Senbioagro is a Senegalese project focused on producing baby nutrition products, which has become a beacon of innovation in the local agricultural industry. Founded by an entrepreneur who was determined to provide nutritious, locally-sourced infant cereals, Senbioagro has grown from its humble beginnings to a company that employs seven full-time and four part-time workers. Their mission is simple: offer high-quality, affordable infant nutrition products made from African crops.
The company’s turning point came when its founder Dr Arfang Mafoudji Sonko joined the Kosmos Innovation Center (KIC) program. At that time, Senbioagro was producing a variety of food products, but through the KIC incubator, the team realized the value of specializing in one area. “During the training, they advised us to focus on one product and master it before expanding,” Arfang says. This advice led the company to focus solely on infant cereals, a decision that allowed them to grow significantly.
The KIC program provided more than just guidance—it offered technical and financial support that helped Senbioagro refine its business model. The training included courses on communication, marketing, and business development, with a particular emphasis on understanding the market. “The incubation period helped us perfect our project idea,” he explains, noting that the KIC training allowed the company to reach a professional level they hadn’t previously thought possible.
“Unlike other incubation programs, KIC was very pragmatic. The monitoring and coaching programs were perfectly timed. They allowed us to focus on our ideas and helped us to realize them especially through supervised financing. I really liked the part of the course on team management and digital marketing, which I believe made me a real entrepreneur.”
For Arfang, one of the most important outcomes of the KIC experience was the ability to access new distribution channels. With the program’s help, Senbioagro entered the pharmaceutical wholesalers’ circuit, where their products are now sold and appreciated by customers. This achievement has been a major milestone for the company, and Arfang sees it as just the beginning.
Looking to the future, Senbioagro’s ambition is to become an industrial-scale company, employing over 100 people and supplying products across West Africa, the entire African continent, and eventually the world. “We know that our product is one of the most nutritious on the market,” he says, highlighting the company’s competitive advantage of using locally sourced crops instead of ingredients imported from outside Africa. “When you become an entrepreneur you tend to want to do everything, KIC really helped me to focus in on what was important.”
Despite the daily challenges of running a growing business, Arfang remains energized by the challenge of running his business. “A day in the company feels like it goes by quickly because there’s always so much to do!” The team’s passion for their work, combined with the skills and knowledge gained through the KIC program, continues to drive SENBIOAGRO forward as they work towards their goal of becoming a dinnertime favourite for infants around the world.