Ibrahim Hissein Bourma is only 27 years old and yet, after only 7 years in business, he already runs 3 companies with a value of around $30 million. Bourma was born and raised in Chad, and a passion for his home country is central to his business ethos, as he aims to create more than just a personal empire, but to help his nation prosper too.

3 companies inside 7 years

Bourma was born and raised in Chad, but he went to France in order to pursue higher education, graduating in 2009 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and Finance. Although Chad is not a country with a well-established history of entrepreneurship, Bourma was determined to return to his homeland in order to begin his business career. After graduation, Bourma set up his first company in Chad – Umm Alkheir Construction – which later became known as Imperial Construction. The move into construction was one that seemed logical, as Bourma’s father runs Chad’s first ever construction company. By 2014, Bourma decided to set up a second company, operating in a field that he was personally passionate about – cars. Iby Motors turned a hobby into a thriving business, as Bourma began importing automobiles of numerous types to sell within Chad, while also offering affordable maintenance at the largest garage complex in Chad.

Diversification of interests paid off, and his success encouraged Bourma to move into a third arena of enterprise – the fashion industry – as he launched Iby Fashion. Iby Fashion offered central African nations imported European fashion brands, in much the same way that Iby Motors offered car enthusiasts in Chad the opportunity to buy imported automobiles. As the 3 companies that Mr. Bourma created continued to flourish, he created the holding company Oum Alkheir Holding, of which he is the CEO. Oum Alkheir Holding had an annual turnover in excess of $30 million by last year, and Bourma is driven to continue growing his businesses, and providing Chad’s people further opportunities for work.

The future for Bourma and Chad

Mr. Bourma has made major decisions in his personal life, but even some of these are linked to his burning desire to open up more markets within Chad. Bourma is married, and after his wife gave birth to their first child he moved himself and his family to Dubai. However, despite this change in his living arrangement, his commitment to Chad’s economic development remains unwavering. Bourma explains that the main motivation behind his move was to create business connections that could benefit Chad, saying that his thought process was “If I move to Dubai, it is (with) the aim to make…relationships in the midst of international investors.”

Bourma already plans to open an Iby Fashion store in both Dubai and Montreal, as Iby now creates its own range alongside stocking established fashion labels. While 80% of Oum Alkheir Holding’s profits currently come from the Imperial Construction wing of its operations, Bourma sees opportunities to create new projects that will create more jobs within Chad. Bourma says that he is open to any proposal for new business ventures in Chad, and that he carefully looks at any new idea from prospective collaborators. Moreover, Bourma is convinced that entire areas of industry can be better organized to change Chad’s fortunes. With his existing interests in fashion, the textile industry is one that stands out, as Chad is a net exporter of cotton. Bourma states that, “While the stock is at hand, Chad has no textile industry.”

As Chad’s economy improves, Bourma sees openings in numerous areas, explaining that he wants to “revive industry in Chad” and that “everything remains to be done, in textiles, in food processing, leather etc…I’m open to new ideas and people…I like the risk, but only when controlled and calculated.”Bourma already employs 600 people, and if his ambitions for new ventures are met, than this number should grow rapidly, bringing new employment and revenue to his country of birth.

Ibrahim Hissein Bourma is already a renowned name within Chadian business and industry, but at such a young age he has years in which to make an even grander reputation for himself and his country. Only 7 years into his career, he has already created firsts within Chad’s economy, and his determination to continue in this vein should provide exciting times ahead for commerce in one of central Africa’s often overlooked nations.

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Vangsy Goma is the young man behind Africab, the latest Uber style taxi service within the continent of Africa. Goma himself is only 31 years old, but his company has already had an immediate impact in the Ivory Coast, and his fresh approach to the industry could reach far further than its launch site.

From Africa to Europe and back again

Vangsy Goma was born in the capital of the Republic of Congo, Brazzaville, into a powerful Congolese family. Goma’s grandmother is the wife of Congolese president, Denis Sassou Nguesso, and yet his privileged upbringing did not dent an enthusiasm to create changes in his home continent. Goma went to pursue further education in France, and eventually graduated with a degree in management and marketing from France’s IDRAC institute. Goma decided to return to Africa, and his home country, where he began working as a project manager for Congo’s Assistance Foundation – a body that focuses on spreading access to education for children within the Lower Kouilou region. By 2012, Goma changed path, and began working for the oil company CNPC as a commercial services manager; before another move into a higher position, as commercial director, at Congo’s MBTP construction company. It was during his time with MBTP that Goma devised his plan for Africab, and he began talks with professional colleagues and the investment group, CEMAC, about his vision.

The creation of Africab

While Goma could have easily avoided the stress and financial risk that comes with starting up your own business, nothing in his background (or successful early career) appears to have reduced his entrepreneurial spirit, or desire to help his own people. Goma says that it was a conversation with a friend, and fellow entrepreneur, Vérone Mankou, that led to him formulating his idea for Africab. Mankou is the man behind a highly successful Congolese mobile phone company, VMK, and Goma explains that his business model was one that inspired him, because “he turned great local demand for imported products into inclusive local economic growth. VMK means new jobs and new skills for Africa.”

