Education & Training

Created by Chérif Louan, Editions Afrique Lecture (EAL) specializes in the publishing and production of after-school books (annals of middle and high school classes). Its editorial line also enables it to publish works of literature (in French and national languages), essays and textbooks (course books, books, etc.). Editions Afrique Lecture offers its know-how to structures wishing to produce and/or publish their documents. 

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Cherif LOUAN is a publisher, graphic designer, editor and modeler. He holds a Diploma of Advanced Studies (DEA) in Applied Mathematics and Physics (with the use of computer tools) from Kharkov State University in Ukraine - USSR. Author, co-author, editor and composer of several books (3rd and 4th grade mathematics, descriptive statistics textbook, physics and chemistry textbook for 6th to 3rd grade), he has 15 years of textbook composition at Editions Afique Lecture.  He is the president of the network of publishers in Niger and managing director for the book sector at the Agency for the Promotion of Enterprises and Cultural Industries.

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​

La Coccinelle is a private kindergarten and early childhood care centre offering a childcare service for young children in the interval between daycare (06 to 24 months) and kindergarten (24 to 60 months) as well as a bilingual recreation centre service during school holidays in Côte d'Ivoire. La Coccinelle plans to deploy a network of mini-crèches in different communes of Abidjan and to create a training centre for early childhood educators. 

THE ENTREPRENEUR

La Coccinelle was created by Mrs. Sara Adico. After a Professional Degree in Finance and Management, Ms. Sara ADICO joined UNACOOPEC-CI microfinance in 2002, as a credit analyst until 2006. She then managed the Raggi Anne Marie Institution, an international public school (IRMA) for 6 years. This experience led her to create her own school, which she has been managing since 2011. In 2016, she obtained a certification of competence in NGO management awarded by the UNESCO CHAIR for the Culture of Peace in Côte d'Ivoire.

Nouvelle Vision Scolaire (NVS) is a school created in 2013, located in the heart of the capital, Ouagadougou. With great success, the school quickly invested in a class for primary school and today has 4 classes and 3 classes for kindergarten with 255 pupils. This school has the particularity of introducing its pupils to English and computer science, agriculture and animal husbandry, music as well as swimming and karate.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

The New School Vision School is an initiative of Joel ZOMA, who has more than 17 years of experience in mass distribution, acquired in the management of Convergence Ramon Wende (CORAM), a distribution company with large surfaces in the big cities of Burkina Faso. He is also the initiator of the general trading company Grâce Business Services and of TGD Voyage, specialising in public transport.

CONTRIBUTION OF SINERGI BURKINA

NVS has been supported since 2019 by Sinergi Burkina as part of the Partnering to Accelerate Entrepreneurship (PACE) programme in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The purpose of the partnership concerns : 

• Increasing reception capacity
• Financing of the closure
• Setting up of the accounting system
• Increase in the transport capacity of pupils by adding a second bus
• Installation of an emergency generator in the event of a power outage

ABOUT SINERGI BURKINA

Created in 2014, Sinergi Burkina is the first impact investment fund dedicated to financing and supporting SMEs and start-ups in Burkina Faso. Headed by Job Zongo, Sinergi Burkina is the second investment 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), Côte d'Ivoire (Comoé Capital), Senegal (Teranga Capital) and Madagascar (Miarakap). → To learn more about Sinergi Burkina 

ABOUT USAID PROGRAM

Investisseurs & Partenaires and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched in 2016 an innovative acceleration program for young companies located in Niger, Burkina Faso and Senegal. The partnership will support high-potential start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises to facilitate their access to financing in a region where the ecosystem supporting entrepreneurship is still underdeveloped.

Click here to find out more

The Centre des Métiers Michèle Yakice is a joint venture between Comoé Capital and the Michèle Yakice International Vocational Training School. It is an establishment specialising in training for fashion professions (sewing, styling).

