I&P is pleased to present its Annual Impact Report, that presents the collective results of our different programs and funds.
The report presents an overview of I&P's activities and impact methodology and goes through our six impact pillars : developing Africa entrepreneurship, creating decent jobs, providing SDG-aligned goods and services, promoting women's empowerment, strengthening the local economic fabric and fostering environmentally-friendly development.
As I&P celebrates its 20th year of activity, the team is pleased to present its "Manifesto for the financing and support of entrepreneurship in Africa.
Based on 20 years of learning, entrepreneurial adventures, successes as well as failures and challenges, this manifesto aims to share with you the five best practices or core approaches that we believe are essential if we want to accomplish our mission to serve African entrepreneurs.
With over 1.5 million units sold, 350 titles published, a network of 120 secondary schools across the country, and displays on renowned e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Jumia, African Books Collective, etc. Smartline is well on its way to achieving its ambition of becoming a leading publishing house on the continent.
The Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Economiques Commerciales et de Technologies (ESSECT)-Poincaré was founded in 1966 and is a private higher education institution offering training in the industrial and tertiary fields. It has a total of seventeen programs in various fields such as management, hotel management, computer systems, tropical agriculture, etc.
ESSECT Poincaré is committed to giving young people access to education, regardless of their social and financial conditions, through a scholarship system.
In addition, the school wishes to boost the employability of young people. To this end, it has created the Cabinet de Formation, de Suivi et d'Insertion (CAFSI), a structure that assists students in finding internships and jobs through a partnership with 12 companies. In addition, the school encourages hands-on entrepreneurial activities with spaces dedicated to experimentation, including a web radio. Managed by communication students, GBÊKÊ FM focuses on education, culture, and health and provided distance learning during the COVID-19 crisis.
THE ENTREPRENEUR
Alfred HAWMMOND, an entrepreneur with a passion for education, started a bookstore in the 1960s in addition to his teaching activities. In 1966, he founded the Commercial Institute (former name of ESSECT), which included a middle and high school before integrating programs dedicated to higher technical training, in the eighties. Founder member of the National Federation of Private Lay Institutions of Côte d'Ivoire (FENEPLACI) and the Union Patronale de l'Enseignement Supérieur Privé (UPESUP), he was named Chevalier of the Ordre National du Mérite by the Ivoirian government, in recognition of his commitment to the higher education sector.
Dr. Konan Marcellin KOUAKOU is the Director General of the Bouaké campus of the school since 2009. A graduate of the University Alassane Ouattara, he is also a lecturer, researcher, consultant and writer. Dr. Kouakou is at the origin of the school's radio (Radio GBÊKÊ FM) and the Orientation and Training Center.
PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P
Through its I&P Education to Employment program, I&P has committed to ESSECT Poincaré to:
⇒ Extend its hands-on programs, in particular through an experimental farm;
⇒ Reinforce its digitalization strategy by modernizing its equipment and extending the coverage area of its educational radio channel;
⇒ Set up of a financial support system (zero interest loan)
⇒ Promote entrepreneurship by financing graduates agricultural projects with a revolving fund
⇒ Build female student dormitory
⇒ Train the career center team
EXPECTED IMPACTS
⇒ Improving the quality and relevance of education
⇒ Strengthen the local employability of young people
⇒ Enable young people, women, and vulnerable populations to access training that meets the needs of the Ivorian job market.
A COMPANY SUPPORTED BY THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN I&P AND MASTERCARD FOUNDATION
Since February 2021, I&P has partnered with Mastercard Foundation through its I&P Education to Employment initiative, a finance program aimed at improving access to relevant and quality education on the African continent. The partnership between I&P Education to Employment and Mastercard Foundation specifically aims to support 30 education entrepreneurs in 3 target countries (Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal) over 3 years. The partner companies receive funding and technical assistance to support them in their digital transformation, resilience, and growth strategy as well as in the implementation of social inclusion and employability measurement mechanisms.
Read more about:
Founded in 2001, COFE CESA is a higher education institution providing continuing training in various fields (communication, finance, networks and telecoms, etc.) and initial training to professionals.
Willing to provide a quality education oriented towards professional integration for vulnerable youth, the group's 3 campuses are located in Koumassi, Yopougon and Plateau Attécoubé, all economically fragile areas of Abidjan.
With 99% of students benefiting from social inclusion measures such as government scholarships or internal scholarships ( tuition discounts granted by the school), the school intends to revolutionize its environment.
