Generally known as the “bosses’ bosses”, these shrewd businessmen and seasoned serial entrepreneurs oversee the employers’ organisations in their respective countries, while working to ensure the prosperity of their own companies. As the link between the private sector and public authorities, these wealth and job creators are at the heart of social dialogue. Who are these “bosses’ bosses”? What are their companies? In which sectors have they invested ? Portraits of 23 “bosses of bosses” from French-speaking Africa with diverse backgrounds.
NB: The personalities on this list have been placed at random and their ranking is not synonymous with the importance of one personality over another.
Célestin Kamanou Tawamba, President of the Cameroon Inter-Patronal Group (GICAM)
In June 2017, Célestin Tawamba was elected President of the Cameroon Inter-Patronal Group (GICAM), the organisation most representative of the private sector in Cameroon. GICAM currently has more than 1,000 members.
In May 2018, Célestin Tawamba was elected president of the Central African Employers’ Union (Unipace). He is also vice-president of the alliance of French-speaking employers, representing the “Central Africa” geographical area.
APF is the leading business network in the French-speaking world. It comprises 29 representative professional organizations and represents the formal private sector in French-speaking countries. 90% of the companies affiliated to the organization’s members are small and medium-sized businesses.
Célestin Tawamba is the founder of Cadyst Consumer Group (formerly Cadyst Invest Group), Cameroon’s largest and oldest pasta producer, as well as Cameroon’s largest flour producer. Cadyst is also Cameroon’s leading importer of wheat and the country’s leading pasta manufacturer.
The Cameroonian entrepreneur is at the helm of four companies operating in the pharmaceutical and agri-food sectors. These are “La Pasta S.A” and “Panzani Cameroun”, which specialise in the production of pasta, and Cinpharm and SIPP (Société industrielle de produits pharmaceutiques), which produce generic medicines and other medical consumables. In 2002, Célestin Twamba set up La Pasta S.A., an independent pasta manufacturer. In 2003, La Pasta S.A. launched a flour mill with a crushing capacity of 15 tonnes a day, which was increased to 320 tonnes a day in 2004. In 2005, Célestin Tawamba created Cadyst Invest, the holding company of La Pasta S.A, and bought Panzani Cameroun.
Célestin Tawamba’s ambition is to make Cadyst Consumer Group the leading food group in Central Africa.
Henri-Claude Oyima, President of the Federation of Gabonese Enterprises (FEG)
Henri-Claude OYIMA has been President of the Federation of Gabonese Enterprises (FEG) since August 2022. FEG members currently represent and produce nearly 80% of Gabon’s GDP and over 90% of its formal workforce.
Henri-Claude OYIMA is the Chairman and CEO of the BGFIBank Group, which claims to be the leading banking group in Central Africa, with 21 companies and 10 brands. The Gabonese entrepreneur has also been Chairman of the Board of Directors of the unified financial market of the Central African Stock Exchange (BVMAC), headquartered in Cameroon, since July 2019.
Robert Malumba Kalombo, President of the Federation of Enterprises of Congo (DRC)
Elected president of the Federation of Enterprises of Congo (FEC) on Monday November 27, 2023, Robert Malumba Kalombo succeeded Albert Yuma, who had headed this employers’ organization since 2004. A Congolese businessman who has been active in the private sector for over 30 years, he founded and manages the Mak’s Trading SARL group, active in the building and public works (BTP) sector. Elected for a 4-year term at the head of the FEC, Robert Malumba was, prior to his election, chairman of the FEC’s national public works commission.
Michel Djombo, President of the Congo Employers’ and Interprofessional Union (Unicongo)
Since January 2023, Michel Djombo has been President of the Congo Employers’ and Interprofessional Union (Unicongo). Founded in 1958, this professional association currently represents 320 private sector companies in the Congo and defends their interests in dealings with public and institutional authorities. Representing over 90% of the formal sector, Unicongo is made up of 15 national trade federations.
Michel Djombo is the Associate Managing Director of General Trading Company, a company launched in 2013 and described as a pioneer in Central Africa in eco-responsible oil palm cultivation. GTC is a member of the African Palm Oil initiative, which promotes sustainable oil palm cultivation.
Michel Djombo is also the founder of CA Agri, a Congolese company born of a partnership between GTC and the South African group VS Agri. CA Agri produces and distributes agricultural inputs: chemical fertilizers, organic fertilizers and plant protection products.
