I&P's activities

I&P invests directly in successful SMEs. Its strategy is to concentrate investments in clearly defined areas. Its first chosen area is West Africa, where a portfolio of holdings is currently in development.

I&P's investment strategies are flexible. Once a common project has been agreed with management, I&P may invest both in equity and in long-term subordinated lending.

Beyond providing first-tier capital, I&P aims to become a genuine long-term partner of the business. Its roles in this partnership are:

• upstream of the investment, assistance in preparing a development strategy and a Business Plan
• management mentoring and strategic guidance of the business
• reinforcement of the company's ability to obtain, organise and structure financing, and thus to manage its growth.
  

Where economic and social conditions permit, I&P aims to create regional investment funds. Over and above the benefits of leveraging its investment, this local partnership approach allows closer management and follow-up of the investment in targeted SMEs.

I&P's investment funds can take majority or minority shareholdings, always in association with the management of the SME.

Putting these funds in place calls for an ability to recruit local managers with strong business experience and a good knowledge of the regional economy, and implies the participation of regional industrial partners. They will run the management company for the funds and provide the close support for portfolio SME managements, which is the critical factor in the long-term success of the investment.

I&P has participated in the launch of a first regional fund, I&P Indian Ocean Capital, operating in the Mauritius/Madagascar region with a 10 million Euro investment capacity.