43 African Startups Join The Social & Inclusive Business Camp Program(SIBC)

Sept. 15, 2022, 11:05 a.m.

On August 30th, the SIBC officially launched its 6th edition, welcoming the 43 entrepreneurs selected for the 2022 cohort. These social and inclusive entrepreneurs were chosen among over 380 applications across Africa to participate in an intensive program to prepare them for scaling up through training, mentoring, peer-to-peer exchanges, and meetings with investors.

To contribute to the acceleration of social and inclusive innovation on the African continent; is the objective set by the French Development Agency with the launch of the Social & Inclusive Business Camp (SIBC) program in 2017, led by the AFD Campus.

Each year, the SIBC brings to a cohort of English- and French-speaking African entrepreneurs very thorough support on 5 key themes for their scale-up. Leadership, formalization of scaling up, structuration of a team, impact measurement, and investment readiness are deeply explored during 13 weeks of online training and 5 days of intensive practical bootcamp in Marseille. Entrepreneurs are then invited to participate in the Emerging Valley Summit on the 28th and 29th of November to meet key stakeholders of the ecosystem, in particular through speed-meeting sessions with international investors.

In addition to training and the creation of funding opportunities, SIBC puts at the heart of its program the animation of a vibrant community of nearly 240 entrepreneurs who are committed to developing more sustainable and inclusive businesses in a variety of sectors such as agri-food, sustainable development, energy, education, and health. SIBC laureates hence benefit from this network and from mentoring by the program’s alumni.

This year, the program greets a new cohort of 43 entrepreneurs who promote projects with high impact potential on the continent.

An Innovative Support Program Dedicated To Entrepreneurs In Their Growth Phase

Since 2020, the program has been implemented by a consortium of partners – Investisseurs & Partenaires, African Management Institute (AMI), ScaleChanger, and StartupBRICS. With a solid teaching team and a detailed knowledge of African entrepreneurship, the consortium ensures the skills development of entrepreneurs through innovative pedagogies and networking with the African ecosystem and potential investors.

The SIBC’s educational path is based on 3 axes of support to best prepare companies for their future stages of development:

Three months of distance learning, bringing the cohort together every two weeks in live sessions and through practical open-access resources and tools around the key themes of the program.
One week of bootcamp in Marseille aims to enable entrepreneurs to deepen the themes studied and practice their learnings, followed by participating in the EMERGING Valley summit to pitch their projects and meet potential investors.
A mentoring program linking each laureate to one alumnus from a previous promotion for the duration of the program.

In addition to this, the SIBC is also a community that brings together a wide network of stakeholders, including:

An African community of alumni, connected to each other and developing lines of collaboration (strategic partnerships, access to new markets, contacts, etc.), well beyond the program itself.
Entrepreneurs and experts (investors, human resources specialists, management coaches, or leaders of booming companies)that entrepreneurs will be able to meet throughout the program to learn from them and be inspired. These meetings might lead to technical or financial partnerships.

As it is the last edition of the SIBC in its current form, this 2022 promotion is all more expected. The week of the bootcamp, followed by the Emerging Valley 2022 summit, will thus be an opportunity for the AFD and the consortium to reflect on the highlights and great successes of the SIBC over the past six years.

Women Entrepreneurs In The Spotlight, Composing More Than Half Of 2022 Cohort

This year, 43 companies from 18 African countries will participate in the SIBC. Most of them have been selected as part of a call for applications dedicated to the SIBC. The 7 others are the winners of the 2022 edition of two partner competitions of the program:

EMERGING Mediterranean, an unprecedented program to accelerate and scale up Maghreb startups in Tech for Good and positive innovation (6 winners);
RFI Africa App Challenge competition to support the development of digital applications in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to promote agriculture (1 winner).

Working in various sectors (agri-food, sustainable development, energy, education, health, etc.), more than half of this year’s selected entrepreneurs are women. They share inspiring and hopeful journeys through their entrepreneurial commitment to tackling social and environmental issues. They thus combine economic viability with impact, and they all innovate in the products and services they develop, their value chains, or even the construction of their economic model.

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Overview of SIBC 2022 laureates, by country:

Algeria

Kheira BENAISSA – Founder of GreenAl

Emerging Mediterranean & SIBC LaureateGreenAl (or Green Algeria) has developed and markets a high-efficiency biodigester system designed to help farmers with difficult access to energy to obtain electricity by converting organic waste into combustible gas for water pumping and organic fertilizer for agriculture.

Nadir KASSOUL – Commercial Manager of Garini

Emerging Mediterranean & SIBC Laureate

Garini is an eco-parking platform created in 2017 that connects parking owners with users who need spaces based in a logic of sustainable development (reduction of pollution due to traffic, etc.).

Benin

John DARI – Founder of Apiservices Monde

SIBC Laureate

Apiservices Monde produces beekeeping goods (honey, sweets, etc.), with the mission of structuring the apicultural value chain by offering accessible and quality training to as many people as possible.

