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Our Proffesionals
Meet our expert Team
Our Proffesionals
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Aissatou LE BLOND

Founder & CEO

M&A Ventures, Grameen Credit Agricole Fund, Investisseurs & Partenaires

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Brice DACOSTA

Managing Partner Investment Director

Axian Group, CrossBoundary, Wartsila, SGS, Areva

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Niakar NGOM

Senior Investment and Exit & Liquidity

AXA, Vauban Infrastructure Partners

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Helene SANANIKONE

Senior Finance Director

Banque des Territoires, Grameen Credit Agricole Fund

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Atinouke AMADOU

Senior Legal

Team
GOVERNANCE & PARTNERS
Team

INVESTMENT COMMITTEE

Aissatou Le Blond

Brice Dacosta

Niakar Ngom

Helene Sananikone

Paulo Gomes
(independent member) Orango Investment Corporation
+30 years Ex World Bank

STRATEGIC ADVISOR

Moctar Fall
+30 years
Agriculture

Didier Acouetey
Afric Search
+20 years

Eugene Ndiaye
VooNoo Group
+30 years
Ex La Casamançaise (Industry)

    Opera Capital is raising Opera Green Industry Capital, a €75M climate private equity fund Industry decarbonization, climate-resilient agriculture, education and inclusive financial services...

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    © 2024 OGIC 4.0. All Rights Reserved.
    Brice Dacosta

    Managing Partner & Investment Director

    Brice is an international executive with over 20 years of global experience in Private Equity, Power, and Infrastructure, with deep technical, business, project development, and investment expertise. He has built a high-level network with government officials, Development Finance Institutions, Multilateral Development Banks, and private sector leaders through collaboration on strategic projects across Africa. Skilled in energy and infrastructure PPP contracts, climate finance, and improving the enabling environment—including policy dialogue, reforms, and competitive frameworks—he actively promotes renewable energy and climate finance. Brice specializes in sourcing, developing, structuring, and financing complex energy and infrastructure projects, and in setting up venture capital and private equity funds in Africa. He is also a seasoned management professional with proven leadership in team and P&L management, strong multicultural competencies, and a deep understanding of the African business landscape. In addition, Mr. Dacosta brings substantial advisory experience in both energy and infrastructure and is a fast learner, able to efficiently adopt new concepts and methodologies in his daily work.

    Brice is currently the co-managing partner of Opera Capital Fund, and a senior consultant in energy and infrastructure, investment, and financial advisory through his consulting company, BessPower. He is based in France and Senegal. Prior to that, Mr. Dacosta was the country manager of Axian Energy and the managing director of NEA (New Energy Africa), the vehicle of Axian Energy, investing in renewable assets in Sub-Saharan Africa, where he worked on the acquisition of IPPs (Independent Power Producers) in the region. Brice is also a former manager at CrossBoundary, where he led the power and infrastructure advisory teams in West and Central Africa. Prior to CrossBoundary, he was a business development manager for Wartsila, an engine equipment manufacturer for thermal hydrocarbon power plants. Mr. Dacosta also spent 11 years at AREVA working on nuclear and renewable energy projects in France, Japan, Brazil, China, and Sweden, as well as mining activities in Niger. Prior to Areva, he was a trainee at Engie (gas exploration and production division), working in the company’s strategic underground gas storage facilities. Brice holds an MBA and an MSc in Mechanical Engineering. He is an alumnus of Fox School of Business at Temple University (USA) and École des Ponts ParisTech (France).

    Atinouke AMADOU

    Senior Legal

    Atinouké, member of the Paris Bar since 2014, is a skilled lawyer with 10+ years’ experience in business law, energy, and mining.

    She has a main practice to her credit with numerous investment funds and micro-finance institutions including Investisseurs & Partenaires, ACEP Group, ACEP International Ltd, BIO, UNACREP, M&A Capital ElectriFi, Gaia Impact Fund, Hivos-Triodos Fund, … as with several national companies and subsidiaries of international groups.

    She is one of the founding partners of the Oya Group, a law firm specialises in energy and infrastructure. Oya’s activities cover Benin, Guinea, Senegal, Mali, and Côte d’Ivoire. Where she advises key players (public authorities and private companies). She helps in guaranteeing the legal and regulatory security of projects of public and private interest.

    Atinouké is an alumna of the French “École de Formation Professionnelle des Barreaux de la Cour d’Appel de Paris”. She also holds a PhD in Electricity Law from Université Bourgogne (France).

    French/Beninese

    Niakar NGOM, CFA

    Senior Investment and Exit & Liquidity

    Niakar has 10+ years experience in investments strategies and risk management.

    Regarding investments strategies, Niakar oversaw the investment strategies of AXA France on a portfolio of +€170bn by devising the strategic asset allocations and also the hedging strategies.