Before being elected President of Unicongo, Michel Djombo created the employers’ association’s agriculture, livestock and fisheries federation.
Idrissa NASSA, President of the National Council of Burkinabè Employers
Idrissa Nassa was elected Chairman of the National Council of Burkinabè Employers in October 2023. He is the founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Coris Holding, a financial company whose main activities are organized around the banking sector under the Coris Bank International banner with nine subsidiaries or branches: in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Togo, Benin, Senegal, Guinea and two branches in Niger and Guinea Bissau. In 2019, Coris Holding launched Coris Méso Finance, a company dedicated to Méso Finance. Coris Holding also includes an Islamic Finance branch, Coris Bank International Baraka, which is currently present in seven countries, with the aim of offering people alternative financing solutions.
Sitti Djaouharia Chihabiddine, President of the Comoros Employers’ Organization
In February 2020, Sitti Djaouharia Chihabiddine was elected President of the Comoros Employers’ Organization (OPACO). She is the Managing Director of “Vaniacom SARL”, a family business that has been growing and exporting organic and conventional bourbon vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) worldwide since 1999. Thanks to its exceptional aromatic profile, vanilla from the Comoros is ranked No. 1 in the world. Vaniacom offers its customers both organic and conventional vanilla.
Sitti Djaouharia Chihabiddine is a former president of the Comorian association of cash crop exporters.
Eustache Kotingan, President of the National Employers’ Council of Benin
Eustache Gustave Kotingan was elected president of the National Employers’ Council of Benin (CNP-Bénin) on 25 May 2022. The employers’ organization, founded on 13 September 1984, represents Benin’s business leaders. Prior to his election, Eustache Kotingan had been acting president of CNP Benin since 2017, following the departure into exile of former CNP president Sébastien Ajavon.
Eustache Gustave Kotingan runs the company Atral, which specializes in transit (sea, air and land), handling and consignment, mainly in the container terminal of the dry port of Allada, a bonded extension of the autonomous port of Cotonou, located in the town of Allada, 60 kilometres from Cotonou.
Eustache Gustave Kotingan was also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Industries Cotonnières Associés, which became Société pour le Development du Coton, Benin’s leading cotton ginner (91.7% of national capacity).
Eustache Gustave Kotingan is also Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of the National Federation of Industrialists’ Associations and Groups of Benin.
Baïdy Agne, President of Senegal’s National Employers’ Council (CNP)
A key figure in the Senegalese economy, Baïdy Agne has been President of the Senegalese National Employers’ Council (CNP) since 2002. CNP is a confederation of professional employers’ groups whose companies operate in all sectors of the national economy. The Senegalese businessman is also President of the Senegalese Ports Handling Companies Union (SEMPOS).
Baïdy Agne is Chairman of Ndar Energy, a private electricity company in Senegal, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the “I-Cons” group, a Senegalese company set up in 2009, whose main activity is in the building and public works (BTP) sector. The main contracts won by the company relate to roadworks, sanitation and civil engineering works.
Baïdy Agne is also Chairman of the Alia company, a minority shareholder in the Senegalese bulk carrier terminal company. He is also First Vice-Chairman of Senegal’s Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) and Chairman of the Senegalese Golf Federation.
Baïdy AGNE holds an MBA in finance and general management from Tulane University, New Orleans/USA; an engineering degree in electrical engineering from the Ecole Supérieure d’Ingénieurs de Marseille; and a master’s degree in physical sciences from Pierre et Marie Curie University, Paris VI.
Ahmed CISSE, President of the General Confederation of Ivory Coast Businesses (CGECI)
A major player in the Côte d’Ivoire property sector, Ahmed Cissé, 55, was elected President of the General Confederation of Ivory Coast Businesses (CGECI) on Wednesday 30 November 2022, succeeding Jean-Marie Ackah, who had been President since 2016.
Elected for a 3-year term, renewable once, Ahmed Cissé is the sixth president of the CGECI. Prior to his election, he had been vice-chairman and a member of the CGECI Executive Board since 2016. He has been a member of the CGECI Board of Directors since 2014.
Ahmed Cissé is chairman and CEO of the real estate company Brandon & Mcain. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the mobile phone company Moov Côte d’Ivoire, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Banque Atlantique du Togo and a director of several companies.
