African International Schools group Enko Education has announced the launch of two new schools, which will open at the beginning of the new academic year in September 2018: Enko Bamako International School in Bamako, Mali and Enko Ouaga International School in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. These new schools embody the vision of Enko Education to increase access to a high-quality international education for students on the African continent.
The latest edition of the quarterly magazine « Private Sector and Development » focuses on the issue of African medicine. As recalled by Philippe Abecassis and Nathalie Coutinet in the introduction, access to proper medicine is a major challenge for African countries. The African Continent only accounts for 3% of global output while 95% of the medicines consumed in Africa are imported. In some African countries, counterfeit products represent half of all drugs on the market.
The European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) launched a new website featuring a set of innovative projects supported by foundations and impact funds. The Senegalese company NEST counts among the ‘’success stories’’ selected by EVPA.
The stories showcase how these companies respond to social and environmental challenges and how those supporting them (foundations and impact funds) have supported these projects in achieving and scaling their social impact.
Each year I&P conducts an in-depth impact study on one of its portfolio companies. This year’s study focuses on ITGStore, an ITC company based in Cameroon. It was conducted by I&P and FERDI (the Foundation for International Development Study and Research).
The fund I&P Afrique Entrepreneurs (IPAE), launched in 2012, ends its investment period by realizing a second investment in Mali. IPAE now counts two Malian investees in its portfolio: Carrières et Chaux du Mali and the Société Malienne de Blanchisserie.
Société Malienne de Blanchisserie is a Malian company providing a complete laundry service to hotels in Bamako.
The company takes in charge the collect, cleaning and delivery of the hotels’ linen (ben linen, aprons, sponges, table linen, bath towels…). The company counts the biggest hotels in Bamako among its clients, including Azalaï, Radisson and El Farouk.
To this date, the company is the only professional laundry service provider in Mali.
Boureïma Lam is a Malian entrepreneur. He launched the laundry Société Malienne de Blanchisserie in 2007, a few years after the launch of one of the first dry-cleaners of Bamako (Pressing Lam). This previous experience made him realize the lack of professional offer for the hotel industry.
In parallel Boureïma founded a training center dedicated to the laundry sector’s activities, as there is very little skilled labor in this sector.
I&P committed alongside with Société Malienne de Blanchisserie to:
• Increase the capacity of laundry treatments (from 1,5 ton todays to 5 tons of laundry per day)
• Launch a new line of services for hospitals and health centers
• Implement good governance practices
• Support the company in managing the generational transmission (from the founder to his children), so as to perpetuate the structure
• Formalization and structuration of the activity, with the creation of formal and permanent jobs
• Building of a new site with the best norms
Carrières et Chaux du Mali (CCM) is a Malian company specialized in the production and commercialization of quicklime and agricultural lime.
The company has access a high quality landform deposit of more than 70 million tons of raw material in its various forms. This supply will serve gold mining, agriculture, sanitation, and construction industries.
The quarry and the factory are based in Karaga (340 km west of Bamako in the region of Kayes). The company significantly participates to the economic growth of this area: more than 70% of the employees of the production site come from Karaga area.
The products will be offered in Mali and in the sub-region (Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Ghana).
Carrières et Chaux du Mali initially beneffitted from the support of Crossboundary, as part of a partnership set with the US Agency USAID. Crossboundary aims to unlock the power of private capital to impact underserved markets. The firm has broad experience providing opportunity sourcing, due diligence, transaction advisory and investment expertise in sub-Saharan Africa. Crossboundary has provided investment support and contributed to the structuration of CCM. To read more on the partnership with USAID, click here →
Madani Diallo, founder and director of CCM, stands as one the pioneer actors of the gold industry in West Africa. Trained as geochemist and mineralogist, Madani has more than years of experience in the mining sector. He held executive functions in major mining companies such as BHP Billiton and Anglogold Ashanti. He led mining exploration team, leading to the discovery of several gold mines.
Madani is a member of the board of directors of several institutions (Trust Bank in Ghana, International Bank of Burkina Faso)
I&P committed alongside with Carrières et Chaux du Mali to:
• Support the structuration of the company
• Support CCM in obtaining ISO standards 18001 and 14001
• Substitution to imports
• Develop a structuring industry in the country and the sub-region
• Create more than 80 formal jobs
Neurotech is an information and technology provider delivering solutions for Senegalese enterprises. Created in 2003, the company has become one of the major IT integrators in Senegal.