THE ENTREPRENEUR
A dedicated individual, Akoun Gossan has over 50 years of experience in the higher education sector. He held various positions in the University of Abidjan and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure libriaries between 1968 and 1976. Thereafter, he was appointed head of documentation and instructor at the Centre Ivoirien de Gestion des Entreprises from 1980 to 1991. He was appointed Secretary General of the Union Patronale des Fondateurs de l'Enseignement Supérieur Privé de Côte d'Ivoire in 2001. Then, in 2019, as a reward for his commitment, he was named Officer of the Order of Merit of National Education by the Ivorian government. In 2001, he founded the COFE CESA group, which he headed until 2014 before entrusting the management to his son, Jean-Michel Gossan.
A graduate of the Pigier group, Jean-Michel Gossan worked for 5 years in France, before returning to Côte d'Ivoire in 2012. He joined the administrative team of COFE CESA in 2015 as a relationship manager, and was appointed General Manager of the group in 2015.
PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P
Through its I&P Education and Employment program, I&P has committed to Université des Lagunes to:
⇒ Reinforce their digital readiness by acquiring modern equipment and a stable internet access;
⇒ Strengthen the educational offer with the creation of a language center
⇒ Train career center agents in job integration practices related to the needs of the local job market
⇒ Promote access to education for girls from rural areas by increasing the capacity of dormitories
EXPECTED IMPACTS
⇒ Strengthen the local employability of young people
⇒ Enable young people, women, and vulnerable populations to access training that meets the needs of the Ivorian job market.
A COMPANY SUPPORTED BY THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN I&P AND MASTERCARD FOUNDATION
Since February 2021, I&P has partnered with Mastercard Foundation through its I&P Education to Employment initiative, a finance program aimed at improving access to relevant and quality education on the African continent. The partnership between I&P Education to Employment and Mastercard Foundation specifically aims to support 30 education entrepreneurs in 3 target countries (Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal) over 3 years. The partner companies receive funding and technical assistance to support them in their digital transformation, resilience, and growth strategy as well as in the implementation of social inclusion and employability measurement mechanisms.
Read more about
TgMaster University is a new and innovative training offer in Côte d'Ivoire, proposed by TgMaster group, an Ivorian company created in 2013. Tg Master specializes in training students in relevant subject matter areas and supporting those wishing to access business school education in Europe through private tutoring, coaching, and mentoring services to enable them to take certified international tests in support of their applications. Since 2013, TgMaster has accompanied more than 700 young people and has inserted 300 young people in its partner schools in Côte d'Ivoire and abroad.
Building on its experience, this pioneering university welcomed its first students in October 2021 and offers courses in the field of digital and management, on-campus in Abidjan, and soon in delocalized branches throughout Côte d'Ivoire.
The university is supported by renowned academic partners, including business schools based in France (Media School Group and Audencia Business School).
TgMaster University aims to improve the employability of young people in Côte d'Ivoire by developing their skills and abilities and by anticipating the needs of tomorrow.
THE ENTREPRENEURS
Born and raised in Ivory Coast, Achille KOUKOU, is a trained engineer . He graduated from the prestigious Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Yamoussoukro and from a French business school, EM Lyon. He has held various positions in France in financial companies such as Mazars, the Banque Postale, BNP Paribas...
Passionate about education and the issue of employability of African youth, Achille also launched and managed an incubator in Abidjan (5K Startups Hub), founded a training and insertion company for vulnerable youth (Actinobis), before devoting himself to the development of TgMaster University.
A telecom and network engineer from Ivory Coast, Léonce Ano is also a graduate of the prestigious Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Yamoussoukro and of the IESE Business School in Barcelona. He has various experiences in different countries : Spain, the United Kingdom, Kenya. He has a certain experience in the field of education, he held the position of secretary-general and teacher at the MDE Business School in Abidjan. He also contributed with Achille to the launch of 5K Startups Hub and Actinobis. Currently a Ph.D. student in Barcelona, he is preparing a thesis on artificial intelligence and business management and, simultaneously, plans his return to Côte d'Ivoire to take part in the university’s management.
PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P
Through its I&P Education to Employment* program, I&P has committed to working alongside TgMaster University to :
⇒ Support the launch of the university, the training of its management, and the establishment of a quality learning environment
⇒ Support the university's digitalization strategy, through the construction of a blended learning program (face-to-face and distance learning)
⇒ Support the expansion of the university in the regions of Côte d'Ivoire through the installation of connection points in several cities
⇒ Support the establishment of a scholarship program, particularly targeting young women from disadvantaged backgrounds, and ensure sustainable funding
⇒ Etablish policies and practices to protect learners on campus
EXPECTED IMPACTS
⇒ Strengthen the attractiveness of the quality educational offer in Côte d'Ivoire, in partnership with international schools
⇒ Strengthen the local employability of young people and encourage the return to Côte d'Ivoire for students who have gone abroad.