Ahmed Cissé is a Commander of the National Order of Côte d’Ivoire.
Saïda Neghza, President of the General Confederation of Algerian Enterprises
Since 2016, Saïda Neghza has been President of the General Confederation of Algerian Enterprises (CGEA), an organization billed as the doyenne of employers’ organizations, from which most of the employers’ organizations currently active in Algeria derive. The fundamental aim of the CGEA is to promote free enterprise in order to ensure growth and sustainable employment; and to promote continuing education in Algeria.
Saïda Neghza is also President of Business Africa, an organization comprising fifty-four countries.
Saïda Neghza is the founder and Managing Director of the SORALCOF Group, which groups together several companies active in public works, hydraulics, property development, mining and import/export.
Saïda Neghza joined the CGEA in 2004 as president of the organization’s Algiers office. She was elected vice-president in 2012 and actively participated in the development and restructuring of the employers’ organization, before being elected president in 2016.
The Algerian entrepreneur is a member of the Governing Body of the International Labor Office and the International Labor Organization (ILO/OIT), as well as Africa’s representative on the International Organization of Employers (IOE).
She is also a founding member and former president (2017-2020) of BusinessMed (Mediterranean Union of Business Confederations), the leading regional representative of the private sector reflecting the interests of 25 business confederations from the member countries of the Union for the Mediterranean.
Saïda Neghza also chaired the Board of Directors of the Arab Labor Organization (ALO), the first Algerian to chair this organization.
Laurent Coami Tamegnon, President of the National Employers’ Council of Togo (CNPT)
President of the National Employers’ Council of Togo (CNP-Togo) since 03 February 2017, Laurent Coami Tamegnon Sedolo was re-elected president of the CNP-Togo for a second five-year term in March 2022. The CNP-Togo represents private sector employers and aims to organize the various professions and defend the collective and individual interests of its members and the private sector as a whole. The CNP-Togo brings together 21 professional associations and some 1,500 companies.
Laurent Coami Tamegnon Sedolo is also vice-president of the Federation of West African Employers’ Organizations.
A graduate of the National School of Administration in Lomé and the School of Philosophy and Applied Social Sciences (PHISSA) at the University of Benin, Laurent Coami Tamegnon Sedolo is Chairman and Managing Director of the industrial laundry “Propreté et Hygiène” (PHY), a company specializing in linen processing, and Managing Director of the Société africaine de négoce et de commercialisation (SANECOM), a clothing company that produces professional and civilian clothing for a number of trades in West Africa: armies, hotel and hospital staff, etc.
Laurent Coami Tamegnon Sedolo is also Managing Director of Lorenovich International (SLI), which specialises in the agri-food industry, and Chairman of the Board of the “Centre de Formation aux Métiers de l’Industrie” (CFMI) in Togo. This center is responsible for helping to develop the skills of the various industrial companies in Togo and the sub-region, through technical and practical retraining sessions.
Olivier Suguru, President of the Federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Burundi (CFCIB)
In 2022, Olivier Suguru was elected President of the Federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Burundi (CFCIB), the umbrella organization that brings together most of the professional organizations in Burundi’s private sector. The CFCIB’s objective is to initiate, propose and support all actions aimed at improving the business environment in Burundi, with a view to developing the private sector.
Olivier Suguru is also Chairman of the Burundi Industrialists’ Association within the CFCIB. An auditor by training who graduated from the Institut Supérieur de Contrôle et de Gestion in 2001, Olivier Suguru is the General Secretary of Savonor, the largest manufacturing company specializing in cosmetics, hygiene and food products (bar and liquid soaps, detergents and oils) and one of the largest private companies in Burundi, with over 1,500 employees. Savonor is the market leader with over 35 products.
From 2004 to 2009, Olivier Suguru was a member of the Board of Directors of the Burundi Palm Oil Board and was reappointed to the same position from 2019 to 2023. From 2013 to 2022, he was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Burundi Revenue Authority. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Burundian Office of Standardisation (BBN) representing the private sector.
Olivier Bastienne, President of the Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry
In 2018, Oliver Bastienne was elected President of the Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry. A former country manager of EY in Seychelles, he is currently managing director of ACM & Associates, a leading firm of chartered accountants in Seychelles.
