The Nutriset Group, Mérieux NutriSciences and Bpifrance create Safir (for Société d’Appui au Financement d’Investissements Responsables) a company to support responsible financing investments, which they will each share equally.
Building on a common commitment and complementary activities, the three partners are mobilized for the development and financing of projects in Africa, linking public health and nutritional issues. The combination of their respective expertise, both technical, industrial and managerial, will be used to support impactful and meaningful initiatives.
A first thematic axis focuses on offering products and services for people suffering from non-communicable diseases in West Africa, to encourage the treatment and prevention of these fast progressing pathologies.
With Safir, the three partners will also explore the structuring of microbiology and chemistry laboratories for the agro-food sector, notably in East Africa. Beyond meeting the needs with a local laboratory analysis capacity, this new approach should offer an effective response to the broader issues of local economic development and the need to strengthen technical expertise.
From inception, Safir has an expanded corporate purpose (in French, objet social étendu), included the company's memorandum - its legal status. By explicitly targeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this ensures a comprehensive and coherent framework for action.
This partnership strengthens the links between two French family groups, recognized worldwide for their expertise, to which Bpifrance is pleased to provide support and know-how in terms of equity investment and project financing.
For Adeline Lescanne-Gautier, General Manager of the Nutriset Group: "Safir embodies our willingness to carry out joint projects alongside partners whose conviction, ethics and actions we share. This tool should allow us to unite our visions and our complementarities in support of long-term solutions. I am delighted to be able to implement it."
"Protecting the health of consumers all over the world is in the DNA of Mérieux NutriSciences. We are pleased to be part of this initiative alongside leading family and financial shareholders who share our values, and to bring our expertise to serve public health in Africa"says Philippe Sans, General Manager of Mérieux NutriSciences.
For Jean-Louis Etchegoyhen, Director of the Fonds France Investissement Régions at Bpifrance: "We are very proud to be associated with the Nutriset Group and Mérieux NutriSciences for this project that carries strong ambitions in terms of socio-economic development. True to Bpifrance's DNA, we will eagerly bring our expertise per country as well as in terms of investment and financing to contribute to the realization of meaningful local projects on the African continent."
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Photo (from left to right): Vincent STIEVENARD, Director, Interrégional Fonds Propres Nord-Ouest Bpifrance, Adeline LESCANNE-GAUTIER, General Manager of Nutriset Group, François d’HAUTEFEUILLE, Director, Legal, Mérieux NutriSciences, Philippe SANS, President-General Manager of Mérieux NutriSciences, Jean-Louis ETCHEGOYHEN, Director, Fonds France Investissement Régions Capital Développement Bpifrance, Nicolas DARDENNE, Director of Investments, Bpifrance, Nicolas MAYER-ROSSIGNOL, President of Safir.
