Entrepreneurs

Following the Covid-19 global pandemic, all economic activities were slowed down, with international travel totally banned between March and June in France and Belgium. In the countries of our entrepreneurs, containment and curfews have been put in place. Remote working has become widespread in all companies. This unprecedented situation has forced organisers and entrepreneurs of the Afrique Créative programme to learn how to work and live in this context.

The covid-19 pandemic has led to the implementation of lockdown measures in many African countries. These had a deep impact on economic activities, particularly on small and medium-sized enterprises.

In this context, I&P, FERDI and the Club Africain des Entrepreneurs are working together to produce a series of articles studying how African SMEs are coping with the health and economic crisis and the measures to be taken to help them overcome the crisis.  

The private health care group New Crystal Health Services (NCHS), which is dedicated to the urban poor, has set itself the goal of serving more income groups.

They plan to use the recently acquired capital, following I&P and IFC investments, to expand and acquire state-of-the-art equipment to provide additional essential services such as intensive care, pediatric care and complex surgical services, as well as to treat lifestyle-related illnesses.

The online magazine "How we made it in Africa" publishes an interview of Catherine Krobo Edusei, CEO and founder of Eden Tree. The company, supported by IPAE 1 since 2015, has become the leading independent provider of fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs in Ghana. The article relates the story of the company, from its early beginings to the new strategies developed with the Covid-19 crisis.

The African international network Enko Education announced today the launch of a new primary school in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. In order to meet the growing demand from parents, this school will be the primary section of the international school Enko Ouaga Campus.

We met with Mieja Vola Rakotonarivo, Managing Director of the Malagasy company Nutri'zaza.

Mieja is featured in the book Bâtisseurs d'Afrique, recently published by Eyrolles, which relates the journeys of eleven determined entrepreneurs accompanied by I&P.

In March 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic affecting the whole world, all the Enko Education schools have closed their doors, for a period still uncertain.To cope with the closure of its 15 international African schools and ensure continuity in education, Enko Education has implemented, in a few days, distance learning for all its students.

With the aim of equipping businesses with practical tools to face challenges brought by COVID-19, African Management Institute (AMI) will be conducting a free 'COVID -19 Business Survival Bootcamp'.

This short learning programme,  designed specifically for business owners and entrepreneurs. will focus on financial forecasting and cost management in an economic slowdown.

Based in Madagascar for nearly 30 years, Frédéric Wybo is the founder and current CEO of Ultramaille, a Malagasy company specialized in mid- and high-end fashion knit wear.

Ultramaille has been supported by I&P since 2016, through its fund I&P Afrique Entrepreneurs 1. The team is notably committed to the development of new product ranges and the reinforcement of Ultramaille's CSR policy (employee health, training, retirement, etc.).

Vatel Madagascar launches its new master's degree in Ecotourism Management

Vatel Madagascar is currently the only hotel school in Madagascar that offers a Master's degree in ecotourism. The Ecotourism Master's degree is structured around 5 poles:

- marketing to train future executives to promote ecotourism destinations,