarten (24 to 60 months) as well as a bilingual recreation centre service during school holidays in Côte d'Ivoire. La Coccinelle plans to deploy a network of mini-crèches in different communes of Abidjan and to create a training centre for early childhood educators. 

THE ENTREPRENEUR

La Coccinelle was created by Mrs. Sara Adico. After a Professional Degree in Finance and Management, Ms. Sara ADICO joined UNACOOPEC-CI microfinance in 2002, as a credit analyst until 2006. She then managed the Raggi Anne Marie Institution, an international public school (IRMA) for 6 years. This experience led her to create her own school, which she has been managing since 2011. In 2016, she obtained a certification of competence in NGO management awarded by the UNESCO CHAIR for the Culture of Peace in Côte d'Ivoire.

The Centre des Métiers Michèle Yakice is a joint venture between Comoé Capital and the Michèle Yakice International Vocational Training School. It is an establishment specialising in training for fashion professions (sewing, styling).

In 2020, the Michèle Yakice vocational centre took a new step forward with the launch of Grain de Mode, an incubator which aims to create future entrepreneurs in the fashion industry by offering a class of 9 students initial training, coaching sessions in several disciplines (digital communication, marketing/sales, accounting, etc.) as well as mentoring with a mentor to support each student throughout his or her career.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Michèle OKEI is the daughter of the founder and famous designer Michèle Yakice.

She holds a Master's degree in communication, administration and management from Pigier (1999). After 6 years of experience in logistics and customer management, Ms OKEI joined her mother's company in 2005. She trains and becomes the director of studies of the school.

ABOUT COMOE CAPITAL

Comoé Capital is the first impact investment fund dedicated to the financing and support of Ivorian SMEs and start-ups. Headed by Issa Sidibé, Comoé Capital is the fifth African fund sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires as part of the I&P Développement 2 fund. The fund network currently includes a fund in Niger (Sinergi Niger), Burkina Faso (Sinergi Burkina), Senegal (Teranga Capital) and Madagascar (Miarakap). → Comoé Capital website

Established in 2002, Home Medical Service (HMS) is a private medical centre offering day care such as consultations, medical analysis and observation.

The HMS Medical Center is owned by a medical couple: Dr. Arame D'ALMEIDA and her husband Dr. Jean-Charles Patrick D'ALMEIDA founded this medical center after their medical studies in Senegal and several years of experience.

THE ENTREPRENEURS

Dr. Arame DIAGNE D'ALMEIDA holds a doctorate in medicine. She obtained at the Cheick Anta Diop University of Dakar in 1992. She has nearly 24 years of professional experience.

Her husband, Dr. Jean-Charles Patrick D'ALMEIDA, holds a graduate degree in Gynecology and Obstetrics from Cheick Anta Diop University in Dakar, which he obtained in 1990. He has 29 years of experience and has worked in several clinics in Côte d'Ivoire as a temporary gynaecologist-obstetrician.

EXPECTED IMPACT

• Increase in reception capacity and diversification of care offers
• Improving the quality of care, particularly in neonatology and maternity care
• Staff training and capacity building

ABOUT COMOE CAPITAL

Comoé Capital is the first impact investment fund dedicated to the financing and support of Ivorian SMEs and start-ups. Headed by Issa Sidibé, Comoé Capital is the fifth African fund sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires as part of the I&P Développement 2 fund. The fund network currently includes a fund in Niger (Sinergi Niger), Burkina Faso (Sinergi Burkina), Senegal (Teranga Capital) and Madagascar (Miarakap). →Site of Comoé Capital

The Institut de Management, de Gestion et d'Hôtellerie (IMGH) is a private technical and professional training structure specializing in the hotel industry created in 2009 by Mrs. Augustine Bro. The institution aims to improve and diversify its training offers by developing online access to continuing education.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

After several experiences as SVT teacher in Abidjan, Mrs. Augustine BRO is appointed director of studies in a hotel school where she noticed the lack of students in the profession of cooking and pastry in the city of Abidjan due to the lack of specialized institutions in the sector. She therefore decided to create with a few associates the Institute of Culinary Arts and Hospitality (IACH) in 1999 which became in 2008 the Institute of Management and Hotel Management (IMGH).