Goma felt that this was something he could also use as a model to rectify a problem that he had noticed on a visit to the Ivory Coast’s capital city, Abidjan. Goma explained, “Africab is a ‘startup’ born from the observation…that African urban populations had new transportation needs.” Goma observed that many African nations had a rapidly growing middle class, and that existing transport systems were unreliable, unsafe or lacking modern facilities that many consumers desired. The initial target audience was the men and women of the professional middle classes, which is why Goma proudly describes how “In our taxis, we have electronic tablets, on which you can check emails and city guide. There is also a 4G network available on board.”

Abidjan is only the beginning

Despite being Congolese, Goma chose Abidjan as his launching point, due to “purely economic reasons and opportunities”, as the city (and Ivory Coast as a whole) has a well-established middle class, with stable growth, and a high demand for new services. However, Goma’s goal is to revolutionize transport across sub-Saharan Africa, and he is eager to bring Africab to his hometown of Brazzaville as well as many other destinations.

While Abidjan’s relative prosperity was ideal for the company’s launch, Goma wants his company to not only work for the customers, but also for its employees. Unlike Uber, and other established taxi apps, Africab owns all of its cars, directly employs its drivers, and sees long-term job creation as one of its core components. Goma says he wants it to be a truly pan-African company that provides its staff with training, and opportunities to develop their potential.

Since Africab launched in February of this year, the fleet of cars has extended from 30 to 50, and has already ordered 120 more vehicles, such is the demand! Goma states that 10,000 potential customers have downloaded the app, and he recently signed a deal with the Beninese Company, MIG Motors, which will be responsible for rolling out the service in Benin. Vangsy Goma is still only 31, but his success looks likely to continue, and investors will be watching his progress with interest.

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Peter Njonjo made a risky decision last year. He left his top IT job at the European Union to launch his own prepared meats company, Gregos Foods. He says he was compelled by his love of cooking and his search to finding high-quality barbecue products in his native Kenya. He explained: “Kenya has the best meat in terms of the world, but what we are actually getting in terms of retail is not the best. I thought we could do better so we started off.” In just over one year he’s gone from a backyard conversation to seeing his products on supermarket shelves. This is a massive achievement in a country that is dominated by one industry leader: Farmer’s Foods, which has an enormous 44% of the market share. Avid cooks, Njonjo and his friends were inspired to make their own meat products by a lack of processed meats available in stores. They realized there was a gap in the market and that their homemade products were in demand and could be produced on a larger scale. He conducted a vast amount of market research and customer testing before deciding that this was a viable business. They created products such as goat sausages, bacon and beef burgers and wrapped chicken thighs, which were all extremely popular with their product testers. Although he initially knew very little about this industry, he was determined to make the company a success.

Smart business decisions that have led to success

Seven months later the first factory was opened. There were a number of factors that determined the success of the company, most of which were related to Njonjo’s business acumen and sharp, academic mind. First, he chose to rent space in an already operational factory that was running under capacity instead of an expensive new build. This factory was located in Kikuyu, a small agricultural town about 20 km outside of Nairobi. It was a central location for distribution, but considerably cheaper than renting inside the capital city, and much closer to the meat producers they would rely on. Next, he reached out to his network of friends and ex-colleagues for assistance in areas that he lacked specific expertise, such as HR, finance and marketing. This avoided expenses on external consultants services, and reduced the startup costs considerably. They relied on social media marketing, local events and word-of- mouth for publicity and slowly built a loyal consumer base through their home and business deliveries. They eventually broke into retail and secured deals with supermarkets to stock their products.

Savvy spending of profits, brand awareness and driving sales

He explained that they don’t expect to make any money in the first year, offering deals to spread brand awareness and ploughing profits back into increasing production capabilities. The company also elected to use influencers and food bloggers to drive sales and publicity. The biggest challenge, says Njonjo, is competing with industry leaders, who have significant visibility and customer loyalty. The focus has been maximizing their exposure to challenge these market leaders, something many competitors/newcomers have failed to do in the Kenyan food industry.

The future for Njonjo and Gregor Foods

After just one year in business, “Gregos Foods” is booming. The company has plans to expand its manufacturing capacity to meet growing demand and have recently expanded into wholesale, as well as catering for hotels and restaurants. The long-term goal is to expand into the export market, supplying products to neighboring African countries, and even beyond. They intend to collaborate with other small-scale producers who have unique recipes and are looking for production and distribution partners. This could see Gregos Foods growing into a parent company for a number of different producers, while at the same time helping other people like Njonjo who had a plan/an idea but struggled to compete with dominant giants in the food industry. His advice to other entrepreneurs is to be realistic about the market: “Give yourself time to grow, go for what you can do best and ensure that you add value as opposed to being ordinary.” With the rise of food and manufacturing entrepreneurs across the continent, people like Njonjo have been encouraged to follow their dreams. Although he has no experience in the in food industry, his business expertise has enabled him to succeed where others have failed.

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