I&P Expansion

Founded in 2019 by Karim Ghammache, Mali Shi is Mali's first industrial shea butter processor. The company produces high-quality shea butter for the international market as a sustainable and environmentally friendly substitute for cocoa butter.

Mali Shi uses two different supply chains: in the traditional supply chain, the company buys shea from local suppliers and partners. It also buys directly from women collectors, thereby improving the incomes of rural women.  Mali Shi prioritizes direct purchases from women collectors through its own network, which is the main source of supply.

The entrepreneur

A Lebanese-Malian entrepreneur, Karim Ghammache grew up in Mali, and moved to France to complete his secondary education. He pursued his studies in finance in Canada, at HEC Montréal and McGill University, before joining the family business in Mali after completing his degree.

He joined the management of two startups launched by his family: Diago Mineral Water and Omnium, and took part in their restructuring and turnaround after difficult beginnings. In 2019, he acquired Omnium Mali, turning it into one of the most technically advanced factories in Africa.

Building on this successful experience with Omnium Mali, in 2011 he launched Omnium Invest, an investment company that creates and deploys startups run by autonomous management teams. Through this structure, he steers Mali Shi.

Partnership with I&P

Mali Shi is supported by I&P through the I&P Afrique Entrepreneurs 2 (IPAE 2) fund. The funds raised will be used to :

• Strengthen the company's WCR ;
• Strengthen its capacity to raise seasonal credit;
• Increase the production capacity of the facility.

Expected Impact

• Local processing of shea kernels, creating value and limiting exports of raw materials;
• Improved conditions for women in rural areas;
• Strong job creation and skills transfer in the shea kernel processing industry;
• Structuring the shea kernel industry and improving the income of women's kernel-collecting cooperatives.

Mali Shi website : Click here

WIN Industries is a Senegalese company founded in 2012, specializing in the production and marketing of mineral water in several bottle formats through the "O' Royal" brand. From the outset, WIN's mission has been to provide access to spring water for all. One of the company's innovations was the launch of a 30cl format, at the symbolic price of 100 FCFA (€0.15), at a time when bottled water was still reserved for the more affluent. 

Today, Win has expanded its offer to include more eco-friendly formats, including a reusable 19L bottle.

WIN Industries is planning a partial migration to medium and large bottle sizes to minimize the plastic/liter of water ratio while still offering affordable prices, and will implement a plastic bottle recycling scheme in neighborhoods.

The entrepreneur

The project is led by a dynamic and experienced entrepreneur, Khady Cissé DIOP.  

Khady Cissé Diop has 15 years' experience in the telecoms sector, notably with Ericsson and TIGO (operator now Free) as account manager and then sales and distribution director. She co-founded Baraka in 2013, the 1st distributor of telecom products for TIGO in Senegal, which she managed for 3 years. She became CEO of Win Industries in 2016. Khady has strong commercial skills and is well versed in distribution thanks to her experience at Baraka. 

Partnership with I&P

I&P, through the I&P Afrique Entrepreneurs 2 (IPAE 2) fund, has chosen to invest in WIN INDUSTRIES in order to support the company's consolidation and growth ambitions, while lending a helping hand on operational, governance and expansion issues. As an impact fund, IPAE 2 is also committed to supporting the growth of an eco-responsible industrial company that is equally aware of the economic, social and environmental issues involved.

"In this new stage of its development, we needed a partner with definite added value. I&P's solid reputation, experience and expertise in similar sectors in Africa were the reasons for choosing Win Industries. With I&P, and thanks to better governance of the Company, Win Industries hopes to ensure the long-term future of its brand and conquer the national and sub-regional market." Khady Cissé DIOP 

Expected impact

• Improving access to drinking water (SDG 6) 
• Support for women's entrepreneurship 
• Job creation 
• Improving CSR practicesa

Established in Madagascar since 2013, AerialMetric is a company operating aircraft and drones for the delivery of medical goods in landlocked areas of Madagascar, for organic larvicide spraying and for topography.

It also has a cargo aircraft production and maintenance operation, based in Antananarivo, and an R&D center in Maroantsetra in northern Madagascar.  Today, its customers are mainly international NGOs. Eventually, AerialMetric plans to become the benchmark operator of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in French-speaking Africa.