Pamella N’ZE ASSEKO – Founder of Maison FUNKE

SIBC Laureate

FUNKE produces sleek and eco-responsible pieces of clothing made in Africa. The brand supports young women in precarious situations in their empowerment by learning the weaving profession.

Burkina Faso

Marc WOUROUGOU – Founder of NICE SARL

SIBC Laureate

NICE SARL is an eco-construction company that designs self-locking compressed earth bricks. These bricks, reducing the price of buildings by 30%, are therefore not only ecological but also economical, solid, and sustainable.

Ouedui Ernest ASSO – Founder of Solafrique

SIBC Laureate

Solafrique promotes using boreholes and solar-powered smart pumps for drinking water to facilitate agricultural production and, thus, the food security of vulnerable groups.

Ivory Coast

Salimata TOH – Founder of Agribanana

SIBC Laureate

Agribanana recovers agricultural waste in order to fight against plastic by producing 100% biodegradable packaging bags from banana tree trunks while deploying a strong employment policy for women and young people.

Rukayatou OYEDIRAN – Founder of Amira Global Technologies

SIBC Laureate

Amira Global Technologies has set up an online payment and sales solution that enables micro-entrepreneurs in rural areas to develop a digital business without the initial contribution and, at the same time to sell without moving.

Adjoua KOFFI – Founder of La Fine Sélection d’Adjoua

SIBC Laureate

La Fine Sélection d’Adjoua unearths the underrated culinary treasures of the African continent and offers them to the luxury markets of the delicatessen, intending to contribute to the influence of African culinary culture.

Achille KOUKOU – Co-founder of TgMaster

SIBC Laureate

TgMaster deploys a pan-African network of international campuses preparing students for the world’s best schools to improve employability, youth empowerment, and social inclusion in Africa.

Christelle HIEN KOUAME – Country Manager & CBO of Eneza Education

Winner of the Africa App Challenge & SIBC

Eneza Education is an Edtech that produces educational content and distributes it via SMS channels and web channels to enable greater accessibility of education. Its goal is to reduce school dropouts and build students' capacity in Côte d’Ivoire.

Ghana

Nate KWADJO – Sales Manager of Odina Couture

SIBC Laureate

Odina Couture transforms textile waste into quality clothing and furniture at affordable prices. The structure offers training and jobs to vulnerable populations trained to carry the project to their communities.

Christina Mawuse GYISUN – Founder of Sommalife

SIBC Laureate

Sommalife supports 18,000 shea producers by providing them with the resources to become successful business leaders through an application (pre-financing production, training, and market access).

Libya

Abdulrahman ZURGHANI – Founder of Abjad Limited

Emerging Mediterranean & SIBC

LaureateAbjad Limited develops an e-learning platform, MyMCQ. It aims to help Libyan students improve their academic knowledge and prepare them to pass their exams by means of artificial intelligence.

Madagascar

Meltine RASOANANDRASANA – Founder of APEM PAIQ S.A.

SIBC Laureate

APEM PAIQ S.A is a microfinance institution contributing to vulnerable populations' economic and social development through microcredit, micro-insurance, and deposit services.

Ony Tseheno Sitraka ANDRIANASOLO – CAV Madagascar

SIBC Laureate

As the island's first 100% online professional modular training platform, CAV Madagascar aims to reach a large population, especially in remote localities.

Elsa RAJEMISON – Founder of mTomady

SIBC Laureate

mTOMADY has developed a technology platform that helps reduce financial barriers to healthcare within informal and vulnerable African communities through a mobile savings and matchmaking system.

Joëlle RANDRIAMIANDRISOA – Founder of TSENAOW

SIBC Laureate

TSENAOW is committed to zero waste in Madagascar and manufactures sustainable and eco-responsible everyday products in an artisanal way to allow everyone to act against plastic pollution.

Mali

Abdoulaye SOUARE – Founder of DPE2D Green Energy

SIBC Laureate

DPE2D Green Energy is a company that recovers heat to convert it into clean electricity. It is the inventor of the Smart Stove that enables households to cook at a reduced cost outdoors in Mali.

Morocco

Yahya LOUGAGHI – Founder of Viable Ways Corp

Emerging Mediterranean & SIBC Laureate

Viable Ways Corp is an agricultural analysis startup. It develops software integrated with wireless sensors that makes it possible to monitor agricultural production in real-time and thus optimize resources.

Mauritania

Cheikhna COULIBALY – Founder of Sasa Plast

Emerging Mediterranean & SIBC Laureate

Sasa Plast manufactures street cobbles from plastic waste. The company thus contributes to the improvement of the living environment both in terms of waste recycling and the improvement of urban infrastructure.

Niger

Ouma Kaltoume ISSOUFOU – Founder of ProNat Store

SIBC Laureate

ProNat Store is a social enterprise that sells quality local products by promoting health and well-being, increasing and securing producers' income.

Nigeria

Tunde ADEYEMI – Founder of D-Olivette

SIBC Laureate

D-Olivette is a social enterprise using bio-organic technologies to create more daily energy and ecological fertilizer for rural populations through domestic biodigesters.

