Enko Education and I&P come together to celebrate 10 years of partnership and growth

Ten years after the opening of its first school, Enko La Gaieté, the Enko Education network is entering a new chapter in its development.

On this occasion, long-time investor Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P) announces its exit from the company’s capital, marking the conclusion of a remarkable journey and the beginning of a promising future.

Founded in 2013, Enko Education aims to open the doors of the world’s top universities to learners across Africa. Through an innovative educational model combining international programs (International Baccalaureate, Cambridge curricula) with personalized university guidance, the network has rapidly positioned itself as a key player in African education.

In ten years, Enko has experienced sustained growth: today it operates in 10 countries with 16 schools, serving more than 7,000 students from kindergarten through high school, and counting 1,770 alumni in 2025, now studying across all continents. Enko’s university guidance program has enabled 80% of its graduates to access higher education outside of Africa, including institutions such as Yale (USA), Sciences Po (France), the University of Toronto (Canada), as well as African institutions like the African Leadership University (Rwanda).

I would like to express my gratitude to I&P, who were the very first investors to believe in Enko Education. Their early trust and support were a real catalyst for our project, and this founding relationship holds a very special significance for me. Today's exit marks a new stage in our journey: one in which we are taking off on the solid foundations we have built together. I know that I&P will never be far away, always attentive to the impact we will continue to generate. - Eric Pignot, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Enko Education.

A strategic and lasting partnership with I&P

Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P) supported Enko Education from its early stages, investing through its fund I&P Afrique Entrepreneurs 1 in 2016, alongside Proparco. At the time, Enko was still a startup. Nine years later, the company has become a robust pan-African network with a proven model and a broadened investor base (including Oikocredit, BIO, Africa Capitalworks, and Adiwale Fund I).

During I&P’s investment period, Enko Education’s revenue increased 22-fold, profitability was reached in the 2020–2021 fiscal year, and growth prospects were strengthened through an ambitious acquisition strategy (notably in Senegal, Mali, and now East and North Africa).

The partnership also delivered strong impact results. Enko Education has provided more than 9,000 young Africans with access to high-quality international education. The network enhances access to higher education, fosters personal development, and supports professional integration. Enko also runs a scholarship program, allowing 10% of its students—talented youth from underserved backgrounds—to benefit from its education model.

I would like to express my gratitude to I&P, who were the very first investors to believe in Enko Education. Their early trust and support were a real catalyst for our project, and this founding relationship holds a very special significance for me. Today's exit marks a new stage in our journey: one in which we are taking off on the solid foundations we have built together. I know that I&P will never be far away, always attentive to the impact we will continue to generate. - Eric Pignot, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Enko Education.​

At the end of 2024, Enko Education raised $25 million from Africa Capitalworks and Adiwale Fund I, with the main objective of tripling its student population to reach 20,000 learners by 2029. This funding marks the beginning of a new growth cycle, focused on external expansion and amplifying educational impact.

In this context, I&P finalized its exit from Enko’s capital in December 2024, concluding a nearly ten-year partnership. This exit, made possible by the success of Enko’s recent fundraising round, reflects I&P’s solid financial performance and remarkable non-financial impact aligned with Enko’s founding educational goals. Read more

Supporting Enko Education has been an extraordinary human and entrepreneurial adventure. Alongside Proparco, we believed in the vision championed by Cyrille Nkontchou and Eric Pignot from day one, and the company has proven that a rigorous, inclusive, and accessible education model is possible in Africa. We are proud to have helped lay the foundation for its success, supported by an expanding base of African private investors and now carried forward by high-quality partners such as Adiwale and Africa Capitalworks - Jérémy Hajdenberg, co-CEO of I&P.

Key figures

Enko Education : 

⇒ 10 years of existence, 10 countries, 16 schools in the network
⇒ 1770 alumni in 2025
⇒ Over 9000 students since inception
⇒ Foreign admission rate of 80% (80 graduates going on to universities outside Africa)
⇒ More than 100 partner universities worldwide by 2024
⇒ Fundraising: 25 million USD in 2024

Partnership with I&P : 

⇒ Investment date : July 2016
⇒ Exit date: December 2024
⇒ Amount invested: €1 million 

To find out more : 

• Download the Press Release
• In the press - L'économie : “I&P exits Enko Education's capital”.
• About I&P Afrique Entrepreneurs funds: click here
• Meet the founders of Enko Education, Cyrille Nkontchou and Eric Pigno : clik here