Mali

Lapaire Glasses is a Kenyan eye care company and eyewear retail chain founded in 2018. It addresses a population until then excluded from the quality eye care market by offering free vision tests and prescription glasses starting at $30 (each pair of glasses costs between $30 and $100, with an average at $50), as well as premium customer service.

Today, Lapaire Glasses operates 20 optical stores across Africa and has over 150 employees. With the aim of becoming the most popular eyewear brand in Africa, Lapaire plans to open more clinics in major cities, as well as in rural areas.

Entrepreneurs

Graduated from the University of Geneva Law School, Jérôme Lapaire, a Swiss national and lawyer by profession, founded Lapaire Glasses in 2018 with his personal savings and money from friends, after realizing that access to quality eye care was a particularly burdensome problem in Kenya. The cost of an ophthalmological consultation, the time it takes and the price of prescription glasses are often too great a burden for a large proportion of the population. Gérôme Lapaire's portrait on LeTemps.ch

He is joined in this entrepreneurial adventure by Louis Gascoin, who holds an MBA from EDHEC Business School, specializes in operational excellence and distribution development, and has been based in Côte d'Ivoire since 2012, where he has built up solid professional experience in project development with multinationals such as Burger King, where he was General Manager from 2017 to 2020, and Servair as Head of Development and then Project Manager.

Partnership with I&P

Lapaire Glasses is supported by I&P through the I&P Afrique Entrepreneurs 2 (IPAE 2) fund, which is joined by AfricInvest in this round of financing. This partnership will help the company :

• Open 250 additional stores in 3 years, including expansion into 5 new African countries;
• Strengthen and structure management, operational teams and working capital for this new period of growth;
• Strengthen the company's IT infrastructure.

Expected impact

• Extend access to quality corrective eyewear and ophthalmic care to populations excluded from the conventional healthcare system ;
• Job creation.

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 :

• Set up and fit out the patisserie's first physical point of sale, in order to have a physical boutique
• Increase sales to B2B customers through the implementation of an appropriate sales strategy 
• Support the company in structuring its key functions (HR, accounting, etc.)
• Increase the company's supply capacity and finance the acquisition of production equipment

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 :

• Increase production capacity by fully industrializing the production process and reducing lead times
• Increase sales to B2B customers through the implementation of an adapted sales strategy
• Support the company in structuring its key functions (HR, accounting, etc.)
• Equip the company with an accounting management system and an administrative procedures manual

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 :

• Develop the recycling unit (work on the unit, installation of a water point, purchase of fire extinguishers) 
• Increase the collection and production capacity through the acquisition of new production equipment and a dump truck
• Strengthen the team with new hires and reinforce occupational health and safety (OHS) standards 
• Organize the key functions (accounting, operational and commercial) of the company through technical assistance 

Expected impacts

• Strengthen the accountability function and increase sales
• Maintenance of existing jobs and creation of 6 new jobs (including 3 day laborers)
• Reorganization of production and reduction of energy consumption in the medium term 
• Compliance with fire standards and reinforcement of health and safety measures

Afrisends is a company specialized in the shipment of products (purchase of goods, logistics, customs, and last mile delivery) from the rest of the world to Mali.

The entrepreneur

Afrisend was created and managed by Zeinabou Sidibé, a French-Malian, who grew up in Bamako in a large entrepreneurial family. With a Master's degree in International Finance from the Ecole Supérieure de Gestion (ESG) in Paris in 2013 and a Master's degree specialized́ in audit and management control from SKEMA Business School in 2014, she worked at Deloitte et Associés as a junior and then senior auditor. In 2018, she joined PPG Industries in Paris as a business analyst and financial controller for West Africa to focus on her business in 2022.

Partnership with I&P and Zira Capital

Afrisends is supported by I&P and Zira Capital through I&P Acceleration in Sahel. This partnership aims to :

• Set up a new office and storage space
• Increase sales to B2B customers through the implementation of an adapted commercial strategy 
• Support the company in structuring its key functions (HR, accounting)
• Improve the platform and support  the company in obtaining the chartering certification

Expected impacts

• Strengthen the accountability and increase sales
• Maintenance of existing jobs and creation of 5 new jobs
• Development of the web platform with integration of new functionalities (order tracking system and security of user data)

2AD Company is a company producing and marketing sanitary pads in Bamako, Mali. The main mission of 2AD Company 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

DameGreen is a company specialized in the production and marketing of organic fertilizers in Mali.

The entrepreneur

This young company was founded in 2020 by Awa Dembélé an entrepreneur who is passionate about ecology and the environment. Awa held the positions of procurement manager and quality manager from 2018 to 2021 at Elephant Vert Mali, the national leader in organic fertilizer production. She also held the position of Project Assistant at the Institute of Rural Economy of Mali (IER) in 2017.

Partnership with I&P and Zira Capital

Damegreen is supported by Zira Capital through I&P Acceleration in Sahel. The main objective of this partnership is to :

• Increase the production capacity and improve the quality of finished products through the acquisition of more efficient equipment
• Finance the purchase of raw materials and related supplies from local suppliers (manure, organic waste, packaging)
• Support the company in strengthening its brand identity
• Structure the company's organization through the implementation of internal procedures

IKALOOK, "your style" in Bambara, is a Malian company specialized in the confection of women's clothing and advocates ethical fashion.  It is the first Malian company to modernize the woven loincloth, a fabric obtained from the artisanal weaving of local cotton.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

IKALOOK was created in 2016 by Fatoumata Namissa Théra SOW, a young woman strongly committed to eco-responsible fashion. With several years of experience in design, this fashion enthusiast since her early childhood started her clothing business in 2013. She designs original models that she makes from wax, bazin and dampé fabrics, a traditional fabric popular in Mauritania, where her mother comes from.

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P AND ZIRA CAPITAL

IKALOOK is supported by Zira Capital through I&P Acceleration program in Sahel.

The main objective of this partnership is to :

• Increase the company's working capital by providing more raw materials and tools
• Strengthen the team by hiring new staff and improving working conditions (formalization of employment, medical and social coverage)
• Implementation of a communication and marketing strategy to boost sales
• Technical assistance to formalize and structure the organization (e.g. implementation of internal procedures and internal accounting system)
• Increase the supply capacity and quality of finished products

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)

Fulbe et Khem is a laboratory created in 2015 specialized in the transformation of local medicinal plants into food supplements and cosmetic products and the commercialization of these products in pharmacies, parapharmacies, mini-markets and organic store chains in Mali.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Fulbe et Khem was created by Mamoudou Elimane HANNE, a French-Malian former top-level sportsman (European Champion and French record holder in 4x400m) with a Bachelor's degree in Economics/Management and a BTS in Negotiation and Customer Relations. Convinced by the benefits of natural plants, he decided to move to his country of origin to launch his company. 

PURPOSE OF THE FUNDING

Fulbe & Khem benefits from the I&P Acceleration in Sahel program, whose objectives are to : 

• Reinforce the company's supply capacity in raw materials and packaging
• Consolidation and development of the clientele
• Contribute to the formalization and structuring of F&K
• Strengthen the team through new hires and build employee loyalty through improved living conditions (more protection at work and implementation of a medical and social coverage policy)
• Implementation of an internal accounting system
• Implementation of a communication and marketing strategy

EXPECTED IMPACTS

Consolidation and formalization of 7 existing jobs, creation of 5 new formal jobs
Contribution to the economy through the payment of taxes to the tax authorities
Reduction in the importation of dietary supplements