12 Jul 2023

Nexus Dialogue in the Niger Basin // Fund-raising: promising start-ups go head-to-head with impact investors

From 22 to 24 May 2023, business meetings and matchmaking between start-ups and investors interested in the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Security Nexus were organised in Abidjan. The aim of this activity was to accelerate fundraising for these start-ups.

Implementation Nexus Blog Africa Niger Basin

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These three days enabled four start-ups benefiting from the WEF Nexus Programme and two start-ups supported by the Centre d'Incubation et d'Entrepreneuriat (CIE) of the 2iE institute to attract investors. The six start-ups (Agro-Eco Services, Green Business Consulting, Moonsoftbio, SAVIP, Laafi Concept SAS and Cajudium SAS) offer a range of solutions in renewable energy, sanitation, health and sustainable agriculture in Africa. The investors invited to the meeting were chosen for their interest in the WEF Nexus and the challenges facing people in the Sahel in general and the Niger Basin in particular.

Agro-Eco Services and Green Business Consulting recycle household, animal, plant and agro-industrial waste to produce organic charcoal and organic fertiliser. They help to manage urban waste, increase agricultural productivity, improve public health, capture carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Moonsoftbio and SAVIP offer solutions for the rehabilitation of public and private areas. SAVIP provides a local, low-cost waste collection and management service. Moonsoftbio recycles plastics to produce intelligent bio-digesters that convert fermentable waste into methane and fertiliser. The two start-ups are thus helping to rehabilitate people's living environments, reduce the spread of waterborne diseases, increase agricultural productivity and reduce dependence on wood/charcoal and chemical fertilisers.

This activity is part of the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus Acceleration Programme in the nine member countries of the Niger Basin Authority (NBA). This programme, led by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, is being implemented by 2iE with funding from the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Laafi Concept SAS is a technology company that develops, manufactures and supplies digital solutions for monitoring, regulating and preserving pharmaceutical and other heat-sensitive products. It helps improve vaccination coverage among young children and reduce post-harvest losses and food waste.

The start-up Cajudium SAS contributs to the development of new products (appetisers, natural juices, livestock feed, solid fuels) in the cashew nut sector in Burkina Faso. It also contributes to reducing food waste by adding value to the cashew nut and fighting deforestation.

Investment prospects

With a high impact and increasing demand in the face of low production volumes, these start-ups are looking for funding to scale up and meet the needs of the market. In between exciting roundtable discussions and B-2-B exchanges, project leaders played their various cards and presented their solutions and growth perspectives to the investors of choice. Rekia Foudel and Anais Amazit from Barka Fund, Nouss Bih from Sahel Capital, and Patrick Tognisso from Dakar Network Angels (DNA) were among the investors who showed interest in the start-up projects.

The meeting helped accelerate the process of raising funds for the six start-ups present, while providing a setting for sharing best practices with investors. Topics discussed included identifying investors, analysing opportunities and the unspoken aspects of negotiations. The event ended with a shared satisfaction that paved the way for further exchanges and future alliances between the different actors.

This activity is part of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus acceleration programme in the nine (09) member countries of the Niger Basin Authority (NBA). This programme,led by GIZ, is being implemented by 2iE with funding from the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Investment prospects

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