In 2020, the Michèle Yakice vocational centre took a new step forward with the launch of Grain de Mode, an incubator which aims to create future entrepreneurs in the fashion industry by offering a class of 9 students initial training, coaching sessions in several disciplines (digital communication, marketing/sales, accounting, etc.) as well as mentoring with a mentor to support each student throughout his or her career.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Michèle OKEI is the daughter of the founder and famous designer Michèle Yakice.

She holds a Master's degree in communication, administration and management from Pigier (1999). After 6 years of experience in logistics and customer management, Ms OKEI joined her mother's company in 2005. She trains and becomes the director of studies of the school.

ABOUT COMOE 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). → Comoé Capital website

Created in the 2000s on the initiative of Mr Compaoré, the Institut Supérieur de Technologies (IST) is a private secular technical and vocational higher education institution. With more than 2,000 students spread over its 24 training courses, including 11 in management sciences, the institution currently has six sites, including three franchises.

IST prepares its students for BTS, Bachelor's and Master's degrees. It currently delivers 32 diplomas including 23 recognized by CAMES, thus placing the institution in 3rd place among the institutions with the highest number of recognized diplomas.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Company manager with more than 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur and consultant, Issa Compaoré was trained as a State Engineer in Industrial Engineering with a specialization in Production Engineering at the Mohammedia School of Engineering (EMI in Rabat).

In 1995, back in Burkina Faso, he started teaching. He was then professor of physics, management and corporate culture at the National School of Telecommunications between 1997 and 2000. Parallel to his teaching duties, he also provides consulting services through his company called DEMAIN SARL (Développement et Management Industrie), created in January 1997. 

In 2000, driven by a strong entrepreneurial spirit, he decided to create IST (Institut Supérieur des Technologies).

PARTNERSHIP WITH SINERGI BURKINA

The objectives of partnerships include :

• The establishment of a reliable accounting information system
• Consolidation of contracts with franchises
• Trademark protection

The Institut Supérieur de Technologies also benefits from financial support and technical assistance within the framework of the I&P Acceleration in the Sahel program, in partnership with the European Union. To cope with the unprecedented situation of covid-19, some fifteen companies benefit from technical and financial support to maintain their activities and overcome the crisis.

IMPACTS

⇒ Consolidation of more than 150 full and part-time jobs

⇒ Reflection on a scholarship program for students in difficult circumstances

⇒ Establishing good governance 

ABOUT SINERGI BURKINA

Created in 2014, Sinergi Burkina is the first impact investment fund dedicated to financing and supporting SMEs and start-ups in Burkina Faso. Headed by Job Zongo, Sinergi Burkina is the second investment 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), Côte d'Ivoire (Comoé Capital), Senegal (Teranga Capital) and Madagascar (Miarakap). → Sinergi Burkina website

The Institut de Management, de Gestion et d'Hôtellerie (IMGH) is a private technical and professional training structure specializing in the hotel industry created in 2009 by Mrs. Augustine Bro. The institution aims to improve and diversify its training offers by developing online access to continuing education.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

After several experiences as SVT teacher in Abidjan, Mrs. Augustine BRO is appointed director of studies in a hotel school where she noticed the lack of students in the profession of cooking and pastry in the city of Abidjan due to the lack of specialized institutions in the sector. She therefore decided to create with a few associates the Institute of Culinary Arts and Hospitality (IACH) in 1999 which became in 2008 the Institute of Management and Hotel Management (IMGH).

Find an interview with Augustine Bro (October 2019) :

The Institut de Management, de Gestion et d'Hôtellerie is supported through the Education Impact Fund (EIF), managed by Comoé Capital. This impact fund dedicated to education in Côte d'Ivoire is sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P) and the Jacobs Foundation. It provides financial and managerial support to Ivorian SMEs and start-ups with the aim of improving the quality and/or access to education in the country.

The Institut de Management, de Gestion et d'Hôtellerie also benefits from financial support and technical assistance within the framework of the I&P Acceleration in the Sahel program, in partnership with the European Union. To cope with the unprecedented situation of covid-19, some fifteen companies benefit from technical and financial support to maintain their activities and overcome the crisis.

