Ms. Farida Yacine SAWADOGO
Ms. Farida Yacine Sawadogo is Managing Partner at International Consulting and Investment Group (ICIG), founded in 2014 and established in Burkina Faso. ICIG promotes investment and entrepreneurship in Africa, more specifically in West Africa, through the mobilization of capital and a technical support, to support the creation and development activities of enterprises and African nations. ICIG also assists local and international institutions and companies in their projects through a highly competent team of experts to enable these organizations to reach and surpass their objectives.
Farida is a Director, Shareholder and / or Manager in several Burkinabe companies that operate in the fields of insurance, microfinance, real estate development and livestock. Farida also represents an International NGO, Peace Operations Training Institute (POTI) as the Director of Francophone Programs with the main responsibilities of seeking grants from government entities and international organizations and promoting the program to Francophone countries and peacekeeping operations around the world.
As Head of Program Monitoring and Evaluation and Institutional Programs at POTI’s Headquarters in Virginia, United States from 2010-2014, Farida was responsible for the development of strategic institutional partnerships with UN bodies, international agencies and donors, NGOs, training centers and universities around the world. She was also responsible for the development, implementation and analysis of the monitoring and evaluation structure of POTI to assess the impact of training on UN peacekeepers and peacekeeping missions. She was also responsible for the implementation and analysis of various research projects at the request of a country or an institution. Farida helped develop institutional capacity, contributing to the registration of more than 110,000 enrollments of 36,000 students from 194 countries around the world in 2014.
In July 2014, she was awarded the “Africa Enterprising Women Award” at the Africa International Business Forum held at the House of Lords Palace of Westminster, London, UK. This award recognizes a young African entrepreneur in the field whose determination and vision help to create business opportunities for SMEs in her country and in Africa.
During her MBA studies in the United States, Farida had developed her passion for consulting, entrepreneurship and investment funds. She participated in several business plan competitions alongside private investors to identify projects with high growth potential and returns on investment, presented by Virginia State entrepreneurs looking for Financing to develop their activities. Farida has consistently mentored companies through consultancies for the preparation of their strategic and business plans and for their fund raising with local and international donors.
Farida’s humanitarian and drive to be a productive citizen shines in her involvement in social development initiatives in Burkina Faso, particularly with regard to the issues children and young adults face and their social and professional integration into society. She is a member of the Association for Adapted Education (AEA), a Burkinabe association for social and humanitarian purposes, founded in 2000 and based in Ouagadougou. AEA has a Medical Educational Institute, La Maison Eveil, whose social and humanitarian objectives are aimed at the care of children, adolescents and young adults with physical or mental disabilities.
Farida is based in Ouagadougou. She holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Consulting and Entrepreneurship from the Mason School of Business in Virginia, USA; A Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from the IFAM Business School in Paris, France; And a Baccalauréat Scientifique (BAC S) from the Lycée Français Saint Exupéry in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
