Gervais Koffi Djondo Foundation : bringing new African champions to light
A pioneer of entrepreneurship in Africa, a visionary and pan-Africanist, co-founder of Ecobank and Asky, Togolese Gervais Koffi Djondo is the embodiment of success made in Africa. The foundation that bears his name aims to promote African integration and the emergence of new champions.
At the latest edition of the Africa SME Champions Forum, a celebration of African small and medium-sized enterprises held in Lomé last October, an important announcement was made: the creation of the Gervais Koffi Djondo Foundation. « We have wanted to honor him for several years, » says Didier Acouetey, Chairman of AfricSearch and the Africa SME Champions Forum. A symbol of African entrepreneurial success par excellence, Gervais Koffi Djondo, originally from Togo, co-founded the pan-African bank Ecobank and was the driving force behind the airline Asky. And much more…
« A pan-African vision and a rigorous approach”
« In a very discreet and modest way, he has contributed to the transformation of the pan-African business fabric. BOAD (West African Development Bank) and ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) form the institutional architecture of regional integration. But for this to happen, the real actor is the private sector, » says economist Paulo Gomes. Gervais Koffi Djondo has done this with Ecobank and Asky. He brought two important elements to the process: a pan-African vision and a method, rigor.
That’s the purpose of this foundation: to draw inspiration from this legacy to continue Gervais Koffi Djondo’s work by helping to bring new champions to light. « The idea is to crystallize this method around a foundation. We need to create more pan-African companies, in all sectors, » explains Paulo Gomes.
“A meeting place to train young people in entrepreneurial leadership”
« One of mankind’s constant challenges is the fight against time, » adds Coffi Alexis Aquereburu, a lawyer specializing in intellectual property and a close associate of Gervais Koffi Djondo. « The aim of the Foundation is to combine time and space. The professor has shown us the way. Now we have to imagine this foundation project as a place for education and teaching, to show that Africa is not only about mining resources, but also about talent. The foundation will also be a place where people can come together and meet, so that the legacy of this great man continues and the star does not fade ».
Find out more : https://africa-smechampions.com/fr/acceuil/
