Suguba, in partnership with Mercy Corps and the French Development Agency (AFD), is organising its second investment readiness program in French-speaking West Africa to support the most promising start-ups in the digital sector.

According to a statement released to the media, L'Afrique Excelle, the Francophone adaptation of the World Bank XL Africa technology accelerator, was Suguba's first acceleration program.

The program, which ended in 2019, aimed to connect francophone start-ups on the continent with mentors and investors.

Organisers say Afrique Excelle had enabled the first ten French-speaking sub-Saharan African start-ups to raise funds for a total of about US$10-million.

The entrepreneurs selected for Afrikhaliss will be trained and mentored by international and local experts in a tailor-made program to increase their brand visibility and give them access to potential partners and investors.

Through its collaboration with leading investors, particularly in French-speaking Africa, Afrikhaliss will help the selected start-ups attract capital.

Flagship activities include two one-week residential training sessions in Dakar, Senegal, and another in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, offering entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop their professional network and learn from mentors, peers, and local and international partners.

The residential training in Dakar will conclude with a Pitch at the second edition of the Francophone Africa Investment Summit where entrepreneurs will present their start-ups to new technology experts, investors, large companies, experts and media.

The program partners are the main investment funds and business angels active in Francophone Africa.

The eight Francophone West African start-ups selected for the cohort of this program are the following:

Bio Agripol, a Senegalese start-up that provides participatory financing to individuals serving the agricultural value chain.

Mousso, a Senegalese start-up that provides the necessary supplies via a mobile platform and allows a deferred payment with 0% interest.

Dothan, an Ivorian start-up company whose mission is to develop a financial management and support tool for African VSE/SMEs called KEIWA.

Eneza, an Ivorian EDTECH that provides educational content with the main objective of overcoming the obstacles related to access to quality education through digital technology in Côte d'Ivoire and the West African sub-region.

CinetPay, an Ivorian Fintech created in 2016, develops digital solutions for payment and money transfer, via mobile money, bank cards (Visa, MasterCard) and electronic wallets.

Carfics, a French technology startup based in Montpellier and focused on Africa, helps companies to improve the operational and therefore economic performance of their strategic assets, particularly in the field of transport.

Shop Me Away, a Senegalese start-up, the new Airbnb of parcels. The Shopmeaway platform provides you with an address in the country you want to receive your packages and re-ship them to your home at a lower cost.

Kamtar, an Ivorian start-up operates in the transport sector while collecting and delivering your parcels where you want. They are involved in international convoys to Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Guinea, Mali and Burkina.