Find an interview with Augustine Bro (October 2019) :

The Institut de Management, de Gestion et d'Hôtellerie is supported through the Education Impact Fund (EIF), managed by Comoé Capital. This impact fund dedicated to education in Côte d'Ivoire is sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P) and the Jacobs Foundation. It provides financial and managerial support to Ivorian SMEs and start-ups with the aim of improving the quality and/or access to education in the country.

The Institut de Management, de Gestion et d'Hôtellerie also benefits from financial support and technical assistance within the framework of the I&P Acceleration in the Sahel program, in partnership with the European Union. To cope with the unprecedented situation of covid-19, some fifteen companies benefit from technical and financial support to maintain their activities and overcome the crisis.

ABOUT COMOE CAPITAL 

 Comoé Capital is the first impact investment fund dedicated to the financing and support of Ivorian SMEs and start-ups. Headed by Issa Sidibé, Comoé Capital is the fifth African fund sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires as part of the I&P Développement 2 fund. The fund network currently includes a fund in Niger (Sinergi Niger), Burkina Faso (Sinergi Burkina), Senegal (Teranga Capital) and Madagascar (Miarakap). → More information about Comoé Capital

RAMA CEREAL is an agro-industrial company created in 2005. Its main activity is the processing of cereals such as millet, maize and rice. It is present on the local (Prosuma, Carrefour, Citydia, etc.) and international markets through various products and spices: millet granules, corn, rice, pre-cooked millet, attiéké (manioc semolina), ginger, gnangan, soumara, baobab. The company started its activities in the informal sector before becoming a sole proprietorship in 2005 and then a limited liability company in 2016.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Aramatou Coulibaly holds a BTS in International Trade and a Bachelor's degree in English. She has worked as a consultant and sales assistant in companies such as Mobil Oil and Kompass-ci, and then as an interim employee at Orange. Noting the need for millet products, she decided to set up her own agro-industrial company in 2005. In 2012, she obtained support within the framework of the Trade and Regional Integration Support Programme (PACIR) financed by the European Union.

PARTNERSHIP WITH COMOE CAPITAL

• Strengthening governance and setting up a strategic committee

• Support for commercial development and the launch of infant flour

• Development of the new site, which must comply with all relevant health standards

• Acquisition of equipment to increase to 2 tons/day (vs. 400 kg today)

• Financing the purchase of raw materials to cover needs over 3 months

• Acquisition of rolling stock for distribution

RAMA CEREAL also benefits from financial support and technical assistance within the framework of the I&P Acceleration in the Sahel program, in partnership with the European Union. To cope with the unprecedented situation of covid-19, some fifteen companies benefit from technical and financial support to maintain their activities and overcome the crisis.

MAIN IMPACTS

• Impact on small producers through supervision and an increase in their productivity, and therefore their income

• Impact on nutrition with the launch of infant flour

Founded in 2018, STUDIO KÄ is a start-up company specialising in the creation and production of educational animated series based on African stories, thus with high cultural added value for children.

STUDIO KÄ has obtained a partnership with TV5 Monde (an international French-speaking general-interest television channel) for the production of an animation series called "Les Contes de Raya". In addition, the company plans to develop several contents with the same characteristics for local and international sales.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Soro Adja holds a Master's degree in Finance and Accounting and a certificate in Business and Entrepreneurship from Lehigh University of Pennsylvania. After several years in the field of microfinance, Adja returned to her first passion, literature. Convinced that literature is a factor of cultural emancipation and open-mindedness, she did an internship at PLAYBAC Presse, a French publishing house, before returning to Côte d'Ivoire in 2015 to create Voyelles Editions, whose main product is the cultural youth magazine "Bulles". Today, the promoter launched STUDIO KÄ to develop the production of animated films.

PARTNERSHIP WITH COMOE CAPITAL

• Improve the quality of production and governance

• Produce several animated series

• Implementation of a health insurance system for employees fully operational

MAIN IMPACTS

• Creation of modern content, inspired by African stories, through the production of several edutainment animated series

• Substitution to animated films generally imported into Côte d'Ivoire

• Creation of local know-how through capacity building and the acquisition of appropriate equipment

Etudesk is a start-up offering online professional training through its interactive platform. The courses offered are strictly professional in nature and cover a wide range of learning areas: Business, IT, Economics, Civil Engineering, Science, etc. Etudesk defines itself as the “university of companies” and aims to reduce the gap between academic training and the skills required by companies.