The company has progressively extended its activities to include datacenters management, communications platform, management solutions, business intelligence and high-ended services.
Neurotech was created in 2003 by Adboulaye Mbaye, a computer engineer graduated from Tunisia. He has worked more than ten years for major telecommunication and technology companies, such as Orange branch in Senegal, TIGO, CBAO, or Gambia Telecom.
Abdoulaye actively contributed to the launch of the CTIC, the first ICT incubator in francophone Africa. He is deeply involved in the support and mentoring of young people proposing new projects in the ICT sector.
I&P committed alongside with Neurotech to:
• Develop the activities of the company in the sub-region
• Develop the range of services offered by the company, to include Cloud-based solutions
Neurotech is involved in the network ‘’CSR Senegal” (RSE Sénégal) and is active on various social issues including education, environment, and the promotion of human capital.
Thanks to this partnership, Neurotech set up a thorough CSR policy to support sustainable projects while keeping the focus on education issues and the promotion of new talents.
Created in 1998, Ultramaille is a textile factory specialized in mid- and high-end fashion knit wear.
The factory produces on average 400 000 sweaters per year. Its customers include brands such as Sandro, Ekyog, Woolworth, Armor Lux…
ULTRAMAILLE was created by Frédéric Wybo, Managing Director of the company. Frederic lives in Madagascar for more than 20 years and benefits from an extensive experience in the textile industry.
Frédéric Wybo is also Chairman of the board of Solidis Garantie, a surety company based in Madagascar, and associate member of Malagasy Association of Private-Equity Investors.
Frederic is deeply involved on environmental and social issues, which is reflected in the management of the company.
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I&P committed alongside with Ultramaille to:
• Reinforce the working capital of the company to finance the purchase of raw materials
• Support the company to expand its range of products
• Work on the launch of a new brand of tailor-made cashmere sweaters sold online
• Creation of many qualified jobs, mostly for women
• Develop the work with local producers
Barajii produces and commercializes water and locally produced fruit juices (Bissap, mango, ginger, etc.) packed in bio-degradable bags and PET bottles.
Production currently takes place in Burkina Faso, with a main factory based in Ouagadougou and a small production unit in Bobo Dioulasso. Part of the production is exported to Mali. The company has produced more than 130 million liters of beverage in 2015.
Barajii aims to develop its production and distribution activities in 8 to 10 countries over the next 5 years. the group has already launched with success a subsidiary in February 2016.
Barajii is part of the group Durabilis. Founded in 2003, Durabilis is an international impact investing company specialized in the agro-industry sector with headquarters in Ghent, Belgium. Through the concept of shared value, Durabilis is committed to providing local and export markets with sustainable quality products, optimizing supply chains and improving the lives of employees. Since its creation, Durabilis has achieved notable successes in the production and export of fair trade products (Fair Fruit in Ethiopia, Guatemala, and Burkina Faso; Stévia One in Peru, Terral’s rice production in Senegal…).
Barajii Group is managed by Peter Willaert. Based in Ethiopia since early 2016 to manage the launch of the subsidiary in the country, he previously successfully managed the Burkinabe organization. Before 2010, he worked for the Dutch NGO SNV in Ouagadougou, where he was responsible for the West African region.
The group Barajii currently holds two subsidiaries: one in Burkina Faso (Société Burkinabè des Filières Alimentaires – SBFA) and one in Togo (Société Togolaise des Filières Alimentaires – STFA)
The Burkinabe branch is led by Abasse Kane, a Senegalese businessman with more than 15 years of experience in the agro-industrial sector. The Togolese branch is headed by Charles Netchenawoe, a Togolese citizen graduated from Ecole des Mines of Nancy.
I&P committed alongside with Barajii to:
• Finance the launch and development of the group in 8 to 10 African countries
• Support the group in its geographical expansion
• Reinforce and expand Barajii’s environmental and social strategy
The company has adopted a strong social and environmental policy, which is developed on several areas: support to local producers, job creation, environmental responsibility… As a result:
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