Nicolas Dufourcq, CEO of Bpifrance and Gagan Gupta, Funding president of Arise IIP, a pan-African developer and operator of industrial parks, have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop joint co-industrialisation projects and facilitate business ecosystem connections between Africa and France, in cooperation with all Bpifrance offices on the continent.

In the framework of this MoU, Bpifrance and Arise IIP will work together to identify and support their respective ecosystems' potentials and boost trade, with the objective of sustainable development.

The partner join forces to:

• Create and animate a community of African and French industrial SMEs and medium-sized companies wishing to set up in the special economic zones (SEZ). In particular, mobilise agricultural and agri-food industrial companies ;
• Facilitate bilateral financing programmes ;
• Study the possibility of joint investments.

Bpifrance and Arise IIP will also benefit from their respective experiences and work together on potential opportunities for business missions, qualified networking, support for the creation of ecosystems encouraging entrepreneurship and investment, in particular through the Euroquity platform created by Bpifrance to put companies and project leaders in touch with partners, in particular investors.

At the signing ceremony, Nicolas Dufourcq, CEO of Bpifrance, said: « We are very pleased to cooperate with Arise IIP to work together on these aspects of co-industrialisation and connecting business ecosystems between Africa and France. The objective for Bpifrance will be to leverage the potential of these industrial platforms to make French and African entrepreneurs aware of these opportunities and boost business connections and exchanges by deploying our joint non-financial and financial support tools. »

Mr. Gagan Gupta, founder and CEO of Arise IIP, added: « This ambitious programme with our trusted partner, Bpifrance, will accelerate the development of French SMEs in Africa. ARISE IIP's industrial platforms across the continent are real growth levers for these French companies wishing to seize the opportunities linked to the sustainable industrialisation of the continent. »

Bpifrance in Africa: With dedicated teams based in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Dakar (Senegal)/West Africa, Casablanca (Morocco)/North Africa and Nairobi (Kenya)/East and South Africa, Bpifrance's action is designed to bring territories closer together, connect stakeholders and finance business flows. In particular, Bpifrance provides support to French entrepreneurs seeking to develop their activities in Africa, through financing, insurance and export development (export credit, export insurance, missions), and promotes collaborative innovation where possible. Bpifrance also supports governments in setting up entrepreneurial ecosystems, strengthens commercial interactions between French and African ecosystems by putting companies, investors and support structures in European and African countries in touch with each other (via the EuroQuity platform created by Bpifrance), and invests in private equity funds aimed at the African continent, which invest in African start-ups, SMEs and mid-sized companies with strong growth potential (Averroès scheme).

Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms is a company that conceives, finances, develops and operates industrial ecosystems on the African continent. Its objective is to industrialise key sectors by creating local transformation, maximising production, efficiency and costs, which in turn generates added value. The company is present in Africa through ten industrial zones including Gabon, Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Chad.

About Bpifrance

Bpifrance is the French national investment bank: it finances businesses – at every stage of their development – through loans, guarantees, equity investments and export insurances. Bpifrance also provides extra financial services (training, consultancy) to help entrepreneurs meet their challenges (innovation, export…). 
For more information, please visit: https://www.bpifrance.com/ Follow us on Twitter: @Bpifrance - @BpifrancePresse

About ARISE IIP
ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms (ARISE IIP)  is a pan-African developer and operator of world-class industrial parks, committed to the economic transformation of the continent. We identify opportunities in commercial and industrial value chains across Africa, design, finance, build and operate the necessary infrastructure, acting as a catalyst while supporting countries in their transition to an industrial economy. We are driven by the pursuit of green growth. Our ambition is to unlock the continent's industrial potential while neutralising our carbon emissions and climate impact. ARISE IIP currently operates in nine African countries, including Benin (GDIZ), Togo (PIA) and Gabon (GSEZ), Côte d'Ivoire (ZIC), Republic of Congo (PIC), Democratic Republic of Congo (CIP), Rwanda (BSEZ) and Chad (Laham Chad). GSEZ has been ranked as the best special economic zone in the world in the timber sector (IDF 2020 ranking).