ABOUT COMOE 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). → More information about Comoé Capital

VATEL is a higher education school of Tourism and Hotel Management, a subsidiary of the Vatel group, created in 2014 by Falihery Ramakavelo and his wife Hanitra Ramakavelo. Vatel provides a Bachelor's level training in 3 years, and since 2018 a Master's level training (Bac+5) in 2 years, including a final year of specialization in Ecotourism, which will be launched in October 2019. Today, it counts 67 graduates (from the 2014 and 2015 classes) and 167 students in training. The main site is located in Ambatoroka, Antananarivo, and a new campus will be opened in October 2019 in Morondava to welcome the students of the Master Ecotourism.

With Miarakap funding, the promoters want to make Vatel a leading higher education group in the field of hotel and tourism in Madagascar, through:

- The strengthening and consolidation of the existing structure,

- The opening of a campus in Morondava to welcome students in the Ecotourism Master's degree, students from the local population in vocational training (partnership with UNESCO), and eventually an application ecolodge.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Vatel is run by a couple: Falihery Ramakavelo, a graduate of ENA and the Special Military School of Saint-Cyr (France), he has several years of experience in Malagasy and French civil administration and as a senior manager of several Malagasy companies (BFV-SG, MAERSK, SIPROMAD); and his wife Hanitra Ramakavelo, graduate from the University of Angers (France) in Economic and Social Administration.

PARTNERSHIP WITH MIARAKAP

Miarakap's support mainly concerns:

• Funding for the renovation of the site in Morondava to accommodate the Master's degree in ecotourism,

• The financing of a technical assistance mission on project management for the construction works

• Support for the establishment of partnerships with NGOs specialized in Tourism and biodiversity conservation

MAIN IMPACTS

• Awareness and education on environmental issues, particularly biodiversity conservation,

• Strengthening the training offer on a priority sector in Madagascar

• Access to quality training for isolated rural populations (Morondava) through partnerships with international organizations such as UNESCO

• Environmental footprint management: solar installation on site

• Establishment of partnerships with professionals in tourism, education, crafts, etc.

• Establishment of socio-educational partnerships with funders

Founded in 2018, STUDIO KÄ is a start-up company specialising in the creation and production of educational animated series based on African stories, thus with high cultural added value for children.

STUDIO KÄ has obtained a partnership with TV5 Monde (an international French-speaking general-interest television channel) for the production of an animation series called "Les Contes de Raya". In addition, the company plans to develop several contents with the same characteristics for local and international sales.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Soro Adja holds a Master's degree in Finance and Accounting and a certificate in Business and Entrepreneurship from Lehigh University of Pennsylvania. After several years in the field of microfinance, Adja returned to her first passion, literature. Convinced that literature is a factor of cultural emancipation and open-mindedness, she did an internship at PLAYBAC Presse, a French publishing house, before returning to Côte d'Ivoire in 2015 to create Voyelles Editions, whose main product is the cultural youth magazine "Bulles". Today, the promoter launched STUDIO KÄ to develop the production of animated films.

PARTNERSHIP WITH COMOE CAPITAL

• Improve the quality of production and governance

• Produce several animated series

• Implementation of a health insurance system for employees fully operational

MAIN IMPACTS

• Creation of modern content, inspired by African stories, through the production of several edutainment animated series

• Substitution to animated films generally imported into Côte d'Ivoire

• Creation of local know-how through capacity building and the acquisition of appropriate equipment

Etudesk is a start-up offering online professional training through its interactive platform. The courses offered are strictly professional in nature and cover a wide range of learning areas: Business, IT, Economics, Civil Engineering, Science, etc. Etudesk defines itself as the “university of companies” and aims to reduce the gap between academic training and the skills required by companies.

