I&P Accélération

Ecofood is a Cameroonian company that operates in mass catering and started its activities with school catering and life base services. Today, it feeds more than 1500 students a day in the most prestigious primary and secondary schools in Yaoundé.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Stéphane NKONTCHOU is the founder of Ecofood. He grew up in Cameroon and then continued his studies in France, with two master's degrees in Mechanics from the Pierre et Marie Curie University and Arts et Métiers. After ten years of experience in industrial project management, he decided to come back to Cameroon to take care of a family business of which he became the General Manager. After this experience, he decided to found Ecofood.

THE PURPOSE OF THE FUNDING

Ecofood is supported by I&P through I&P Acceleration in Sahel, funded by the European Union.

The objectives of the funding are : 

• to acquire 3 vehicles for the distribution of meals in schools
• the fitting out of the new premises
• the implementation of an information system
• the preparation and execution of the marketing and communication strategy

Fisco is a Cameroonian company that markets household products (detergents, bleach, etc.) and para-pharmaceutical products (hydro-alcoholic gels, alcohol, etc.). The company has an artisanal production unit in Bonabéri, in Douala and has activities that now extend to 3 regions of the country (Littoral, Centre, North).

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Fisco was created by Joel Sikam, a Cameroonian with a degree in finance (Bachelor's degree from the University of North Texas). After starting his career in the United States in equity and wealth management with family offices, he returned and founded his own company. Joël Sikam is also very active in the GICAM which is the employers' association of Cameroon.

PURPOSE OF THE FUNDING

Fisco is supported by I&P through I&P Acceleration in Sahel. The funding granted will upgrade in safety and quality  by financing the facilities and the acquisition of the necessary equipment. The program will also allow the company to finance the acquisition of a new vehicle for distribution and to support the company in the execution of its communication strategy. 

Created in 2018 by a talented young Malagasy entrepreneur, Sayna is a startup specialized in digital training and outsourcing of IT projects, carried out by African developers via a micro-tasking platform.

Sayna intends to address a twofold problem: the lack of training in the digital sector in Africa, and the gap between the supply of digital talent and the growing demand of companies in the context of their digital transformation.

Sayna offers digital skills training and provides solutions that allow the students to enter the job market. To date, Sayna has trained nearly 200 students.

Today, Sayna aims to develop a tech startup model based on two pillars:

⇒ A paying online training platform for learners that allows them to follow, evaluate and validate their learning, but also to have access to company IT projects corresponding to the learning they have validated during their training.

⇒ A "microtasking" platform that allows companies to outsource their IT projects more efficiently, which are divided into distributed micro-tasks and assigned to freelance developers registered on the platform.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

The promoter of the project, Matina Razafimahefa, is a young Malagasy entrepreneur of 23 years old, winner of several awards. At 20 years old, she decided to stop her studies to devote herself fully to the deployment of the project and has surrounded herself with advisors and experienced business angels.

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P ACCELERATION TECHNOLOGIES AND MIARAKAP

Sayna is financed and supported by I&P Acceleration Technologies, a €2.5 million program aimed at financing and supporting fifteen digital start-ups in Sub-Saharan Africa, supported by the French Development Agency (AFD) through the Digital Africa initiative.

As such, Sayna benefits from a €100,000 repayable advance from the I&P Acceleration Technologies program to :

⇒— Finalize and launch the micro tasking platform

—⇒ Roll out the training programs in partnership with a leading player in Bootcamp training, Holberton (Silicon Valley)

⇒ Train 200 students by the end of 2021

NEXT STEPS AND EXPECTED IMPACTS

Sayna's ambition is to :

—• Enable 8,000 people in Africa to enter the digital industry through its training and have more than 3,500 people working on its micro task platform.

•— Meet the IT needs of 300 SMEs and start-ups in the French-speaking world.

—• Complete a Series A fundraising of approximately €3 million in 2022 to accelerate growth and finance a pan-African expansion in West Africa.

Salma is a company specialized in agro-industry. It produces feed for livestock (sheep, cattle, goats) based on fodder, agro-industrial products and minerals.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Salma was created by Mrs. Nafissa Hamidou ABDOULAYE. She holds a state diploma in midwifery and a higher technician diploma in public health, a bachelor's degree in epidemiology and biostatistics and a master's degree in project management. She benefits from the expertise and permanent technical support of INRAN researchers in the implementation of her project.

ABOUT SINERGI 

SINERGI S.A. is a private investment company created in 2006 and supported by I&P with a group of key individual and institutional shareholders in the Nigerien and international SME support landscape. Headed by Ibrahima Djibo, its objective is to contribute to the economic and social development of Niger through the promotion of entrepreneurship and the development of SMEs. SINERGI S.A. provides the means for entrepreneurs in Niger to achieve their growth projects by providing long-term financing and local support.  → Find out more about Sinergi

ABOUT USAID PROGRAM

Investisseurs & Partenaires and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched in 2016 an innovative acceleration program for start-ups in Niger, Burkina Faso and Senegal. The partnership is designed to support high-potential start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises in order to facilitate their access to financing in a region where the ecosystem supporting entrepreneurship is still poorly developed. → Click here to find out more

Sahel Délices is a company specialized in the production and marketing of food products (juices, herbal teas, jams, etc.) made from local raw materials from Niger. Juices made from local plants such as bissap or baobab are the company's flagship products.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Sahel Délices was founded by Ms. Rockya Bachir. She holds a master's degree in management with an option in quality and change and another master's degree in finance and banking from the Institut Supérieur de Management. She received practical training in food processing for "family consumption" in Senegal and is part of the 15th promotion of the UEMOA Talent du Monde program in Brittany.

