Africa economy

Congo-Brazzaville: out of incubators, Congolese SMEs hope to find financing

Audio 02:18

Project leaders expect substantial funding from the Impulse, Guarantee and Support Fund (FIGA).

© RFI/Paulina Zidi

By: Loicia Martial

3 mins

Set up a year ago with a view to contributing to the diversification of the Congolese economy, the Impulse, Guarantee and Support Fund (FIGA) has just left its incubator some fifty companies trained in Departments of Bouenza and Niari (South).

These are just waiting for funding to accelerate their activities.

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From our special correspondent in Dolisie,

Graying hair, suit without tie, Pascal Mboungou took place in the conference room of the prefecture of Niari in Dolisie.

He came to get his diploma at the end of his training.

He is one of the fifty or so project leaders promoted by FIGA.

His project is ambitious: “

Our idea is to set up an integrated agro-pastoral farm;

a farm in which we will have a large pig farm.

We will also have vegetable production activities.

Of course, pig farming will necessarily require us to produce our own animal feed.

So we will have to expand to the production of maize, in order to manufacture our own animal feed

”, explains Pascal Mboungou.

Waiting for funding

Leaving Kimongo, 70 kilometers from Dolisie, on a difficult road, Séverin Malonda has been carrying out a goat breeding project for seven years.

But he is far from satisfied with the results obtained so far.

The amount was really small (initially).

We had just bought four little animals.

The first year, we had experienced a little failure because there were stillborn animals.

Today, we are at 30 heads.

It is insufficient.

We are not yet in the sales phase, but in the multiplication period.

We need a large quantity, at least 1,000 head to start selling

,” says Malonda.

From FIGA, these project leaders expect substantial funding.

Armel Fridolin Bouloukoué, CEO of FIGA, tries to reassure them.

They have finished their training.

We helped them develop business plans that are bankable.

So they will get credits to develop their businesses.

Loans will be granted immediately because we provide the guarantee (to the banks) of up to 80%.

They will work, the FIGA will accompany them and we will tour the Congo

,” he promises.

Show the example and the way to others

To avoid post-harvest losses of agricultural products, Diane Huguette Mboungou embarked on processing.

She has not benefited from FIGA training nor is she expecting funding from this institution.

She just hopes her turn will come.

FIGA is a welcome project for us.

It could allow us to carry out and boost our project to transform agricultural products in abundance.

Especially during the tomato season, it rots in Dolisie

,” says Diane Huguette Mboungou.

The Minister of SMEs, Jacqueline Lydia Mikolo, urges future credit recipients to show responsibility, effort and perseverance, in order to show the example and the way to others.

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