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Because a successful business is built first and foremost on a solid foundation, COMMAN-YA, in partnership with EUMC-WUSC, brought together 10 women entrepreneurs for the BANKABLE program, an initiative dedicated to strengthening their entrepreneurial, financial, and business skills. Over the course of two days, the participants experienced much more than just a training session. They shared their experiences, discussed the realities they face as entrepreneurs, and acquired p

It’s been 7 years already. Today, September 4, 2025, COMMAN-YA is celebrating its 7th anniversary and looking back on a journey marked by challenges overcome, valuable lessons learned, victories both big and small but above all, unforgettable encounters with people. Since its founding, COMMAN-YA has made it its mission to support, train, and inspire generations of women entrepreneurs in Côte d’Ivoire and beyond. 7 Years of Challenges, Victories, and Impact Every milestone we

From June 29 to July 2, 2025, our Executive Director, Pervenche Aliman, had the honor of attending a working breakfast organized by the Swiss Embassy in Côte d’Ivoire. This exceptional meeting was attended by Ms. Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, a Swiss Federal Councilor on an official visit to the country, and several Ivorian women leaders. As part of her mission to Côte d’Ivoire, Ms. Baume-Schneider expressed a desire to engage in dialogue with leaders committed to gender equalit

On March 6, 2025, to mark International Women’s Day, Comman-ya organized a unique evening combining training, inspiration, and camaraderie. At our incubator, we welcomed committed and passionate women entrepreneurs who came to share their ideas, build their skills, and experience a moment of sisterhood. The evening kicked off with an interactive workshop on social media, led by Tricia. The topic: “How to build an online presence to sell effectively?” On the schedule : concret

In February 2025, COMMAN-YA and its participants took part in an exceptional business trip to Accra, Ghana. More than just a business trip, this immersive experience was a true human and entrepreneurial adventure: meetings with key players in impact investing, discovering innovative organizations, cultural exchanges, and a return to the continent’s historical roots. From the very first meetings, the delegation had the opportunity to engage with the core team at Impact Investi

At COMMAN-YA, we believe that every woman should be an active participant in her own development. That is why we enthusiastically joined the official launch of Findietou in July 2024 an innovative digital platform for financial education in local languages, initiated by BICICI, Advans Côte d’Ivoire, and our partner Finafrique. The name Findietou stands for Digital Finance and Education for Everyone. This platform aims to provide everyone, regardless of their level of educatio

The year 2025 is off to a flying start! From January 6 to 10, 2025, several COMMAN-YA members joined other female entrepreneurs in participating in the prestigious HEC Stand Up program, held for the first time in Africa at the HEC Paris campus in Abidjan. This pilot session brought together 15 women entrepreneurs from sectors as diverse as healthcare, food, fashion, textiles, e-commerce, business services, disability services, construction, and cosmetics. Over the course of a

February 23, 2024, will remain a memorable date for COMMAN-YA. The latest cohort of the Kidy Program, dedicated to the early childhood sector, celebrated the end of an intense journey marked by resilience, hard work, and determination. This festive evening honored 11 women entrepreneurs, who are now ready to take on new challenges and actively contribute to the growth of women’s entrepreneurship in Côte d’Ivoire. For several months, the participants received support from trai

A few days ago, COMMAN-YA had the immense honor of welcoming Her Majesty the Queen of the Belgians 👑🇧🇪. This visit was part of her commitment to women’s rights and economic empowerment, with a particular focus on the reality of women’s entrepreneurship in Côte d’Ivoire. The Queen wanted to gain a concrete understanding of the challenges faced by Ivorian women entrepreneurs and the solutions put in place to support them. On this occasion, six women entrepreneurs supported b

On the occasion of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN), COMMAN-YA had the honor of being invited to the Akwaba ceremony for the U.S. sports envoys, organized by the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan. It was an exceptional meeting with three icons of world sports : Lisa Leslie, Crystal Dunn, and Chiney Ogwumike. Role Models of Success and Commitment Beyond their Olympic titles and athletic accolades, these champions have impressed us with their stories of resilience and their advocacy

