Established: 2007

I&P's investment: 20% of equity stake

Loan outstanding at end-2008 : 4.335 million €

Afrique Emergence & Initiative is a joint stock company in Abidjan. It has four offices in the town and operates 20 contact points on local markets.

AE&I employs 42 people.

Ivory Coast’s micro finance sector is very underdeveloped and the market remains immature. The sector mainly comprises friendly societies and Savings and Loan cooperatives (COOPEC) which are mainly savings-oriented and often not particularly dynamic.

Against this background, I&P’s strategy is based on an original model, offering access via market booths to achieve close contact with its client base, which mainly consists of women selling basic foodstuffs on Abidjan’s markets.

This young institution has developed very quickly.  AE&I had 5,000 clients at end-October 2009.