⇒ Enable young people, women, and vulnerable populations to access training that meets the needs of the Ivorian job market.
A COMPANY SUPPORTED BY THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN I&P AND MASTERCARD FOUNDATION
Since February 2021, I&P has partnered with Mastercard Foundation in its I&P Education to Employment initiative, a joint financing program aimed at improving access to relevant and quality education on the African continent.
The partnership between I&P Education to Employment and Mastercard Foundation specifically aims to support 30 education entrepreneurs in 3 target countries (Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal) over 3 years. The partner companies will receive funding and technical assistance to support them in their digital transformation, resilience, and growth strategy as well as in the implementation of social inclusion and employability measurement mechanisms.
Read more about the project
Founded by Elliot Agyare, in 1996, Smartline Publisher is a Ghanaian book publishing company that also offers other services including publishing services, educational resource services, supply, and library consulting.
It offers a variety of genres such as picture books, textbooks for junior high school, senior high school, and tertiary, biographies, fiction, and non-fiction.
With over 1.5 million units sold, 350 titles published, a network of 120 secondary schools across the country, and displays on renowned e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Amazon Kindle Store, BookNook, Jumia, African Books Collective, etc.), Smartline is well on its way to achieving its ambition of becoming a leading publishing house on the continent.
The Entrepreneur
Elliot Agyare is regarded as one of the most respected publishers in Ghana and on the African Continent. He has served twice as the President of the Ghana Book Publishers Association and is currently the President of the Commonwealth Book Publishers Association. He was a lead facilitator of the Association for the Development of Education and African Union workshop on National Reading Policies in Nairobi, Kenya in 2018 and Kigali, Rwanda in 2019. He was a presenter at the Sharjah Book Fair in 2019 and spoke at the World Bank in Washington on procurement for books. Elliot is also a board member of the University Press and Vice Chair of the board of the Ghana Book Trust. He has always been involved in advocating for the industry and has led publishing industry engagements with various past governments on policy issues regarding the industry and literacy. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, and an MA in International Studies from the University of Salford, UK.
Partnership with I&P
Through its I&P Education to Employment program, I&P has committed to Smartline Publisher to:
⇒ Support the digitization strategy through equipment acquisition to support the production of e-books;
⇒ Publish textbooks adapted to the local needs, in collaboration with teachers and students;
⇒ Conduct research to ascertain the supply coverage of some textbooks in SHS, TVET and Tertiary schools in rural and urban areas and to assess the comprehension level of students to develop the offer accordingly;
⇒ Improve its practices for gender and diversity inclusion in its publications.
Expected impacts
⇒ Improving Ghana's quality of education
⇒ Increasing education accessibility in rural and urban areas
A company supported by the partnership between I&P and Mastercard Foundation
Since February 2021, I&P has partnered with Mastercard Foundation through its I&P Education to Employment initiative, a finance program aimed at improving access to relevant and quality education on the African continent.
The partnership between I&P Education to Employment and Mastercard Foundation specifically aims to support 30 education entrepreneurs in 3 target countries (Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal) over 3 years. The partner companies receive funding and technical assistance to support them in their digital transformation, resilience, and growth strategy as well as in the implementation of social inclusion and employability measurement mechanisms.
Read more about
The Université des Lagunes is a private institution of higher learning located in Abidjan and founded in 2010 by the Centre International pour le Développement du Droit (CIDD), an Ivorian association made up of legal system members (magistrates, lawyers, notaries, etc.).
Initially composed of a faculty of law, the university diversified in 2014 with the opening of a faculty of economics, and in 2020 a faculty of mathematics.
UDL's ambition is to "serve Côte d'Ivoire and Africa by achieving high international standards in teaching and research. By cultivating personal and professional growth, UDL intends to train highly qualified professionals to become leaders in their respective fields."
The entrepreneur
Created in 1993 by Ivorian law professionals the Association Ivoirienne pour le Développement du Droit (CIDD) was created to promote the development of Ivorian legislation.