ABOUT SINERGI

SINERGI S.A. is a private investment company created in 2006 and supported by I&P with a group of key individual and institutional shareholders in the Nigerien and international SME support landscape. Headed by Ibrahima Djibo, its objective is to contribute to the economic and social development of Niger through the promotion of entrepreneurship and the development of SMEs. SINERGI S.A. provides the means for entrepreneurs in Niger to achieve their growth projects by providing long-term financing and local support.  → Find out more about Sinergi

ABOUT PACE PROGRAM 

Investisseurs & Partenaires and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched in 2016 an innovative acceleration program for start-ups in Niger, Burkina Faso and Senegal. The partnership is designed to support high-potential start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises in order to facilitate their access to financing in a region where the ecosystem supporting entrepreneurship is still poorly developed. → Click here to find out more

Created in 2017, NIGERcab is a VTC (Vehicle of Transport with Driver) service, the first to have offered a private, secure and comfortable door-to-door individual transportation service in Niamey.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Mr. Amadou Maiga Seydou created NIGERcab in 2017 with three partners. Holder of a Diploma of Professional Aptitude (DAP) in Customs Transit, he received training in transport logistics. Before the creation of the company, he held for 4 years, a position of driver at Babati Automobile where he drove the consultants of ALCATEL LUCIEN. 

ABOUT SINERGI 

SINERGI S.A. is a private investment company created in 2006 and supported by I&P with a group of key individual and institutional shareholders in the Nigerien and international SME support landscape. Headed by Ibrahima Djibo, its objective is to contribute to the economic and social development of Niger through the promotion of entrepreneurship and the development of SMEs. SINERGI S.A. provides the means for entrepreneurs in Niger to achieve their growth projects by providing long-term financing and local support.  → Find out more about Sinergi

A PROPOS PACE PROGRAM  

Investisseurs & Partenaires and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched in 2016 an innovative acceleration program for start-ups in Niger, Burkina Faso and Senegal. The partnership is designed to support high-potential start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises in order to facilitate their access to financing in a region where the ecosystem supporting entrepreneurship is still poorly developed. → Click here to find out more

Nowelli is a small Senegalese company that specializes in individual and collective catering (catering service and canteen management). Through its various offers, Nowelli provides its customers with healthy and balanced products, with a particular focus on reducing the amount of sugar, salt and fat.

THE ENTREPRENEURS

The company Nowelli was created by two promoters who are : 

• Mrs. Mariama DIENE, passionate about healthy nutrition, she has a degree in International Business from the European Institute of Higher Education and in public policy and development management from Sciences Po. She held several positions in NGOs and financial institutions before devoting herself to her passion, cooking.
• Mrs. Mariama Selly Kane, who has more than 10 years of experience in individual catering and management of company canteens.

CONTRIBUTIONS OF TERANGA CAPITAL

Nowelli has benefited from I&P Acceleration in  Sahel program implemented in Senegal by Teranga Capital:

• To support the company in the development of a new offer for the management of school and company canteens (collective catering)
• To support the company in the strategic reflexion around its positioning and the commercial development of its activities
• To support the company in the reinforcement of its commercial, financial and accounting functions and the maintenance of the quality of its products and services.

ABOUT TERANGA CAPITAL

Teranga Capital is the first impact investment fund dedicated to the financing and support of Senegalese SMEs and start-ups. Headed by Olivier Furdelle, Teranga Capital is the third African fund sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires under the I&P Développement 2 program. The network currently includes a fund in Niger (Sinergi Niger), Burkina Faso (Sinergi Burkina), Ivory Coast (Comoé Capital) and Madagascar (Miarakap). → Find out more about Teranga Capital

Dakar American University of Science and Technology (DAUST) is a private higher education institution offering a 4-year engineering program, masterclasses dedicated to professionals in the sector and a "prep" program with international opportunities. The specialties taught are chemistry and biomolecules, civil and environmental engineering, electronic and computer engineering and finally mechanical and aeronautical engineering.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

DAUST was founded by Sidy NDAO, a 38-year-old Senegalese born and raised in Dakar before going to continue his studies in the United States. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska and a post-doc from MIT, he is an engineer specialized in mechanics and robotics. He returned to Senegal in 2009 to engage in the promotion of STEMs (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) in Africa. 

I&P' CONTRIBUTION

DAUST benefits from support through the I&P Acceleration in Sahel program dedicated to education and employment (IP2E). The funding and support will enable the university to increase its hosting capacity while attracting an international clientele.

EXPECTED IMPACTS 

• Increase its hosting capacity by 115%
• Move in a third classroom with a capacity of 30 students
• Deploy a marketing and communication campaign in about 20 African countries