Interview with Jean-Louis Ekra, Chairman of the Board, NAS Côte d’Ivoire
Source: Marcopolis (https://marcopolis.net/cote-d-ivoire-interview-exclusive-avec-jean-louis-ekra-pca-de-nas-cote-d-ivoire.htm)
Are you involved in training young people in entrepreneurship? Why this choice?
When you look at the world of work everywhere, and particularly in our developing countries, jobs are created by the state and by large multinationals from Europe and the United States. As the country grew, the number of jobs created by these multinationals declined. Students graduating from university had no jobs. This was because the number of jobs created did not match the number of students graduating. So these young people turned to entrepreneurship. The important thing is to give young people an entrepreneurial mentality. These young people had to be coached to prepare them to be entrepreneurs. We also had to give them access to financing to help them achieve their goals. Young people must no longer continue to think that jobs have to be created by others, and that all they have to do to be accepted is send in CVs and cover letters. Youth unemployment is a phenomenon that is particularly acute in developing countries like Côte d’Ivoire. Even in France, the BPI was created to find a solution to this problem.
You’ve done a lot in this area. Can you tell us how you went about it?
Young people don’t know what opportunities there are and how to get there. Entrepreneurship is about seeing an opportunity and knowing how to seize it.
I’ve been approached by young people who do consultancy work in incubation and in coaching businesses to improve their management. I bring my experience to these young people. I was an international financier and banker for 37 years. They also benefit from my international address book, which will eventually enable this fund to raise enough money to enable young people looking to set up their own businesses to find the investment they need to put their ideas into practice. Young people need to be able to enter the value chain. In countries like Côte d’Ivoire, which are focused on mining, minerals and agriculture, there’s a lot to be done in the intermediate chain. There are major groups at the end of the chain. These groups are involved in coffee, cocoa, mining and so on. These large groups need small companies to carry out specific tasks. These tasks include logistics and intermediate processing. For a product like cocoa, between the harvested cocoa and the cocoa that will be made into chocolate, there are a large number of intermediate processing activities to be carried out before export. I believe that young people can enter this value chain. It will also be a source of job creation and added value.
Why do you think Côte d’Ivoire is struggling to process its raw materials, such as cashew nuts and others?
For our countries to develop, we need a structural transformation of our economy. We need to move away from raw materials that are exported. Young people need to be entrepreneurial. The opportunities are there. Take, for example, the transformation that has taken place in telephony and the Internet. Young people are very dynamic in this sector. The reason is that this sector only requires basic know-how and very little financing. But in the other sectors, particularly the processing sector, a minimum of investment is required. Young people don’t know what opportunities there are or how to go about them. Entrepreneurship means seeing an opportunity and knowing how to seize it. And young people are hardly interested.
Tell us about this fund. How many young people do you plan to support?
The fund has been set up with ESPartners. It’s a consultancy firm that coaches companies and provides them with all the knowledge they need to improve their management and be in a position to seize certain opportunities. For example, we coach a young man who makes instant coffee. At present, he makes it in small quantities. But for him to make money, he needs to increase his volume. And that requires a certain know-how. He needs to streamline production cycles and also the whole commercial side of his business. To get to this next stage, he needs support and financing. Once he’s been taken on board, he’ll reach a certain size and exit the project. We’ll use the return on investment to help other young people. The model is to go from an idea to a project. And that’s something young people haven’t yet mastered.
How is the selection made, given that there are so many young people with projects?
We have criteria. The basic criterion is that you have to be in a value-added sector. After selecting the sector, there’s another criterion, which is the entrepreneurial spirit of the young person applying. This can be detected by means of a questionnaire and discussions with the applicant. But young people are generally well organized. All they need is the support they need to go further.
Could you tell us about NAS, a company in which you play an important role?
National Aviation Services is a Kuwaiti company. It provides airport ground services. We take care of baggage and check-in when you fly. NAS, which had had some success in Kuwait, decided to go international. In Egypt, NAS manages handling at Sharm el-Sheikh airport. NAS also manages other airports in African countries. This is the case in Côte d’Ivoire, where NAS has the concession to manage all ground services at Abidjan airport. NAS’s ambition is to expand in Africa. I worked for some twenty years on the development of trade in Africa as President of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank). I found the NAS expansion project in Africa very interesting. So the company asked me to be its consultant. I am a special advisor to this group, guiding and helping it to expand in Africa. In this capacity, I am Chairman of the Board of NAS Côte d’Ivoire. I am also a board member of GLS NAS in Liberia. In Abidjan, as PCA, my role is to guide the general management and to help with relations with the government, since this is a concession that the government has granted to NAS to provide services.
I don’t suppose you have any competitors?
No, we don’t have any competitors, since it’s a public service concession. But there are performance criteria and specifications that have to be met. You also have to make a significant investment in equipment during the concession period.
Are there any companies in Africa providing this kind of service?
It’s a competitive sector, because many companies want the concession. The competition lies in obtaining the concession. It’s done by invitation to tender, and it’s the government that decides. When you take part in a call for tenders, you have to be able to show the kind of performance you’ve had elsewhere. And, within this framework, the performance that NAS has in Côte d’Ivoire can now be useful to be able to bid elsewhere than in Côte d’Ivoire. Wherever there is an airport, concessions are generally awarded on the basis of calls for tender.
Tell us about Liberia, where you’ve just been awarded the concession?
We were awarded the concession in November 2017 and operations have begun.
What does NAS represent in relation to the Group’s overall sales?
NAS as a service line in relation to the group is relatively large. We have several airports in Africa, including Egypt, Dar Es Salaam, the VIP lounge in Casablanca, and so on. It’s a fast-growing business within the Group. I can’t tell you what it represents in terms of volumes for the Group itself. But there’s a lot to be gained in terms of growth potential.
What are the main services you offer?
In an airport, the first service we provide is check-in. When you arrive at Abidjan airport, it’s NAS staff who do all the check-in services. Luggage is also the responsibility of NAS. We also provide services directly to aircraft. For example, we clean the interior of the aircraft. We also provide passenger transport between the terminal and the aircraft.
Can an airport have its own employees to provide these services?
Some airports have opted for this type of operational mode. But logistics generally involves highly specialized professions. So it’s important to entrust them to professionals in the field. As far as I know, many airports have adopted this approach.
What is the image of NAS here in Côte d’Ivoire?
A lot of people were surprised to see a Kuwaiti company on the list of candidates interested in managing an airport in Côte d’Ivoire. People are more used to French and European companies. For NAS, this represents a real challenge. The company will have to demonstrate its know-how and skills, and deliver a quality service. It’s in practice that we’ll see NAS’s abilities in this field.
What are the major challenges facing NAS in the years ahead?
There will be stronger growth in passenger and freight volumes at Abidjan airport, which has passed the two-million-passenger mark. Given the country’s growth, we can expect these volumes to increase. And NAS’s challenge will be to keep pace with this growth. I can tell you that NAS is very well equipped to meet this challenge.
What are your objectives for the next 2 or 3 years?
With the successes we’ve achieved in countries like Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia and elsewhere, NAS’s know-how is being recognized. Other airports will be interested in cooperating with NAS. VIP Land services also need to be streamlined in our countries. And here NAS has a role to play, because we have experience in this field.