On Monday, January 8, 2024, COMMAN-YA took part in a public-private workshop focused on the creation of an innovative financing instrument: the Inclusive Bond. This disruptive financial tool aims to bridge two worlds long considered irreconcilable: the stock market and the informal sector. The Inclusive Bond consists of a bond issue specifically designed for very small businesses (VSBs) and actors in the informal sector. This unprecedented mechanism could reduce inequalities

On Friday, December 8, 2023, the participants in COMMAN-YA’s KIDY Program cohort had the opportunity to experience an exceptional immersion at the Nouvelle Brasserie de Côte d’Ivoire (NBCI), located in Bonoua. This educational visit allowed the young women to explore the modern production lines of two iconic brands: PLANET soft drinks and ASSINIE mineral water, both widely distributed throughout the Ivorian market. Beyond the tour of the facilities, it was a true lesson in en

On Friday, November 24, 2023, the Life TV auditorium in Abidjan came alive with a unique event : the Ascens’her Meetup by COMMAN-YA, dedicated to professional well-being and burnout prevention. This event, rich in discussion and organized in partnership with Life Radio and its program “Woman Up,” brought together experts, professionals, volunteers, and mental health advocates. A Landmark Event on Workplace Well-Being Burnout, or occupational exhaustion syndrome, has become a

The time has come we’re taking the plunge to scale up our efforts by launching Support’her, our fundraising campaign. It’s designed to give us the resources we need to carry out our projects supporting women in Côte d'Ivoire and to ensure the long-term sustainability of our activities so we can have an even greater impact over time. If you believe in our work, you can support us by making a donation of any amount via this link 👉 Je soutiens COMMAN-YA ! Your donations are in

On August 20, 2024, at Péléforo Gon Coulibaly University in Korhogo, COMMAN-YA had the pleasure of hosting an inspiring session dedicated to three essential pillars for the future of young women: women’s entrepreneurship, leadership, and financial education. This event was made possible thanks to the support of our long-standing partner, the U.S. Department of State, through the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan 🇺🇸. The initiative aimed to equip the students to develop their entrepr

On this day, March 8, our thoughts go out to the women who paved the way so that we, the women of today, can enjoy certain rights. While these rights certainly need to be strengthened—and in some cases, enforced—they have already been won once, so it is possible! We think of our sisters in arms with whom we carry the torch—those who take action in their own ways, speak up for the most vulnerable, make an impact in their respective communities, and push the boundaries… We thin

At the start of this year, we celebrated excellence alongside some twenty young female researchers and scientists who defied societal pressures to complete their studies and research projects. Because the world of science needs to be inclusive, we thank the L’Oréal Foundation, which has been supporting women researchers for over 25 years. It was an inspiring evening that we spent with some members of the Core Team and female entrepreneurs from our Incubat’Her program!

To better meet the needs of our beneficiaries, we signed a partnership agreement with MAZARS, a renowned auditing firm, in late 2022 to provide our female entrepreneurs with high-quality accounting, tax, and legal support! For this first edition, 15 of our incubatees will receive support from MAZARS accountants for a period of one year. By the end of this support period, our goal is for each female entrepreneur to be able to assess and manage the profitability of her business

Last week, COMMAN-YA hosted the L'Oréal Foundation and its CEO, Alexandra Palt. It was a wonderful evening during which the Comman-Ya members were able to present their activities and, above all, their CSR approach. Since the launch of our Incubat’Her program in 2018, we have made it a priority to educate our female entrepreneurs on their social and environmental responsibilities so that they can integrate them into their business strategies. We would like to take this opport

We are proud to have supported and trained the winners of the Coup de Pouce for April, May, and June ! Thank you to the BJKD Foundation for trusting us to deliver this training. Once again, congratulations to all the aspiring entrepreneurs !