IPDEV1

DUOPHARM was created in 2003 under the initiative of a merger of nearly 150 Senegalese pharmacists. Since then, the company achieved a breakthrough in the Senegalese pharmaceutical landscape thanks to its proximity marketing strategy. Local pharmaceutics market is characterized by high competitive intensity and a strong presence of European multinational companies. However this market is experiencing very strong growth in Senegal, where health spending per capita increased sharply since the early 2000s. Thus since 1999, the number of drugstore has doubled since 1999 and the pharmaceutical market shows an annual increase of about 6%.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Jules Charles Kebe, Director of Duopharm, was medical sales representative for Pfizer and led the COPHASE, second wholesaler-distributor of Senegal from 1999 to 2002. 

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P

I&P committed alongside with DUOPHARM: 

• To deepen with developers, and with the support of a pharmacist who had a similar experience in Mali, the initial financial projections and action plan

• To provide funding to the company at its inception and contributing to capital increases

• To elaborate the financial strategy

EXIT

In 2016, I&P sold its shares to the pharmacists who founded the company.

KEY IMPACTS

• Emergence of a local player in the pharmaceutical distribution (both leaders are subsidiaries of French companies)

• 89 jobs in 2015, which is a 20% increase compared to 2014

• 25% of the employees are women 

• 4 400 references of pharmaceutical products distributed to over 500 customers 

• 17 local suppliers 

Equip Plus is a Senegalese company within the industry of electromechanical equipment. It has developed an expertise in key sectors such as water adduction and electric networks led by a team of technicians specialized in installing and providing maintenance of this equipment.

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P

I&P committed alongside with Equip Plus:

• To ensure the business structuring: information systems, management indicators

• To strengthen guidance towards private sector demand and high value-added activities (including maintenance) 

KEY IMPACTS

• Strengthening local services capacity

• Access to water and electricity in rural areas (public service delegation)

PhileoL is a Malagasy company established in the south of the island where it breeds and transforms ricin seeds into oil. After transformation the oil is exported abroad to be used in cosmetic and industry. Phileol brings at stake a strong social and environmental impact while collaborating with more than 700 families to collect and grow the seeds, ensuring them strong revenue and steady employment while the region remains one of the poorest of the island.

With regards to this social project, Phileol has elaborated and signed a Social Code while collaborating with many institutional actors and NGOs like the WWF, the UNPD or else EFA, a local initiative to enhance social improvement in rural areas. Besides, Phileol is also committed in valuating southern rural lands with various projects consisting in clearing and cultivating them.

THE ENTREPRENEURS

Stéphane Philizot is a chemical engineer; he left the international firm in which he was in charge for 15 years of innovation and raw material treatment, persuaded that the enterprise model would work as a development tool, to settle in Madagascar.

Nary Razakasolo combines experience in both oil-making agriculture and audit. He created MAD’OIL, a company that produced and sell essential oils before he co-founded PhileoL where he manages logistics, financial and commercial tasks.

Njaka Ravelomanantsoa is an agronomist who worked for 17 years for private companies, NGO’s and research offices within the rural world. He is now Technical Manager at PhileoL where he supervises the collect and the transformation.

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P

I&P committed alongside PhileoL

• To finance the purchase of a press

• To undertake missions of technical assistance

• To help building the financial, administrative and accountant structure

KEY IMPACTS

• More than 700 families earn their living on PhileoL seed collect

• 225 000 000 Ariary (65 950 euros) paid to the smallholders to buy the seeds (without any intermediary)

• 26 supervisors trained and operational while 20 farmers have been trained and equipped for seed production

• 272 farmers accompanied to gather and structure their activity

• 38,2 Ha of land cleared including 13,9 ha seeded

• 3500Ha of non-arable lands valued thanks to the seed collecting activity

Kawtal is an agribusiness company based in Cameroon, specialized in corn production.

