Bpifrance and Business France support 15 companies of the fourth promotion of the Africa Accelerator in Johannesburg to prospect the South African market

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Paris, March 17, 2025 – As part of the 4th promotion of the Africa Accelerator launched by Bpifrance and Business France in November 2024, a collective mission bringing together 15 companies is currently taking place in Johannesburg. This class is made up of a total of 19 companies with an average turnover of €22 million […]

These companies from the Ed tech, agri-food, industry and building engineering sectors Construction, Industry, Agro-technology, Metallurgy… will have the opportunity to explore and develop business opportunities in South Africa through a dense program, organized by the Business France team in South Africa.

South Africa is the largest economy in Africa (more than 60% of its GDP), it has a modern, relatively diversified ecosystem that has many advantages:

South Africa, the most developed and diversified market on the continent, has a large domestic market (61 million inhabitants, including a relatively developed middle class);
The banking sector’s performance (capitalization, profitability, liquidity) is satisfactory and the structure of its debt (mainly domestic, denominated in rand and medium-to-long-term) limits the risk of over-indebtedness;
It has natural resources (iron ore, platinum and gold) that it exports.

As the government embarks on reforms, GDP growth is expected to increase from 0.9% in 2024 to 1.2% in 2025 (source: IMF (REO April 2024). In short, the country’s economy offers tremendous opportunities, particularly in the healthtech, cleantech, fintech, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors. In addition, as an incomparable hub for attacking the markets of sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean and even Southeast Asia, South Africa represents fertile ground for French companies seeking to establish themselves on the continent.

As part of this program, co-developed by Bpifrance and Business France, participating French companies benefit from an intensive five-day program in Johannesburg and, for some, in Cape Town or neighboring Botswana, combining group and individual sessions. The week began with a launch seminar at the Residence of France with the interventions of representatives of Team France South Africa (CCE, FSACCI, SER, Proparco), Société Générale and Manergy (Accelerated Promo 3). Business France also organized visits to key sites (Alstom, retail leaders, etc.) as well as more than 160 targeted individual meetings to allow each company in the delegation to meet its counterparts within the local business ecosystem. These collective and individual moments will allow a global understanding of the market and its opportunities.

Olivier Vincent, Executive Director in charge of Export at Bpifrance said: “South Africa is the most developed and diversified market on the continent and represents more than 60% of Southern Africa’s GDP. It thus offers tremendous opportunities for our French companies that wish to set up there. Bpifrance is actively working with economic players in the field through its Euroquity platform, its Africa-France community of entrepreneurs (nearly 80 in South Africa) and its holdings in the Averroès fund of funds. Through this business pathway, Bpifrance is committed to stimulating the development of French companies and will enable them to deploy new growth levers by benefiting from a tailor-made program with high added value. »

Marc Cagnard, Director of Sub-Saharan Africa at Business France adds : “This exceptional mission, with high added value, puts the participating French SMEs and mid-caps in a position to accelerate their development in Sub-Saharan Africa by giving them all the keys to succeed in South Africa, the continent’s leading economy. Business France is making a full contribution to this, via its team based in Johannesburg, both by presenting the many business opportunities in this large and diversified market and by putting French nuggets in touch with their potential South African partners. It thus contributes to the strengthening of winning partnerships between Africa and France. »

List of participating companies:

