With a shared history, language and currency, West Africa has long attracted French companies and entrepreneurs for investment, entrepreneurial and partnership opportunities.

But what about East Africa? For Bpifrance’s Yves Battesti, who is now in charge of the Eastern, Southern Africa & Indian Ocean zone, after spending three years in West and Central Africa, the French business community would be wise to not overlook the possibilities in the region, with a particular focus on Kenya.

Kenya’s dynamic business environment

According to a forecast from the African Development Bank, the gross domestic product (GDP) of East Africa is expected to grow by 4.9% this year and 5.7% in 2025 — above the average growth of the entire continent (around 4% this year and next year). “The region is now driving Africa’s growth,” says Battesti, with Kenya leading the surge. “The country boasts dynamic sectors, a favorable business environment and a financial ecosystem that is well developed, with the presence of major investment funds.”

Promising sectors include agriculture and sport infrastructure as Kenya prepares to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations with Tanzania and Uganda. But most of all, technology is poised for a bonafide tipping point. “Nairobi is now considered a hub where major companies from the U.S. like Google, Amazon and Microsoft have their regional offices, and which coexist with an ecosystem of local innovative startups. That is what is referred to as the Silicon Savannah,” explains Bpifrance’s regional manager.

The market opportunity in the tech sector caught the attention of Alexis Roman. The 29-year-old French entrepreneur grew up in Togo before studying in France and Canada, and working for an entrepreneurial training program in West Africa. Roman first discovered Kenya on a trip in 2018: “I was blown away. Not only is it a beautiful country, but from a business perspective, I felt it was the right place to start a new adventure. There’s a strong entrepreneurial environment and demand from customers for tech solutions.”

Lotus: a digital solution for Kenyan businesses

After creating Koa, a savings platform, in 2020, Roman decided to focus on B2B payments and launched Lotus last year. The startup offers a digital solution for small, medium and large businesses in Kenya to process payments easily, as well as customized tools for CFOs and finance professionals. “We open a bank account for a company in just 24 hours, which is much quicker than at a traditional bank, with reduced costs of transaction. The idea is to help businesses save time, money and gain efficiency when it comes to paying vendors, suppliers or their employees,” says the Lotus CEO.

In just 18 months, the startup’s solution has attracted 300 large businesses in the country — leaders in manufacturing, construction, tourism and hospitality — and is registering an exponential growth, with 80% week-on-week active usage. “Banks are one dimensional in Kenya, particularly when it comes to businesses: as an owner, you don’t have a lot of flexibility around your bank account. With our solution, it feels we are responding to a real need.”

Bpifrance’s mission: support and accompany companies

To launch his startup, the young entrepreneur raised funds in Europe, in particular in France and in the UK. “I did this all by myself, but it taught me a big lesson. There are actually institutions to help you, and you don’t need to do everything, especially during the early stages,” says Roman. Indeed, Bpifrance’s missions include both connecting French and foreign business ecosystems, while also supporting French companies’ export and foreign investment activities with financing solutions.

“One of our priorities is also to set up initiatives to promote East Africa among French entrepreneurs and the opportunities the region offers,” says Yves Battesti. This includes organizing business delegations in France and locally, and hosting business events such as Inspire & Connect. The next edition will take place on Nov. 15, gathering investors and entrepreneurs from both France and Kenya.

French entrepreneurs, “be bold!”

Both Yves Battesti and Alexis Roman agree: entrepreneurs and companies who wish to do business in Kenya have to “be bold” to take the first step, but the rewards make the effort worthwhile. “Of course, there’s always a risk, but Bpifrance is there to ‘de-risk’ your entrepreneurial adventure with guarantee and insurance products and financing solutions,” says Battesti. “It’s good to inform yourself on the markets and current macroeconomic context, but also to contact us or other institutions like the French Chamber of Commerce, Business France or the French Treasury Department at the French Embassy, to get advice and smart analyses to accompany you.”

The CEO of Lotus also advises fellow entrepreneurs to seek advice early from others, but most of all to avoid the “Move fast and break things” motto coined by Mark Zuckerberg: “You can’t really do that here. I believe it’s better to be diligent and do things the right way.”