In 2019, Investisseurs & Partenaires launched I&P Accélération au Sahel thanks to funding from the European Union, more specifically through The EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa. Financed up to €15.5 million, and deployed over 5 years, this program 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.
Each year, Investisseurs & Partenaires evaluates and reports on the environmental, social and governance impact of its various funds. Highlighting the significant contributions of these funds to the African private sector.
In Bamako, Mali, Sutura (2AD) aims to break down the taboo surrounding menstruation and help teenage girls and young women to thrive during their menstrual cycle by offering them suitable, environmentally-friendly period pads.
I&P's partner funds, Inua Capital in Uganda and Zira Capital in Mali, make their first equity investments.
Inua Capital acquires a stake in Forna Health Foods Limited, while Zira Capital acquires a stake in Gama Conseils.
Gama Conseil is a training center from pre-school to university in Mali. It includes 12 establishments, including 3 universities (under the brand ESCAE), 3 high schools, 3 technical and vocational training schools and 3 basic schools. Gama Conseils establishments have served more than 2,800 pupils and learners in the towns of Bamako, Dioïla, Ségou and Sikasso.
The entrepreneur
Gama Conseils was founded by Gaoussou Marico, a chartered accountant with a doctorate in economics. With over 25 years' professional experience in the banking sector and higher education in Mali, he worked as Administrative and Financial Director and Deputy General Manager of Banque Atlantique Mali before joining Compagnie Financière d'Afrique (COFINA) as Deputy General Manager in 2016.
In January 2023, he decided to devote himself fully to his company Gama Conseils, which he founded in 2014.
Partnership with Zira Capital
Gama Conseil is supported by Zira Capital through a capital investment whose objectives are to :
Expected impacts
Fafa Pâtisserie specializes in the production and commercialization of pastry, viennoiserie and savory products in Mali.
The entrepreneur
Fafa Pâtisserie was founded by Fatoumata Cissé, a 34-year-old Malian woman who has been passionate about gastronomy since she was a child. She grew up in Bamako until she obtained her baccalaureate, then decided to fly to Canada, more precisely to Montreal, where she pursued her higher education. In 2015, Fatoumata returned to settle permanently in Mali. She then decided to devote herself entirely to her first passion, making various birthday cakes and other sweet delights in her own kitchen. Encouraged by the positive feedback from those around her, Fatoumata quickly realized the commercial potential of her culinary creations. So she began producing and marketing cakes, donuts and savory canapés.
Partnership with I&P and Zira Capital
Fafa Pâtisserie is supported by Zira Capital through I&P Accélération au Sahel program, an I&P initiative funded by the European Union. The aim of this partnership is to :
Since 2019 with the support of the European Union, I&P has been preparing small and medium-sized enterprises in the Sahelian sub-region for investment through the I&P Acceleration in the Sahel program. Three years after its launch, I&P is proud to present the first lessons of the program, identified following the mid-term evaluation carried out by Dalberg consulting firm.
Rock is a Malian company specializing in the production of industrial slabs and pavers for indoor and outdoor paving.
The entrepreneur
Rock was founded in 2019 by Mohamed Arbi, a 30-year-old Malian entrepreneur with a solid knowledge of the building and civil engineering sector, who was quick to understand customers' expectations in terms of industrial slabs and pavers. He embodies the vision and determination of Mali's younger generation of entrepreneurs.
Partnership with Zira Capital
Rock is supported by I&P and Zira Capital through I&P Acceleration in Sahel. The aim of this partnership is to :
Sanuva is a company specialized in the collection, sorting and recycling of waste in Mali. The company also offers training and awareness workshops as part of the Social and Environmental Responsibility of Malian SMEs.
The entrepreneurs
Sanuva was created in 2019 by three young Malians trained in France and Mali, Mahamadoun A. Traoré, Moussa Coulibaly and Bamory Coulibaly who came together around their common vision to participate in the sanitation and sustainable development of Mali.
Objet du financement
Sanuva is supported by Zira Capital and I&P through I&P Acceleration in Sahel. The main objective of this partnership is to :
Expected impacts
Sutura (also know as 2AD) is a company producing and marketing sanitary pads in Bamako, Mali. The main mission of Sutura is to reduce the taboo around menstruation and to help teenagers and young girls to blossom during their menstrual cycle by offering them adapted and environmentally friendly sanitary pads.
The entrepreneurs
The company was created by Awa and Adam Drabo, two twin sisters who both completed internships at the National Laboratory of Mali and the Institute of Rural Economy of Mali (IER) before launching into entrepreneurship in 2019. Awa manages the production and the purchase of raw materials, the storage and the management of the relationship with the different suppliers. Adam handles the sales and marketing side and manages the brand's communication on the various social networks.
Partnership with I&P and Zira Capital
2AD Company is supported by Zira Capital through I&P Acceleration program in Sahel. This partnership has mainly for objective to :
⇒ Improve the production tool and the quality of finished products
⇒ Increase sales to middle class customers through the implementation of an adapted commercial strategy
⇒ Support the company in strengthening the technical skills of human capital
⇒ Structure the organization and cost management through the implementation of internal procedures
Video report
In 2024, I&P produced a video report on the company and its impact:
Read more
An article on Sutura produced by the GIIN
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