	CFCAI – Tricot, Hauts-de-France (60) CFCAI, located in Tricot, France, specializes in the design and manufacture of post-harvest technologies for agricultural cooperatives. It offers a complete range of equipment: LAW grain dryers, SATIG industrial dryers, as well as MAROT cleaners, graders, densimetric tables, de-escalators and honeycomb sorters. These technologies are designed to optimize the processing and quality of grains after harvest, meeting the specific needs of agricultural cooperatives to improve their efficiency and productivity. https://www.cfcai-technologies.com/
	DMS EDUCATION – Toulouse, Occitanie (31) DMS Education has been designing, manufacturing and marketing multi-technological, real, industrial, instrumented, innovative and communicating teaching systems for more than 30 years in line with the programs of the French Ministry of National Education, more particularly for general, technological, higher and vocational education. https://www.dmseducation.com/
	HEAT TRANSFER ENERGY – Ploudalmézeau, Brittany (29) ETT is a specialist in energy transfer. A major player in the design of tailor-made energy recovery air treatment systems, ETT also excels in the manufacture of high-performance heat pumps. Its expertise allows it to offer innovative and efficient solutions to meet modern energy needs. https://www.ett-hvac.com/
	HAMELIN GROUP – Caen, Normandy (14) The Hamelin Group is the European leader in school and office stationery. It is present with its Oxford, Conqueror and Pelikan brands in the categories of Notebooks, Agendas, filing products and coloring and writing instruments. https://fr.hamelinbrands.com/groupe-hamelin/
	IRENA GROUP – Paris, Île-de-France (75) IRENA is a security consulting and services company that supports its clients in difficult environments, on land and at sea. https://www.irena-group.com/
	KOLLIRAMA – Bernis, Occitanie (30) Kollirama, based in Bernis in Occitania, specialises in shop and warehouse fittings. It offers tailor-made racking solutions for various sectors, optimising storage and sales spaces with products such as gondolas and pallet racks. https://kollirama.fr/
	LE GARREC – Pontivy, Brittany (56) Garrec SAS offers complete solutions for the development of fluid projects, including the design, manufacture and installation of piping systems. Its technical expertise and commitment to innovation make Le Garrec SAS a partner of choice for industries looking for reliable and efficient solutions. https://www.legarrec.com/
	CAFÉS MALONGO – La Gaude, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (06) Founded in 1934, Malongo stands out for its innovative solutions, ranging from coffee beans to pods and coffee machines. The company offers a diverse range of organic and fair trade coffees from small-scale producers in Latin America and Africa. https://www.malongo.com/
	OMELCOM – Château-Gaillard, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (01) Company specialized in the deployment of fiber optic telecom networks and the digital network of residential multimedia housing. https://omelcom.fr/
	OVERPIPE – Meyreuil, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (13) OVERPIPE designs and develops innovative products for the safety of oil and gas pipelines. For 15 years, OVERPIPE has been marketing solutions to all the largest oil and gas companies to guarantee the integrity of their underground networks. https://www.overpipe.com/
	RINCENT ND TECHNOLOGIES – Evry-Courcouronnes, Île-De-France (91) Rincent ND Technologies specialises in the design, manufacture and maintenance of non-destructive testing instruments for the construction industry, used for the inspection of foundations, engineering structures, road or airport pavement structures. https://rincent-ndt.fr/
	Rousseau – Landorec, Brittany (22) Founded in 1976 in Brittany, Rousseau Équipements specialises in the design, manufacture and installation of road equipment such as barriers and guardrails on engineering structures. Rousseau Équipements is now recognized as one of the leading manufacturers of equipment for civil engineering structures in France. Its strong reputation also allows it to shine internationally and particularly in the African zone. https://www.rousseau-equipements.com/
	SAMR MÉTAL ROUGE – Pont-Sainte-Marie, Grand-Est (10) SAMR Métal Rouge manufactures bearings, bushings, stops and all friction parts for rotating machines. Equipped with its copper alloy and regulated foundries, its machinery and its electrolytic deposition station, SAMR Métal Rouge produces its multi-metal parts in medium and small series. https://www.metal-rouge.fr/
	Synox – Montpellier, Occitanie (34) SYNOX is an integrator and publisher of IoT solutions. The company supports its customers in the implementation of IoT projects by covering the entire value chain, from data capture to restitution on intuitive interfaces. https://www.synox.io/
	Tysilio Development – Aix-en-Provence, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (13) Tysilio helps companies in Africa reduce their production costs by reducing their energy bills through the use of solar energy. https://tysilio.com/

About Bpifrance:

Bpifrance’s equity investments are made by Bpifrance Investissement. Bpifrance finances companies at every stage of their development, whether through loans, guarantees or equity. Bpifrance supports them in their innovation projects and internationally. Bpifrance also ensures their export activity thanks to a wide range of products. Consulting, training, networking and acceleration programs for start-ups, SMEs and mid-caps are also part of the offer offered to entrepreneurs. Thanks to Bpifrance and its 50 regional agencies, entrepreneurs benefit from a close, unique and efficient contact to help them meet their challenges.

For more information: https://www.bpifrance.fr/

About Business France

Business France is the public consulting company serving the internationalization of the French economy. It is responsible for the international development of companies and their exports, as well as prospecting for and welcoming foreign investment in France. It promotes the attractiveness and economic image of France, its companies and its territories. It manages and develops the International Volunteering in Business (VIE). Business France has more than 1,400 employees located in France and in 53 countries. In 2023, Business France’s support generated €3.3 billion in additional export turnover for French SMEs, representing more than 27,111 jobs created or planned. Business France supported 58% of the 1,815 foreign investment decisions in 2023, representing 67% of the 59,254 jobs created or maintained in the country.

For more information: Business France, creators of business opportunities