"In this country of almost 600,000 km2, with 28 million inhabitants and a dozen national roads that are more or less passable depending on the season (barely more than a French department), the question of territorial accessibility is a crucial public health issue." Find out more: an article published by Le Monde on AerialMetric

Entrepreneurs

CEO of AerialMetric since January 2021, aeronautical engineer and holder of an MBA from INSEAD in 2006, Pierre-Loup Lesage's career in Madagascar began in 2009 when he was appointed Regional Coordinator for Madagascar and Niger for the William J. Clinton Foundation. He then joined PSI (Population Services International) as Country Representative and then Senior Country Representative between 2012 and 2020.

Stéphane Bihr (Chief of Technology Officer) is a French process engineer (ENSIC) who also studied at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a trained drone pilot (DGAC license) and the principal founder of AerialMetric. He has an intimate knowledge of Madagascar, having spent over 23 years in different parts of the red island. Stéphane is an expert in the design and conception of aerial imagery solutions and large UAVs (manned aircraft, multicopters and VTOLs).

Agnes Hiere (Chief Financial Officer): After developing technical skills in the financial industry (JPMorgan), Agnes strengthened her managerial skills in developing contexts, leading programs and organizations focused on strengthening health systems, rural socio-economics, agriculture and urban development (UN system, INGOs). Agnes Hiere is also founder and president of Golden Brick Road. Agnes holds an MBA, two masters degrees in law and public affairs, and a bachelor's degree in political science.

Partnership with I&P

AerialMetric is supported by I&P through the I&P Afrique Entrepreneurs 2 (IPAE 2) fund. The funds raised are intended for :

• Strengthening AerialMetric's presence in Madagascar;
• Exploration of two other countries in French-speaking Africa, with a view to an effective presence in 2025;
• Strengthening of position in penetrated countries;
• Focus on research and development (R&D) to improve drone flight technology and ergonomics.

Expected impact

• Access to healthcare for people living in remote rural areas of Madagascar and future host countries;  
• Fight against malaria;  
• Reduction of carbon emissions linked to the transport of medical equipment and medicines;  
• Creation of local jobs for young people in an innovative sector, opening up opportunities for technical and specific professions (piloting, engineering) with decent salaries.

Lapaire is a pan-African company specializing in visual health, founded in 2018. It targets a population that was previously excluded from the market for quality optical care by offering services and products at fair and transparent prices through a network of proximity and personalized customer service.

Lapaire operates more than 50 optical agencies across the African continent, employing over 300 people. With the goal of becoming the leading eyewear brand in Africa, Lapaire plans to open additional optical agencies in major cities as well as in peri-urban areas

Entrepreneurs

Graduated from the University of Geneva Law School, Jérôme Lapaire, a Swiss national and lawyer by profession, founded Lapaire Glasses in 2018 with his personal savings and money from friends, after realizing that access to quality eye care was a particularly burdensome problem in Kenya. The cost of an ophthalmological consultation, the time it takes and the price of prescription glasses are often too great a burden for a large proportion of the population.

He is joined in this entrepreneurial adventure by Louis Gascoin, who holds an MBA from EDHEC Business School, specializes in operational excellence and distribution development. Based in Côte d'Ivoire since 2012, he has built up solid professional experience in project development with multinationals such as Servair (owner of the Burger King franchise), where he was General Manager Côte d'Ivoire from 2017 to 2020.

Partnership with I&P

Lapaire Glasses is supported by I&P through the I&P Afrique Entrepreneurs 2 (IPAE 2) fund, which is joined by AfricInvest in this round of financing. This partnership will help the company :

• Open 250 additional stores in 3 years, including expansion into 5 new African countries;
• Strengthen and structure management, operational teams and working capital for this new period of growth;
• Strengthen the company's IT infrastructure.

Expected impact

• Extend access to quality corrective eyewear and ophthalmic care to populations excluded from the conventional healthcare system ;
• Job creation.

Articles to read

⇒ Jérôme Lapaire's portrait on LeTemps.ch

⇒ Article in How we made it in Africa: "Entrepreneur capitalises on Africa’s demand for affordable eyeglasses"