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Akèda, the media transforming entrepreneurship.
AKÈDA CONNECT

Revealing African entrepreneurs

Sharing opportunities and connecting those building tomorrow’s economy. From Senegal to Nigeria, from Benin to Cameroon: a free network to get known, meet and recommend each other.

registered entrepreneur
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countries represented
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Entrepreneurs, country by country

All of West Africa — French, English and Portuguese-speaking — plus Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and the diaspora. No entrepreneur from your country yet? Be the first to represent it.

The Akèda Connect Top 10

The entrepreneurs most recommended by their customers, suppliers and partners, and our editors’ favourites.

Full rankings
  1. Anais OYANA BELINGA1
    Anais OYANA BELINGA Univers personnalisé by Anaïs Cameroon

What you gain by joining Akèda Connect

A network is only worth what it makes happen: meetings, customers, partners, visibility.

In-person meetings

Connect Days: afterworks, breakfasts and forums in the region’s capitals, for members and their guests.

Online meetings

A monthly online session between entrepreneurs from different countries: one theme, first-hand stories, direct exchanges.

Targeted connections

Tell us what you are looking for — customers, suppliers, partners, funding — and we introduce you to the right people.

The opportunities newsletter

Calls for proposals, competitions, funding and contracts published in the region, sent as soon as they come out.

Mutual recommendation

Your customers and partners recommend you on your page; every recommendation is public and moves you up.

Rankings and positioning

The Top 10 by country and by sector: see where you stand, compare yourself, get noticed by buyers and investors.

Your page and your badge

A public page to share, an “Akèda Connect member” badge for your website, features on our social media.

A bridge to investors

When your company is ready to raise funds, Akèda Invest presents your file to its investor network.

Upcoming Connect Days

One online meeting every month, one in-person meeting every quarter: Cotonou, Lomé, Abidjan, Dakar, Accra…

The next Connect Day will be announced very soon. Registered members receive the invitation first, by email.

Three steps, five minutes

1

You sign up

Your name, your country, your company in one sentence, and three photos: you, your logo, your product or business. No paperwork.

2

Our newsroom puts your page online

A quick check to weed out fake profiles, then your public page and badge go live within 72 working hours. We let you know by email.

3

The network works for you

Invitations to Connect Days, opportunities by email, introductions based on your needs, recommendations from your customers and partners.

Join Akèda Connect

Free. Five minutes. Three photos, no company documents required.

English-speaking entrepreneurs — Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone: you are welcome! Joining is free. Fill in the form below: name, country, company, one sentence about what you do, and three photos (you, your logo, your product). Our team reviews your profile and publishes it within 72 working hours.

You

With the country code. Only shown if you tick the box below.
Never shown. Used for young entrepreneur programmes and network statistics.

Your company

Never shown. Used to introduce you to the right partners and investors.
We use this to introduce you to the right people and the right opportunities.

Your three images

Choose a fileNo file selected
Clear face, head and shoulders, portrait format. 2 MB maximum.
Choose a fileNo file selected
Square if possible, PNG or JPG. 1 MB maximum.
Choose a fileNo file selected
Landscape format: product, workshop, shop, team at work. 2 MB maximum.

Stay connected

Free to join, no commitment. Your email and phone number are never displayed or passed on to anyone; you can ask for your profile to be removed at any time.

Visibility Pack

Get to the top for 30 days — 25 000 F

  • First place in the entrepreneurs strip and in your country’s rankings
  • A dedicated post on Akèda’s social media
  • A feature in The Weekly Brief
  • The “Featured” label on your page

For members whose profile is online. Payment by Mobile Money or card.

Activate my Visibility Pack
A product, an opening, a search for distributors… Optional.
Optional.
Publication fee 25 000 F

Your details are saved, then you are taken to the payment page. Our newsroom reviews and publishes within 72 working hours of payment.

Do you know an entrepreneur who deserves to be revealed?

Put them forward: our newsroom contacts them on your behalf and helps them sign up. To recommend a member who has already joined, go to their page.

Put forward an entrepreneur

You

The entrepreneur you are putting forward

We never pass your details on to anyone.

Need support?

Incubators, accelerators, fablabs, funds, institutions: the Akèda Directory lists, country by country, the organisations that help entrepreneurs, with their services and contacts.

Open the Directory

Frequently asked questions

Is joining really free?

Yes. Joining, the public page, the badge, the opportunities newsletter, recommendations and introductions are free. The Visibility Pack is the only paid option, and it is optional. Some in-person meetings may ask for a contribution to costs, always announced in advance.

Who can join?

Any founder or manager of a trading company in a West African country — French, English or Portuguese-speaking — in Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea or in the diaspora, whatever its size.

What is shown on the site?

Your name, your photo, your country, your company’s name and logo, the photo of your product and your business. Your email, date of birth and turnover are never published; your phone number only if you tick the WhatsApp box.

How do the rankings work?

They take into account recommendations published by your customers, suppliers and partners (one per person), our editors’ choices and the Visibility Pack. Our newsroom may remove a dubious recommendation.

Why doesn’t my profile appear straight away?

Our newsroom checks every sign-up to weed out fake profiles. Allow 72 working hours; you will receive an email as soon as it goes live.

Can I remove my profile?

At any time, simply by asking through the Contact page. It is removed within 48 hours.

Are you an investor?

Akèda Invest, the investor network of West Africa and its diaspora, presents files vetted by our newsroom, under a confidentiality agreement, with no commission.

Discover Akèda Invest