Entrepreneurs tempted to set up in Africa are more and more numerous. Beware of the lark mirror! You have to know how to adapt to local realities. Their growth leaves the eurozone's economic ministers dreaming. In 2019, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire will record more than 7% annual growth. "The real opportunities for entrepreneurs are now in Africa," enthuses Samir Abdelkrim, founder of Emerging Valley and author of "Startup Lions: At the Heart of African Tech". Now, incubators even offer dedicated programs such as the pioneer Bond'innov in Bondy (Seine-Saint-Denis) or Marseille innovation. African tech is of increasing interest to investment funds. Since 2015, an Africa club has been created within France Invest, the French private equity association. More and more French entrepreneurs are therefore interested in Africa, either to find suppliers or to open subsidiaries. Choosing where to set up and go there "Africa is 54 countries with completely different realities," warns Samir Abdelkrim. Getting started therefore requires a lot of preparation and asking the right questions: "Does my product meet a need? Are there competitors already on site? Is local infrastructure being developed? Is the country stable? " explains Rachid Alhiane, head of the MeetAfrica program at Marseille Innovation. Where to go? To identify potential markets, Thomas Kerjean, president of Mailinblack, an SME based in Marseille, relies on "quantitative and qualitative analyses provided by the CCI or bpifrance". The chambers of commerce, consulates and embassies of each country offer market research. CCI's twelve offices France International on the continent and their specialists on site are all useful relays. After choosing two or three target countries, the trip on the spot is essential. "We really push them to go to the field. Some break their teeth thinking that an idea that works in France will be quickly adopted in Africa, "warns Rachid Alhiane. According to him, the entrepreneur must confront local realities. As part of the MeetAfrica program, aimed at African diasporas living in France and Germany, he recommends "getting acquainted with cultural codes, because even if you come from the diaspora, you can be disconnected from the field because the ecosystem evolves quickly. Exploration missions to different countries are regularly organized by Business France. There is also a club of French entrepreneurs wishing to establish themselves on the continent, Africalink. It allows business leaders to discover local ecosystems through numerous on-site missions.

Adapt its offer to consumer expectations Market research, feedback from contacts established on site must make it possible to build an offer that corresponds to local expectations. And for that, you sometimes have to know how to reinvent yourself! In West Africa, the chocolatier Cémoi sells its spread not in jars as in France, but in individual sticks sold individually. For two reasons: to respond to a habit of immediate consumption on the street, and to adapt the price to the local purchasing power. Another example: when Jamel Ouazhir launched Doross online, an online tutoring platform in Morocco, he gave up online payment, because the majority of his customers do not have a credit card, or is still wary of online payment. The entrepreneur therefore had the idea of offering coupons with access codes, purchased in cash in physical places such as libraries. In order to understand the local particularities, it is often useful to establish a partnership with a company on site. Associating is sometimes even an obligation in some countries such as Algeria, where the participation of foreign investors in local companies is limited to 49%. SMEs and start-ups can also rely on their French customers already in the target countries. Thus, Mailinblack benefits from the help of the Moroccan subsidiary of Microsoft to market its professional anti-spam and antivirus solution. To identify potential distributors, importers, suppliers or partners, CCI France International offers a list of "key contacts" for each country. The most business-friendly African countries Each year, the World Bank ranks the countries where it is easiest to do business (France, 32nd), and to start a business (France, 30th).

Here is the Top 10 for Africa (in parentheses, the world ranking).

Ease of doing business

1. Mauritius (20)

2. Rwanda (29)

3. Morocco (60)

4. Kenya (61)

5. Tunisia (80)

6. South Africa (82)

7. Botswana (86)

8. Zambia (87)

9. Seychelles (96)

10. Lesotho (106)

Business creation

1. Burundi (17)

2. Mauritius (21)

3. Ivory Coast (26)

4. Niger (27)

5. Morocco (34)

6. Mauritania (46)

7. Rwanda (51)

8. Sierra Leone (55)

9. Benin (61)

10. DR Congo (62)

Financing your project

Do not underestimate the installation costs: the legal fees at the time of creation, or the opening of a bank account on site. But also the technical costs of connecting to the Internet, transport and logistics, even security and guarding your premises... "You also need to have a solid cash flow, because payment terms are much longer than in Europe," adds Samir Abdelkrim. Many financial aids exist in France to support the internationalization of companies. Bpifrance is their main interlocutor, particularly with export loans, ranging from 30,000 to 5 million euros, for SMEs and mid-caps. An export tax credit can also be granted to SMEs for their commercial prospecting expenses. Specifically on Africa, the Ministry of Economy and Finance manages a Private Sector Studies and Aid Fund (FASEP) which finances, in the form of grants of 150,000 euros to 600,000 euros, feasibility studies in emerging economies. Proparco, a subsidiary of the French Development Agency (AFD), also has a financing and support offer to support the development of SMEs on the African continent.

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