In 2009, I&P acquired 40% of SAGEX, an agribusiness company producing corn on a fully-mechanized and rationalized processing plant. In 2014, Sagex merged with Kawtal Ndmeri, a neighboring exploitation in order to double the production and start processing baby feeding flours.

Though agriculture is a key sector to Cameroon’s economy (up to 40% of the GDP), it suffers from a lack of mechanization and production rationalization which affects its profitability and production volumes. Thus, local corn farming is highly insufficient to cover the current market needs. Cameroon is every year a net corn importer, which implies high costs for local consumers because of transportation and importation costs. Kawtal intends to fill the needs of this local market with a better-mastered production and distribution chain.

Kawtal has developed a partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, so as to enhance the agricultural potential of the region.

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P

I&P committed alongside with Kawtal:

• To start the company’s activity based on mechanizing an old production site

• To finance the equipment and inputs

• To finance a 200ha increase of the exploited field

KEY IMPACTS

• 34 jobs created or maintained

• Participation in local food security

Cameroun Breuvages packs and sells natural and flavored spring water under the brand Sawawa. Launched in 2004, Cameroun Breuvages took the local leadership upon the market face to 15 other competitors and hundreds of informal street sellers. In 2008, the company has produced more than 10 million water pouches while undergoing a significant increase of its production capacities. The brand still keeps one step ahead with its new flavored water, Pamparam, company’s best-seller.

L’ENTREPRENEUR

Roger Njitchoua was a professor and researcher in hydrology at the University of Orsay (Paris XI) settled in France since 1982. In 2001, during a trip in his native country, Cameroun, he was struck by the social and health stakes raised by the access to potable water. Thanks to his experience within the hydrology field, he gets back to France convinced that something has to be done to enable the largest distribution of high-quality water. With financial support from acquaintances, and his own savings, he starts Cameroun Breuvages in 2004, a local water distribution company selling low-cost but high-quality water pouches.

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P

I&P committed alongside with Cameroun Breuvages :

• To accompany the enterprise’s debuts with a complete mentoring in strategic, financial and commercial management

• To bring the necessary financial means to sustain the growth needs

• To be part of the governance scheme through chairing at the board

• To support the launch of PamParam

Impacts

• Annual turnover growth in average since 2006: + 22%

• Distribution of high-quality water to the largest part of the population, including the lowest classes

• Use of recyclable sachets. 

FIDES BANK Namibia is a microfinance institution (MFI) in Namibia which has started its operations in early 2010. It is the only true MFI in the country.

The bank has taken over the activities of a microfinance program developed on a small scale since 2005. FIDES, as a microfinance operator, has specific expertise in the startup and management of private microfinance institution involved in rural areas.

I&P is one of the founding shareholders of FIDES BANK Namibia, which has chosen to operate with a commercial bank status, becoming the fifth largest bank. Namibia displays a particularly harsh context to develop microfinance activities, especially in rural areas, due to the very low population density and high costs associated with the deployment of services. The bank started its activities in the Northern region of Namibia where population is moderately low which was completely unserved by financial and banking institutions.  

I&P Partnership

• Promoting the acquisition of a bank status: FIDES Bank Namibia has become the title for the country's fifth largest bank

• Actively participating in governance, including the audit committee of the institution

Impacts

• Enlarge the population who gets access to banking to the very low income individuals through a range of formal financial services (savings, secured credit, individual credit)

• 20.000 customers in 2012

• 50 high-qualified formal jobs created in an area harshly suffering from unemployement

LEGENI is the first private laboratory for geothermic and environmental studies in Niger. These studies (materials and sands tests, environmental impacts studies) are essential for the professionalization of the country construction field. Until 2006, Niger had only one public  under-equipped laboratory.  Since its creation in 2004, LEGENI took a leading position thanks to the quality of its equipments and services. The company grew quickly mainly due to mineral investments in the north of the country. 