The platform is available via PC, tablet and smartphone and without internet connection on mobile applications. It offers:

• Short-term training modules (about 2 to 10 hours) covering a specific field and aimed at students and professionals wishing to acquire or deepen specific skills. Each module includes a course structured in several sections with evaluation quizzes and practical activities
• Learning programs that are composed of a set of modules. The pathways provide access to a mentor and a final evaluation. A certificate, sponsored by a company, is issued at the end of the program in order to enhance the professional profile of the student if the program is successfully completed

The project has a strong economic and social impact: Etudesk aims to support active people in their career development but also to facilitate the professional integration of students and job seekers in a country with a young population and a high unemployment rate. Etudesk offers high-quality teaching programs (experienced instructors and content reviewed by several professionals) at an affordable price.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Lamine BARRO is a young Ivorian entrepreneur, who was only 22 years old when he founded Etudesk in 2016.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Korhogo (2014) and a Certificate of Entrepreneurship from the Founder Institute (2016). Before creating Etudesk, he was a Microsoft Student Partner for several years and has several years of experience as an IT specialist in various firms.

PARTNERSHIP WITH COMOÉ CAPITAL

• Formalization and compliance with accounting standards

• Strategic support to adapt the business plan to the Ivorian context and its competitive environment

• Support for strengthening the offer (creation of new training courses)

• Support the commercial deployment of the company

Etudesk is supported through the Education Impact Fund (EIF), managed by Comoé Capital. This impact fund dedicated to education in Côte d'Ivoire is sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P) and the Jacobs Foundation. It provides financial and managerial support to Ivorian SMEs and start-ups with the aim of improving the quality and/or access to education in the country.

Etudesk also benefits from financial support and technical assistance within the framework of the I&P Acceleration in the Sahel program, in partnership with the European Union. To cope with the unprecedented situation of covid-19, some fifteen companies benefit from technical and financial support to maintain their activities and overcome the crisis.

MAIN IMPACTS

• Access to education for a broad target population

• Facilitates the professional integration of students and job seekers

NEWS AND AWARDS

Etudesk won Seedstars Abidjan Competition in 2016. Read more →

In 2017 Etudesk was one of the five winning companies of the Digital Africa competition, among the 770 French and African startups participating whose projects put digital innovation at the service of sustainable development. As a finalist, Etudesk benefited from an "acceleration pack", composed of technical and financial support provided by the French Development Agency. Read more →

Created in 2005, VALLESSE is a publishing house based in Côte d’Ivoire, which has an editorial collection of nearly thirty books, nine of which are accredited to the undergraduate curriculum, approved extra-curriculars books and youth literature. VALLESSE has four collections to her credit.

VALLESSE is an active member of ASSEDI (Association des Editeurs de Côte d'Ivoire) and the Association des Editeurs Francophones au Sud du Sahara (AFRILIVRES).

VALLESSE won 3 prizes at the Abidjan 2018 International Book Fair:

• The International Book Fair Award for the novel “Tristesse au Paradis” of Grâce Minlibé

• The Jeanne de Cavally Award for “La Veste de Grégoire” of Serge Grah

• The special mention of Bernard Dadié Award for Young Writer for “Tristesse au Paradis” of Grâce Minlibé

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Fidèle Diomandé worked between 2001 and 2005 at the national leader CEDA (before the merger with NEI), at the direction of manufacturing after passing through the communication department and pedagogy. Faced with the difficulties encountered by CEDA, she joined the printing press Nour. After a few months in this company, she decided to create Vallesse because of her passion for both books and entrepreneurship.

PARTNERSHIP WITH COMOÉ CAPITAL

Comoé Capital committed alongside Vallesse to:

• Support the development of a new educational collection dedicated to all secondary levels and all disciplines

• Support the business development of the firm through new distribution channels

• Support the formalization of the firm (accounting, HR)

KEY IMPACTS

• Strengthen an education-focused publishing actor that promote a wide access to educational content and youth literature in Côte d’Ivoire