Olivier Bastienne graduated in Accounting and Finance from Loughborough University, England.
Samir Majoul, President of the Tunisian Union of Industry, Commerce and Handicrafts (UTICA)
Samir Majoul, an agri-food entrepreneur, has been President of the Tunisian Union of Industry, Commerce and Handicrafts (UTICA) since 2018. This employers’ organization brings together the professional structures of the various non-agricultural economic sectors (industry, commerce, services, crafts and small trades). UTICA represents nearly 150,000 private companies from all sectors of activity in Tunisia, with the exception of tourism and the banking and financial sector. Most of these member companies are small and medium-sized enterprises.
Samir Majoul runs “Conserves Majoul”, a company specializing in the manufacture of canned food: harissa and double concentrated tomatoes.
Prior to his election as head of the Tunisian employers’ association, he had been its vice-president since January 2013.
A former graduate of Paris Dauphine, Samir Majoul is a member of the Board of Directors of the Franco-Arab Chamber of Commerce. He is also vice-chairman of the Mediterranean Tomato Industry Association (AMITOM).
Thierry-Marie Rajaona, President of the Group of Madagascar Companies
Since March 2020, Thierry-Marie Rajaona has been Chairman of Group of Madagascar Companies (GEM), of which he was Vice-Chairman for twenty-five years. The GEM covers the main sectors of economic activity in Madagascar and brings together, through its member groups, companies of various sizes, from small and medium-sized enterprises to large corporations. GEM member companies account for 41% of formal employment in Madagascar and 44% of the wage bill.
Thierry-Marie Rajaona is also vice-president of the alliance of French-speaking employers, representing the Indian Ocean region.
Since 1998, Thierry-Marie Rajaona has been the founder and managing partner of FTHM Conseils, a management and organizational consultancy that currently employs around one hundred permanent consultants. He is also the founder of Equation RH, a company specializing in recruitment, provision and management of personnel, which currently manages a workforce of 2,000.
Thierry-Marie Rajaona has been Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Strategy Committee of Sipem Bank, a pioneer in microfinance in Madagascar, since 2010. He acquired a stake in the bank via his Harembolena fund.
Thierry-Marie Rajaona is also the founder of the Malagasy Investment Club (MAIC), which sees itself as the first club of pioneering investors to support Malagasy companies with high growth potential and a significant social and environmental impact.
Thierry-Marie Rajaona was one of the founders of the Jeune Patronat Malagasy (JPM) in France, many of whose members currently sit on the GEM board.
A graduate of HEC Paris, Thierry-Marie Rajaona also holds a master’s degree in financial and banking management from the University of Paris-Dauphine and a master’s degree in international law from the University of Paris-Assas.
Ansoumane Kaba, President of the General Confederation of Guinean Enterprises (CGE-GUI)
Ansoumane Kaba was elected president of the General Confederation of Guinean Enterprises (CGE-GUI) in 2015. CGE-GUI is a non-political employers’ organization that speaks on behalf of companies and federations in Guinea’s private sector. CGE-GUI’s mission is to federate and defend the interests of Guinean private sector players from the various sectors of economic activity.
Ansoumane Kaba is the founder and CEO of Guiter SA. (Guinéenne de Terrassement Routier), a company set up in 1989 and active in the building and public works (BTP), mining and energy sectors.
He holds a degree in civil engineering from Gamal Abdel Nasser University in Conakry.
Mossadeck Bally, President of the National Employers’ Council of Mali (CNPM)
In October 2022, Mossadeck Bally was elected President of the National Employers’ Council of Mali (CNPM), almost unanimously with 90.70 of the votes.
An influential entrepreneurial figure in West Africa, Mossadeck Bally has been the founder and CEO of the Azalaï Hotels group for over 25 years, which bills itself as the leading hotel group in West Africa. From Bamako to Ouagadougou, via Cotonou, Bissau, Nouakchott, Abidjan and Loumbila, the Azalaï Group offers top-class hotels in the main West African capitals. The group also includes the Chiaka Sidibé hotel school, the first hotel school in Mali, based in the Salam hotel in Bamako. The creation of this school was the personal initiative of Mossadeck Bally, who is convinced that quality training in the tourism and hotel sectors is the key to success for the future of young Africans.
