I&P Accélération au Sahel

The African Institute of Sciences, Technologies and Trades (IASTM) is a graduate school, offering training in Business Law, Taxation, Insurance, Marketing, Agribusiness, Transit-Logistics, Software Engineering, Accounting in Lome, in Togo.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

IASTM was founded by Boris SEGBENOU MENSAH is a Togolese graduate in Political Science, who after a decade of professional career, embarked on educational entrepreneurship by founding in 2015, UASTM in Niger. After the launch of USATM in Niger, he started the first steps of the school in Togo in 2020. UASTM is a global project to develop a pan-African network of higher education institutions and incubators under the brand UASTM/IASTM.

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P

IASTM is supported by I&P through the education and employment component of I&P Acceleration in Sahel program (IP2E).

The funding and support provided to IASTM aims at :

• Fitting out and equipping classrooms
• Acquire multimedia for the development of e-learning
• Strengthen the marketing campaign and the positioning of the school 
• Strengthen the company's working capital

Karit'Or by Soreya is a Malian company created in 2020 and specialized in the production and marketing of cosmetic products made mainly from shea butter. This young company has one workshop and a warehouse located in Baco Djicoroni Golf, a district of Bamako.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

The company was founded by Adam Soreya Sylla, a young Malian lady of 36 years old who is passionate about cosmetics. She is a lawyer by training and has succeeded in her conversion thanks to the training she received in Tunisia and Mali. Initially, she had started the production of cosmetic products in 2016 in an artisanal way.

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P

Karit'Or by Soreya is supported by I&P through I&P Acceleration in Sahel. 

 The support will allow the company to : 

• get a new warehouse
• set up production equipments
• buy raw materials and related supplies (vegetable oils, active cosmetics, packaging, labels)

PlayLabs is a network of childcare centers and innovative nursery schools in Senegal.

These preschool institutions welcome children from 10 months to 5 years old, from Monday to Friday and from September to June. They provide children with adapted early learning activities answering their needs in terms of cognitive, socio-affective, and psychomotor development. The programs deployed in these institutions are aligned with the Senegalese education program (for kindergarten) but based on Regina Emilia's educational approach, which is innovative. It promotes learning activities through games, education projects sessions' organization, children's commitment to knowledge acquisition, and parents' active participation. 

THE ENTREPRENEURS

The project is led by two entrepreneurs, Karima Grant and Chakera McIntosh.

Karima Grant is passionate about education and has accumulated a solid experience in this field thanks to numerous professional and association experiences. She notably has been the coordinator of an international baccalaureate program and has supported as a consultant the launch and development of three Higher Education Institutions in Senegal. Her experience and its association experience have contributed to making her a reference in the education field in Senegal and internationally. She is a member of the Ashoka network, which is an international network of social entrepreneurs who act in favor of social innovation.

Chakera McIntosh is supporting Karima Grant in this project. She has a Bachelor's Degree in International Communication from the American University of Paris (AUP) and a Master's Degree in Mitigation and Diaspora Studies from London University. She has worked for several years in the marketing and communication field.

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P AND TERANGA CAPITAL

Kies is supported by Teranga Capital through the I&P Acceleration in Sahel program. This support will help the company in:

• Stabilizing the existing infrastructure with the reinforcement of the current infrastructures (in Mermoz and Somone)
• The implementation of an efficient marketing and business development strategy, the improvement of the company's organization with the formalization of its curriculum, procedures, training modules for facilitators, etc.
• The strengthening of the accounting and financial functions and the reinforcement of the company's service offer
• The deployment of two new daycare centers in 2022

ABOUT DE TERANGA CAPITAL

Teranga Capital is the first impact investment fund dedicated to financing and supporting Senegalese SMEs and start-ups.

Led by Olivier Furdelle, Teranga Capital is the third African fund sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires as part of the program I&P Development 2. The network currently includes a fund in Niger (Sinergi Niger), Burkina Faso (Sinergi Burkina), Côte d'Ivoire (Comoé Capital) and Madagascar (Miarakap).