THE ENTREPRENEUR

After having worked for long time as responsible for the maintenance in Areva mineral subsidiaries in the north of the country, Amadou ASSANE joined the Agency for execution of World Bank works in Niger. He ceased such opportunity by creating LEGENI in 2004.

As a proof of the project’s success, I&P has resold its shares of Legeni to Amadou Assane, in conformity with its vocation (Exit and Investment process). 

I&P Partnership

I&P is committed alongside Legeni:

• As the company founding stockholder after having accompanied the entrepreneur in the redaction of its initial business plan

• To provide to LEGENI a technical assistance for the company starting through a training mission for a person having a long experience about the job

• To finance at several times complementary investments in order to enlarge gradually the ranged of services proposed to its customers.

Impacts

• Amount of created jobs: 50

• Contribution to the professionalization of the Niger construction sector thank to analysis made before and after works enabling to make sure about the constructions and works quality.

Afrique Emergence & Investissements (AE&I) is an MFI focusing on microloan distribution and savings addressed to revenue-making activities. Its misson is to fight against poverty in Africa and to improve its clients’ life standards. In order to achieve these goals, AEI seeks for resources likely to build strong linkage between lenders (institutions and individuals) and borrowers (micro-entrepreneurs.). The MFI grants an access to financial market resources as well as profitability and repayment of disbursed loans.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Fahan Bamba founded AEI after spending 10 years at CITIBANK, 1st world banking network and 4 as an Audit Supervisor at KPMG. When he left Citibank in 2003 to build AEI, Ivory Coast was involved in a deep political and military crisis, an unprecedented context of increasing poverty and socio-economic instability. Fahan Bamba was received the Entrepreneurship and Management award from PME Magazine (first Ivorian economics magazine).

Partnership with I&P

I&P is committed alongside with Afrique Emergence & Investissements

• To bring capital

• To chair at the Board committee and contribute to strategic thinking

Impacts

• Improving access to financial services for the poorest people

• 55 jobs maintained in 2015 (increase by 40% since 2014). Over a third are women

• 5 local suppliers 

• 2 284 borrowers (including more than 60% women) and 4 219 savers  

Biotropical is a company producing and exporting biological tropical fruits (mangoes, bananas, pineapple, papayas…) which are exported in fresh, frozen or dry toward France and other European Union countries. Biotropical is certified by Ecocert.

I&P Partnership

I&P is committed alongside Biotropical:

• To bring a financial support allowing the extension of plantations 

• To improve production with a new factory

• To strengthen the governance scheme by chairing the board

• To provide Biotropical with commercial inputs

• To undertake technical assistance missions in management, commercial and financial fields

Impacts

• 112 jobs created or kept, including 40% women

• Around a hundred of small local producers are trained and accompanied by Biotropical which transform and export their production

• Organic production enhancement in Cameroon, substitution of classical inputs by organic ones 

• Knock-on effect within the sector since 7 local producers went organic after Biotropical arrived on the market

• Environmental-friendly activity

Saphar, a Nigerian company established in 1999, is the third largest pharmaceutical distributor in the country, after two subsidiaries of international groups. The company supplies the rural and public hospitals in Niger with generics. The project initially aimed to improve the offer in these underserved areas.

The Entrepreneurs

Since 1999, after the liberalization of the sector, Mahamane Sekou, Doctor of Pharmacy and former Director of the Public Pharmaceutical Supply Centre has teamed up with his friend Djibrilla Hima, a former senior official, to create the largest private medicines distributor in Niger. They gathered around them a few pharmacists from Niamey to complete the roundtable and start the business.

I&P’s partnership 

I&P committed alongside with Saphar:

• To replenish its capital in 2006, when the company has experienced some difficulties

• To help it obtain a renewed confidence from the local banking sector

• To redefine its strategy, with an emphasis on the development of sectors outside Niamey, shunned by other players

• To develop a range of quality generic products

• To improve management processes and information systems

Impacts 

 • 10 jobs created

• Improved access to generic high-quality medicines for inland populations