In 2008, the association became Centre International pour le Développement du Droit (CIDD) to reflect the range of activities, such as training and research. Later on, the Université des Lagunes was founded as link between African values and traditions and the universal values of the legal system to strengthen Ivorian and African law.
Partnership with I&P
Through its I&P Education and Employment program, I&P has committed to Université des Lagunes to:
⇒ Reinforce their digital readiness by training teachers and acquiring modern equipment and content;
⇒ Promote digitization by facilitating student's computer acquisition through a revolving fund;
⇒ Train the in charge of career service personnel to implement good practices in employability and graduate’s follow-up;
⇒ Evaluate the alumni employability and strengthen the network;
⇒ Implement learner protection policies and practices on campus.
Expected impacts
⇒ Improvement of the quality of training by strengthening the infrastructure and IT tools;
⇒ Improvement of the learning environment by strengthening the digitalization strategy;
⇒ Improvement of the graduate's employability by strengthening the activities and staffing of career services, in line with local labor market needs.
A company supported by the partnership between I&P and Mastercard Foundation
Since February 2021, I&P has partnered with Mastercard Foundation through its I&P Education to Employment initiative, a finance program aimed at improving access to relevant and quality education on the African continent.
The partnership between I&P Education to Employment and Mastercard Foundation specifically aims to support 30 education entrepreneurs in 3 target countries (Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal) over 3 years. The partner companies receive funding and technical assistance to support them in their digital transformation, resilience, and growth strategy as well as in the implementation of social inclusion and employability measurement mechanisms.
Read more about the I&P Education to Employment program I&P Education to Employment
Ecole Supérieure de Technologie et de Management (ESTM) is a Senegalese higher education institution founded in 2001 and based in Dakar.
ESTM provides initial training in the field of new technologies including telecommunications, computer systems security, electronic payments and secure transactions, etc.
It also provides certification training: Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Associate Project Management Professional (CAPMP), and Cisco Certified Network Associate.
A distance learning offer is also available.
ESTM's ambition is to train responsible and enterprising professionals in line with the most advanced technologies and innovations.
With over 6000 graduates and more than 45 academic, academic, and business partnerships, ESTM has an employment rate close to 90%.
The Entrepreneur
Head of ESTM, Ousmane DIENE, is a computer engineer by training. He has worked for many years for the Cheick Anta Diop University IT department. In 2001, he founded the ESTM, with the support of university professors.
Partnership with I&P
Through its I&P Education and Employment program, I&P has committed to ESTM to:
⇒ Improve the quality of its training by creating new labs for the Multimedia and Renewable Energies programs and reinforcing the current facilities;
⇒ Support the digitalization strategy through the development of an e-learning platform and renovating its computer room;
⇒ The strengthening of their incubator;
⇒ Support the implementation of a scholarship program, especially for young women, and ensure sustainable funding;
⇒ Implement policies and practices to protect learners on campus.
Expected impacts
⇒ Improving the learning environment by upgrading labs and the strengthening of the school's digitalization strategy
⇒ Increasing the employability of young people with the relaunch of the incubator activities, aligned with the job market expectations;
⇒ Improving social inclusion, especially for young women;
⇒ Improved student protection through the implementation of a formal Safegarding policy;
A company supported by the partnership between I&P and Mastercard Foundation
Since February 2021, I&P has partnered with Mastercard Foundation through its I&P Education to Employment initiative, a finance program aimed at improving access to relevant and quality education on the African continent.
The partnership between I&P Education to Employment and Mastercard Foundation specifically aims to support 30 education entrepreneurs in 3 target countries (Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal) over 3 years. The partner companies receive funding and technical assistance to support them in their digital transformation, resilience, and growth strategy as well as in the implementation of social inclusion and employability measurement mechanisms.
Read more about the I&P Education to Employment program
The Central Chaare-Tsedek University (UCC) is a university offering courses in law, economics, literature and humanities in Daloa, in west-central Côte d'Ivoire. This year, the university welcomed more than 137 students enrolled in 3 university faculties.
The entrepreneur
The university was founded by Franck Emmanuel Bleu in 2020.
With a Master's degree in Finance from the University of Bouaké, this entrepreneur worked as a financial engineer in SMEs in Côte d'Ivoire for 6 years before switching to teaching. He is a teacher-researcher in finance and risk management at private higher education institutions in the country and is also actively involved in several projects to create universities and grandes écoles. He has a solid experience and proven skills in the higher education sector.
Partnership with I&P
UCC is supported by I&P through the education and employment component of I&P Acceleration in Sahel program.
The funding and support provided to UCC aims at :
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