Access Teranga Capital's website →

 La Fontaine bleue is an Ivorian company specialized in the production and distribution of purified water in large formats. Known under the name Océane, the company offers ultra pure water in reusable 18.9 liter carboys, but also the sale and maintenance of water fountains.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

La Fontaine bleue was created in 2017 by M. Ehui Alain Serge Protay, graduated from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (EDHEC) with a degree in business management and a diploma in business engineering.  After his studies, Mr. Ehui joins in 2007 the Comium group as Sales Manager for companies for 3 years and then Key Account Manager until 2013. In 2014, he was recruited by a local company in the same industry as La Fontaine Bleue as Corporate Sales Manager for 2 years. From 2016 to 2017, he joined the pharmaceutical industrial group Propharmed International, where he worked as Sales Manager. With 11 years of experience in B2B sales and strong interpersonal skills, Mr. Ehui was able to gain the trust of several large organizations such as the African Bank of Development, Orange Ci, Lafarge Holcim, etc.

PARTNERSHIP WITH COMOÉ CAPITAL

La Fontaine bleue is supported by the I&P Acceleration in Sahel program, set up by Comoé Capital in Côte d'Ivoire, which will enable to increase its fleet of delivery vehicles. La Fontaine bleue will also benefit from the support of several consultants who will reinforce the Océane brand and revitalize the company's accounting and finance.

About Comoé Capital

Comoé Capital is the first impact investment fund dedicated to the financing and support of Ivorian SMEs and start-ups. Headed by Issa Sidibé, Comoé Capital is the fifth African fund sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires as part of the I&P Développement 2 fund. The fund network currently includes a fund in Niger (Sinergi Niger), Burkina Faso (Sinergi Burkina), Senegal (Teranga Capital) and Madagascar (Miarakap). → Site of Comoé Capital.

Le Comptoir fermier is a company that transforms and distributes processed and unprocessed meat in Cameroon (Yaoundé and Douala), but also in Gabon (Libreville). This young company is characterized by its respect of product quality criteria and customer service.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Le Comptoir fermier was founded in 2018 by Eugene Badjang and Samuel Bito. The founders are both Cameroonian and have local and international professional experience.

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P

Le Comptoir fermier is supported by I&P through I&P Acceleration in Sahel. The main objective of this project is to increase the company's production capacity, contribute to the improvement of its supply chain and implement a communication strategy.

Lakelle is a Cameroonian company that makes clothing to international standards. The company was born from the desire of its promoters to create a brand of ready-to-wear clothing at affordable prices, adapted to the cultural specificities of the African context with a strong modern accent. Today, the company employs a large majority of women, many of them refugees from the Anglophone zone.

THE ENTREPRENEURS

The company is managed by Sharon and Viola Welang, two sisters who have enjoyed training and work experience in United States. Sharon Welang, CEO of Lakelle, has also worked in Africa, notably at MTN Cameroon where she contributed to the deployment of mobile money and at MSF Africa, one of the most successful African fintechs. Viola Welang has spent most of her professional career in United States and has been running the management consulting firm Business Essentials for the past 9 years.

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P

Lakelle is supported by Sinergi and I&P through I&P Acceleration in Sahel. The main objective of this project is to increase the company's production capacity, contribute to the improvement of its supply chain and implement a communication strategy.

Volaille du Sahel is a start-up that produces and sells hallal meat (chicken, guinea fowl, chicken derivatives) in Niger.

THE ENTREPRENEURS

Volaille du Sahel was created in 2018 by two associates:

• Harouna Nouhou Abdoulaye: With a Masters degree in business management, he registers years of work experience in telecommunications where he was in charge of marketing and sales management. He then evolved as a zone developer in the Maradi region at Zamani Telecom.                                                                                                                                                                           
• Ibrahim Mamane Laminou: He holds a master's degree in computer science from Abdou Moumouni University in Niamey and a Master's degree in Management of Information Systems from Sun Yat Sen University in Canton, China. 

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P AND SINERGI 

Volaille du Sahel is supported by Sinergi and I&P through I&P Acceleration in Sahel. The main objective of this project is to increase the company's production capacity, contribute to the improvement of its supply chain and implement a communication strategy.

About Sinergi Niger

SINERGI S.A. is a private investment company created in 2006 and supported by I&P with a group of key individual and institutional shareholders in the Nigerien and international SME support landscape. Headed by Ibrahima Djibo, its objective is to contribute to the economic and social development of Niger through the promotion of entrepreneurship and the development of SMEs. SINERGI S.A. provides the means for entrepreneurs in Niger to achieve their growth projects by providing long-term financing and local support.  → Find out more about Sinergi​