The platform is available via PC, tablet and smartphone and without internet connection on mobile applications. It offers:

• Short-term training modules (about 2 to 10 hours) covering a specific field and aimed at students and professionals wishing to acquire or deepen specific skills. Each module includes a course structured in several sections with evaluation quizzes and practical activities
• Learning programs that are composed of a set of modules. The pathways provide access to a mentor and a final evaluation. A certificate, sponsored by a company, is issued at the end of the program in order to enhance the professional profile of the student if the program is successfully completed

The project has a strong economic and social impact: Etudesk aims to support active people in their career development but also to facilitate the professional integration of students and job seekers in a country with a young population and a high unemployment rate. Etudesk offers high-quality teaching programs (experienced instructors and content reviewed by several professionals) at an affordable price.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Lamine BARRO is a young Ivorian entrepreneur, who was only 22 years old when he founded Etudesk in 2016.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Korhogo (2014) and a Certificate of Entrepreneurship from the Founder Institute (2016). Before creating Etudesk, he was a Microsoft Student Partner for several years and has several years of experience as an IT specialist in various firms.

PARTNERSHIP WITH COMOÉ CAPITAL

• Formalization and compliance with accounting standards

• Strategic support to adapt the business plan to the Ivorian context and its competitive environment

• Support for strengthening the offer (creation of new training courses)

• Support the commercial deployment of the company

Etudesk is supported through the Education Impact Fund (EIF), managed by Comoé Capital. This impact fund dedicated to education in Côte d'Ivoire is sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P) and the Jacobs Foundation. It provides financial and managerial support to Ivorian SMEs and start-ups with the aim of improving the quality and/or access to education in the country.

Etudesk also benefits from financial support and technical assistance within the framework of the I&P Acceleration in the Sahel program, in partnership with the European Union. To cope with the unprecedented situation of covid-19, some fifteen companies benefit from technical and financial support to maintain their activities and overcome the crisis.

MAIN IMPACTS

• Access to education for a broad target population

• Facilitates the professional integration of students and job seekers

NEWS AND AWARDS

Etudesk won Seedstars Abidjan Competition in 2016. Read more →

In 2017 Etudesk was one of the five winning companies of the Digital Africa competition, among the 770 French and African startups participating whose projects put digital innovation at the service of sustainable development. As a finalist, Etudesk benefited from an "acceleration pack", composed of technical and financial support provided by the French Development Agency. Read more →

Launched in 2014, The African Management Institute (AMI) provides formalized training to empower managers and entrepreneurs.

AMI has developed over 45 practical business modules – including over 2,000 tools – with Africa’s leading business schools and global experts on adult learning. AMI’s training strategy and programs are based on a blended offer of both online material and in-person workshops with experts in their field.

Through its programmes, AMI aims to reach 20,000 people in 11 African countries.

THE ENTREPRENEURS

AMI was co-founded by Jonathan Cook and Rebecca Harrison.

Jonathan Cook is the current Chairman of AMI. He has over 25 year-experience in management education, facilitation, coaching and consulting. Prior to founding AMI, Jonathan spent almost 10 years at GIBS, one of Africa’s leading Business Schools, where he served at various times as a senior lecturer, the Director of Executive Education, Academic Director, Executive Director and finally Director of the Business School until December 2013.

Before that, he spent 14 years as a faculty member at Wits Business School, where he founded the Management Development Unit and later became Director of Academic Programmes. He also spent 10 years with the National Institute for Personnel Research in Johannesburg. Jonathan continues to teach part time at GIBS in the areas of leadership and personal development, and is chief consultant of Thornhill Associates, where he advises companies in developing and implementing leadership development processes using customised 360-degree questionnaires.

Rebecca Harrison is the current CEO of AMI and has led the team since inception. Previously, Rebecca spent 9 years as a foreign correspondent and manager for Reuters News Agency, where she led business coverage in Africa and reported on politics, markets and development from 13 countries in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Rebecca completed her MBA in Entrepreneurship at South Africa’s Gordon Institute of Business Science, where she was awarded a Kellogg Foundation grant to conduct research into innovation in low-income markets. She is passionate about democratising skills development and supporting entrepreneurship in Africa through practical and affordable learning tools.

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P

I&P committed alongside with AMI to:

• Help AMI further its reach in existing and new markets

EXPECTED IMPACTS

• Bringing quality education to middle management of African companies

• Delivering employability training programs and formation to entrepreneurship to the youth, women and a larger number of small-scale entrepreneurs