Christiana OKERE – Founder of MyStash Inc.

SIBC Laureate

myStash is a money management platform that leverages savings automation and online banking technologies to help Nigerians save and spend money smarter.

Falaiye TITILAYO – Founder of Orange Strategy Ltd

SIBC Laureate

Orange Strategy Ltd collects household recyclable waste through its WasteValue app and resells its derivatives. The structure offers households a financial counterpart in exchange for waste.

Ayeni OLAMIDE – Founder of Pearl Recycling Ltd

SIBC Laureate

Pearl Recycling Ltd transforms municipal solid waste into eco-friendly furniture for everyday use. To date, the company already has more than 52,000 tons of recycled waste to its credit.

Nnaedozie IDOKO – Founder of Solaristique Nigeria Limited

SIBC Laureate

Solaristic Nigeria designs solar-powered freezers made from recycled waste to make households more energy independent while improving the cold chain in Nigeria.

Uganda

Joseph OGWAL – Founder of Agro Supply

SIBC Laureate

Agro Supply has developed a bankless mobile savings tool that enables farmers to save and thus get out of poverty by allowing them to buy through regular savings inputs and agricultural training.

Enock Julius NAÏKA – Founder of Famunera

SIBC Laureate

Famunera is a digital marketplace that enables African food aggregators and exporters to profile farmers, find quality agricultural inputs, ensure traceability, and market exports to global importers.

Mark MATOVU – Founder of Nampya Farmers Market

SIBC Laureate

Nampya Farmers Market centralizes food purchases for redistribution across the country, creating a reliable and fair market for agricultural distributors and producers through a digital platform.

Gloriah NANDAWULA – Founder of Women Smiles Uganda

SIBC Laureate

Women Smiles Uganda provides training on sustainable vertical farming to women and other vulnerable populations and thus works towards better food security in the country.

DRC

Charmante KATUNGU – Founder of Eve JusticeBot

SIBC Laureate

Eve JusticeBot offers free legal help and connections with lawyers through a legal chatbot available 24/7. The structure is committed to reducing inequalities in access to justice, especially for people who do not have the financial means of legal tools.

Lapaque MBUMBA – Founder of MukulimaSoko

SIBC Laureate

MukulimaSoko is a digital and physical center that works to intensify the role of technology in agriculture through innovative and environmentally friendly methodologies.

Nadège BULA-BULA – Founder of M.Y SUCCESS

SIBC Laureate

M.Y Success, in acronym “MYS”, is a company whose main purpose is the processing and marketing of Bulukutu (Lippia Multiflora) and lemongrass, both marketed under the brand “Yanzambi”.

Jacques KAHORHA – Founder of Yme Jibu

SIBC Laureate

Yme Jibu is a company providing access to drinking water in the DRC. Private connections or standpipes distribute water to people who cannot afford a regular subscription.

Rwanda

Blandine UMUZIRANENGE – Founder of Kosmotive

SIBC Laureate

Kosmotive designs and manufactures feminine hygienic products, which are ecological, affordable, and reusable, for a precarious public.

Senegal

Pierre-Gilles COMMEAT – Founder of Baobab des Saveurs

SIBC Laureate

Baobab des Saveurs values West African vegetable raw materials by transforming them into a fair-trade logic. Baobab des Saveurs’ social innovation project also creates sustainable and organic forest value chains.

Fara Germain GOMIS – Sales Manager of Club Tiossane

SIBC Laureate

Club Tiossane is a home delivery service. Its project is to build a link between agricultural SMEs and urban consumers, which is essential in the agri-food value chains in Senegal.

Ndeye Khadiome NDONG – Founder of Dakane Agro-Cosmo

SIBC Laureate

Dakane Agro-Cosmo SARL is a social enterprise that ensures the income of farmers and women’s groups by reducing post-harvest losses in the fields through a zero-waste agri-food processing system.

Khady NDIAYE – COO of Niokobok

SIBC Laureate

Niokobok is an e-commerce site where Senegalese in the diaspora can order products and services for their families in Senegal. This contributes to the direct allocation of remittances by the diaspora.

Tanzania

Irene Simon IVAMBI – Founder of Mrembo Naturals Limited

SIBC Laureate

Mrembo Naturals Limited produces organic cosmetics that are good for hair by sourcing raw materials from women farmers and recycling unharvested agricultural waste. Mrembo Naturals also carries out awareness-raising work around the hair of African women.

Tunisia

Molka AYADI – Co-founder of Khalta

SIBC Laureate

Khalta is a startup and design studio that manufactures decorative objects and furniture based on a special mixture of concrete, resulting from nearly a year of experimentation. The structure is committed to working for the facilitation of access to culture and the democratization of Art in Tunisia.

Lamia CHOUK – Founder of Ahkili

Emerging Mediterranean & SIBC Laureate

Ahkili (“tell me”, in Arabic) is a platform committed to making psychological help more mentally, socially, and financially accessible in Tunisia.