    Niakar was also in charge of overseing the investment risks related to the asset allocation in private equity and Infrastructure and to selection of the funds and was part of the investment committees.

    Currently in charge of investment risks at Vauban Infrastructure Partners (mobility, social infrastructure, digital Infrastructure, energy transition, corporate Infrastructures), Niakar participates in investment committees and provides risk analysis and insights on all the investment opportunities as well as on current participations.

    Niakar is also a member of UNPRI working group on climate physical risks.

    Niakar graduated from Grenoble Institute of technology in financial engineering, from Central Supelec in corporate sustainability management and from the unversity of Grenoble in quantitative finance.

    Niakar is a CFA chaterholder.

    Senegalese/French

    Aissatou LE BLOND

    CEO & Managing Partner

    Driven investor with over 15 years in private equity, structuring financing, corporate support and business development and over 80 transactions, 15 exits, venture building, finance, consulting and strategy, SME value creation and business development, management. Over 8 years’ experience as a fund manager of M&A Ventures, she is a serial financial entrepreneur who invests in other entrepreneurs.
    Aissatou Le Blond is currently raising her second investment vehicle, a climate vehicle fund: Opera Green Industry Capital 4.0 (OGIC 4.0), a Eur 75M climate fund providing private equity growth capital to medium sized companies in West Africa in industry decarbonization and climate-resilient agriculture and their value chain with a strategic focus on decarbonization, energy transition, substitution food import, sustainable food systems, and climate resilience on a build-up and buy-out strategy, with exits from trade sales and listings. We promote the emergence of competitive and structured green African multinationals, job creators, with a strong financial and ESG impact and to create value for investors by investing in the real economy. Its strategy aligns with the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy focusing on climate consideration with objective net zero emission by 2050, sustainable employment, and women equality.
    She is the founder and CEO of a venture capital fund, M&A Capital/M&A Ventures created in 2018, which specializes in direct investment, equity participation, venture building, acquisitions, business development and strategic support for companies. It invests in the IT/TECH, agribusiness, industry, agri-food, fintech, education/training and financial services sectors. This leading investment fund holds around 10 companies in Sub-Saharan Africa.
    Portfolio M&A Ventures: 10 investments – 5 Exits – 2 companies closed due to covid – 5 growing companies including – 6 success stories
    List of companies: Lycée Billes (Education) – Nexus Corp (IT/Digitalization of professions – exit) – Afridev (IT/SII) – Admec (solar energy – exit) – Un’Intant (Restauration/Agribusiness) – Gounou (Industry/Agribusiness) – Paps (Logistics – exit) – Doria (Fintech/Reverse factoring – exit)
    At the same time, she is the founder of Ukuaji Consulting, a consulting firm that supports companies in their various development phases. The firm has worked with some thirty European and African companies on a wide range of assignments, including strategy consulting, strategic, financial, managerial, operational and legal structuring in business law, financial consulting, development strategy, expansion, acquisition and build-up, takeover, restructuring, expansion, LBO, structured financing, outsourced financial management, elaboration of financial procedures, elaboration of business models, financial, administrative and strategic audit, due diligence, financial management, strategic and managerial support, technical assistance, training and skills transfer, etc. His firm also works with public and international institutions, European and African incubators (ADPME Senegal, Singa France, …) to support companies in their different programs on various subjects.
    Prior to setting up her companies, Aissatou spent her career in investment funds. She was Investment Manager for the West Africa, East Africa and Southeast Asia portfolio of the Grameen Credit Agricole group. Portfolio: Laiterie du Berger, Senegalaise Filiere Alimentaire Senegal, PPSE Cambodia, 1001 Fontaines, etc.
    Prior to this, she worked for Investisseurs & Partenaires, managing their investment portfolio in Central Africa. Portfolio: ITG Store Cameroon, Trianon BTP Gabon, Acep Cameroun, CDM Cameroon, Banque des Comores, etc.
    She then worked for a fund specializing in real estate, the hotel chain, and manufacturing. Then, she worked as a consultant on advisory, structuring and business support assignments. Prior to this, she began her career in public, political and financial communications in various agencies and local authorities in France.
    Aïssatou Le Blond graduated from Sciences Po with a Professional Master’s degree in Finance and International Business, specializing in Opportunity and Risk Management in Southern Countries, a Master’s degree in Geo Economics, Political Science and Law with a specialization in Ohada Law from Montesquieu Bordeaux IV, a Bachelor’s degree in Information and Communication, specializing in Financial/Institutional Com, from the IUP ISIC Michel Montaigne Bordeaux 3 and a DUT Communication des Organisations Internationales Opt Financiere Publique Politique.

    Senegalese / French