Business leaders, teachers and Fondacio members spoke at the opening forum of the Fondacio in Africa Congress on February 26-27, 2022. They proved that with courage, commitment, hard work and the help of the community, anything is possible, even with little means.
"To become an entrepreneur, you have to overcome fear and work, work, work," said Professor Koffigan Agbati, a lecturer and researcher at universities in Togo, during his lecture at the opening forum of the Fondacio Congress in Africa in late February (see below).
Ferdinand Adindjita, Director of the Fondacio Training Institute (IFF) in Africa, also stressed: "Young people need to change their attitude. This is the biggest challenge. Often, they claim that they lack money to start their business. But they must first work, because it is work that brings in money! Audacity, perseverance, patience, dynamism and loyalty are the values to be built in young people.
Doing business takes courage
The journey of Armel Atchou, a student at IFF Afrique in 2020, tells it well. The young man estimated that he needed 600,000 CFA francs (a little over €900) to start his business, by renting a 3000 m2 plot of land and irrigating it. He soon had to scale back his ambitions due to a lack of funds. “I sold charcoal to pay for artemisia seeds and pots,” he said at the forum. “Then someone gave me 30,000 CFA francs in advance for the work (€45). That’s how I started, step by step.”
Armel Atchou started his business, Farm Village ATM, last year. He grows fruit trees (mango, lemon, guava and coconut). He employs twelve agricultural engineers. His turnover is 2.3 million CFA francs (€3,500). "We're going to start planting banana trees this year," he says. "We're also going to introduce young people to farming, thanks to a patron who gave us a 25-hectare plot of land. It's not ideal, but where we are is better than where we started. I could have resigned, but I showed courage and self-denial. It's courage that counts."
Community in action
By 2030, about 29 million young people will enter the job market in Africa each year. The continent holds the record for the highest proportion of adults starting or running a new business in the world. "World Bank surveys show that small businesses, less than five years old, are the biggest contributors to new job creation," said Christian T. Helim, a speaker at the forum. However, they face financing challenges. "Some countries, like Togo, are putting in place mechanisms to help young people get started.
But for Ferdinand Adindjita, we need to go further: "Parents, politicians and financial institutions need to change their mindset. Training and integrating young people into society and the job market requires all of us to be involved." According to him, the first source of funding lies in the community. "We encourage young people to come together and build a common vision. Coming together is a start, staying together is an improvement, working together ensures success. Of course, this must be based on human values: loyalty, trust and living together.
Working together
After 17 years of administrative management, Eusèbe Zinsouga, head of Fondacio in Benin, decided to leave his job and create his own company, Amocles Plus, in waste management and urban sanitation. He was aware of the difficulties that companies face at the beginning. He first contacted business leaders to set up a commercial synergy. This gave birth to Synergie Thez two years ago. It allows his company and two others to share their activities and address books.
"We are stronger together," says Eusèbe Zinsouga. "You just have to find people who share the same human and moral values." Thus, in the opinion of the 47-year-old, "launching your business with little money is a state of mind. You have to dare and move forward. If you make a mistake along the way, it doesn't matter, you'll try again. You shouldn't be afraid to work in synergy. Today, Eusèbe Zinsouga employs more than 135 permanent workers for sanitation work and 20 contract workers. "We are proud to contribute to cleaning up cities in Benin."
Next forum in Bogota
Concluding the forum, François Prouteau, President of Fondacio, said: "We are entrepreneurs together. We need each other to be inspired and encouraged in our entrepreneurial abilities." At the end of the forum, thirty African delegates and several members of the Fondacio Board reviewed the last four years since the last Congress.
The first phase of the Fondacio Congress will be held on four continents, from February to June 2022. After Lomé, it will take place in Bogota, Colombia, from April 2 to 6. The theme that will be addressed at the Latin American forum will be: "Engaging young people in integral ecology and social justice."
Watch the testimonies of entrepreneurs in Africa (above) and the conference of Professor Koffigan Agbati (below).
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