Mossadeck Bally grew up in Niger and Mali. He studied in France and then in the United States, where he obtained a Master’s degree in management and finance from the University of San Francisco (USA).
Adolphe Sagbo, President of the General Confederation of Niger Employers (CGPN)
A company director since 1986, Adolphe Sagbo is President of the General Confederation of Niger Employers (CGPN). He is Chairman and CEO of the Economic Interest Grouping (GIE /BTP/H NIGER), a group of 36 companies operating in the construction and public works sector.
Adolphe Sagbo is a founding member of the Niger organization of building and public works professionals, and a founding member of the Niger federation of employers’ organizations. He was a candidate in the presidential election of 27 December 2020 in Niger, on behalf of the socialist party “IMANI”, of which he is the secretary general and a founding member.
Chakib ALJ, President of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM)
Moroccan business leader and industrialist Chakib ALJ has been re-elected President of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) in May 2023, after being elected for a first term in January 2020. For 7 years, Chakib ALJ sat on the GGEM board of directors as president of the national flour milling federation. The CGEM is the voice of the private sector in Morocco. Founded in 1947, it represents more than 90,000 direct and affiliated members, 95% of which are SMEs. Chakib ALJ is also Secretary General of the Alliance des patronats francophones.
The Moroccan businessman is Chairman and CEO of the Cap Holding group, which is active in flour milling, agri-food, poultry farming, the plastics industry, tourism, distribution, civil engineering, storage, logistics and the polypropylene and polyethylene bag industry. The diversified group employs more than 3,500 people. Cap Holding currently has 4 divisions and 21 subsidiaries operating in these different sectors.
In Morocco, Chakib ALJ has also chaired the national flour milling federation (FNM), the interprofessional federation of cereal activities (FIAC) and the federation of consumer goods distribution.
Youssouf Moussa Dawaleh, President of the Djibouti Chamber of Commerce (CCD)
A leading figure in Djibouti’s business community, Youssouf Moussa Dawaleh has been President of the Djibouti Chamber of Commerce (CCD), the institution representing Djibouti’s private sector at national level, since 2013. He is also vice-president of the Alliance of Francophone Employers, representing the East Africa region, and was also president of the Pan-African Chamber of Commerce and Industry from 2019 to 2023.
Youssouf Moussa Dawaleh is the founder of Entreprise Dawaleh Construction (EDC), which operates in the building and public works sector, and is one of Djibouti’s pioneering property development companies. The company specialises in the construction of basic infrastructure and facilities in urban and rural areas.
Rahmoun Zergoune, President of the « confédération algérienne du patronat citoyen »
On Monday March 13, 2023, Rahmoun Zergoun was elected President of the Confédération Algérienne du Patronat Citoyen (CAPC), an employers’ organization that brings together manufacturing companies from all sectors of activity in Algeria.
Rahmoun Zergoune is Chairman and CEO of Zergoun Brothers Group, a family-owned holding company with several companies operating in various sectors: civil engineering, transport, oil & gas, mining, energy, etc.
Mohamed Zine El Abidine Ould Cheikh Ahmed, President of the National Union of Mauritanian Employers (UNPM)
Businessman Mohamed Zine El Abidine Ould Cheikh Ahmed was elected President of the National Union of Mauritanian Employers (UNPM) on 28 December 2017. The UNPM, the sole representative of private sector operators in Mauritania, brings together 15 professional federations covering all sectors of the country’s national economy.
In March 2022, Mohamed Zine El Abidine Ould Cheikh Ahmed was also elected vice-president of the Alliance of Francophone Employers, representing the Sahel region.
Mohamed Zine El Abidine Ould Cheikh Ahmed is the owner and chairman of the BIS-TP group, which operates in the building and public works (BTP) sector. The group regularly wins a number of lucrative construction contracts in Mauritania. The businessman is also active in the banking and IT sectors. Since February 2023, he has also been a shareholder in the Mauritanian gas company (Somagaz), which is majority-owned by the Mauritanian government.
Laurence Nassif, President of the Interprofessional Group of the Central African Republic
President of the Groupement Interprofessionnel de Centrafrique, the country’s employers’ association, Laurence Nassif is also vice-president of the Union des Patronats d’Afrique Centrale (Unipace).
He is the Managing Director of Industries forestières de Batalimo (IFB), a logging company in the Central African Republic founded in 2004.
