After three years of support through the investment vehicle dedicated to education, Comoé Capital, Côte d’Ivoire’s leading impact investment fund and partner of I&P, makes its first exit with Vallesse, an Ivorian publishing house.
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VALLESSE has been created by Fidèle Diomandé, who already had several years of experience in the publishing sector. She started her career in 1999 at CEDA (Centre d’Édition et de Diffusion Africaine), the first publishing house in Côte d’Ivoire. Fidèle quickly felt the need to create her own publishing house in order to offer better quality books with an emphasis on young people and decided to launch the publishing house Vallesse Editions.
Combining the flexibility of a company on a human scale and quality to international standards, Vallesse Editions gathers authors of reference and participates in the promotion of books through its commitment to ASSEDI and the Independent French-speaking Publishers (AFRILIVRES). Better, Vallesse Editions also participates in the detection of new literary talent through the Literary Competition called “Les Manuscrits d’Or”.
To strengthen and develop its publishing activity, VALLESSE obtained a financial and technical contribution through the Education Impact Fund (EIF), the first fund dedicated to education in Côte d’Ivoire, managed by Comoé Capital, which resulted in :
- The construction of a warehouse in the commune of Yopougon
- Technical assistance missions and training in various fields: commercial management, change management, finance, procedures and computer software.
- Follow-up missions of the sales team
- Digital and strategic development
- Job creation for vulnerable populations: Vallesse currently employs women and young people (under 35).
For Ms Aké-Diomandé, “Comoé Capital’s contribution over the last three years has been invaluable and has enabled us to develop in every respect. This participation has contributed to a significant increase in our production, but also, and perhaps above all, to improve the quality of our publications. This, in turn, facilitates the work of teachers and improves the level of our high school and middle school students. To Issa Sidibé, Adama Fofana and the entire Comoé Capital team, whose relevant analyses and proposals have enabled us to go beyond our expectations, we sincerely thank you. “
The results of this support from Comoé Capital has earned Vallesse Editions several distinctions, including the Afrilivres Prize for the 2015 Edition, the SILA Prize for the 2018 Edition, the Jeanne de Cavally 2018 Prize with Serge Grah’s La veste de Grégoire and the special mention of the Bernard Blin Dadié Prize for the Young Writer 2018 with Tristesse au paradis by Grâce Minlibé and the second Alioune Diop Prize for the 2019 African Edition.
As Adama Fofana, head of the EIF portfolio at Comoé Capital points out: “The most valuable value in a portfolio is the entrepreneur and in Côte d’Ivoire we have motivated, courageous and committed entrepreneurs. With the Education Impact Fund (EIF), we participated in an extraordinary journey with Mrs. Fidèle Aké-Diomandé, a dynamic and very enterprising woman. This investment reflects our confidence in the potential of women entrepreneurs. »
