The Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) has long sat in the shadow of its larger neighbor, the DRC, and West African giants like Nigeria. However, a new strategic alliance between Fondation BantuHub and the financial services firm L’Archer Group is looking to change the capital flow in Central Africa.
The two organizations have committed to investing €1m (approx. 655m FCFA or $1.1m) in equity into Congolese SMEs and startups throughout 2026. While the ticket size is modest by global standards, in the context of the CEMAC (Central African Economic and Monetary Community) region, it represents a significant move toward structured, private-led venture financing.
The Strategy: High-Touch, Long-Term
Unlike the traditional “spray and pray” model of early-stage investing, the BantuHub-L’Archer partnership is opting for a “slow-build” approach.
The centerpiece of the initiative is a 24-month incubation and acceleration program starting in 2026. By limiting the cohort to a small number of startups, the organizers claim they can provide “intensive” operational support.
The program pillars include:
- Direct Equity: Seed-stage capital to stabilize early operations.
- Operational Tail: Two years of strategic and financial oversight.
- Institutional Access: Leveraging L’Archer’s network for later-stage debt or equity raises.
The Key Players
The partnership brings together two distinct ends of the Congolese business spectrum:
- Fondation BantuHub: Led by Vérone Mankou — a well-known figure in the region’s tech scene who launched Africa’s first homegrown smartphone — the foundation has already piloted smaller investments in agrotech (Day Enterprise) and digital engineering (Tinda).
- L’Archer Group: A heavy-hitter in Central African finance. Founded in 2020, the group has managed over €4.5bn (3,000bn FCFA) in debt restructuring and fundraising. Their involvement suggests a shift from “philanthropic” tech support to a “commercial” investment logic.
“The Congo has the talent. Our responsibility is to provide the tools and funding to turn ideas into viable businesses,” said Mankou. Gilles Tchamba, CEO of L’Archer, added that the focus is on “structural investment” rather than short-term gains.
Fund Overview: At a Glance
| Feature | Details |
| Total Fund Size | €1,000,000 (Equity-based) |
| Launch Year | 2026 |
| Primary Sectors | Fintech, AI, and B2B High-Value Services |
| Program Length | 24 Months |
| Geographic Focus | Republic of Congo (with CEMAC scalability) |
Why the Republic of Congo?
The Congolese ecosystem is currently in a “foundational” phase. By targeting Fintech, Artificial Intelligence, and B2B services, the fund is betting on sectors that solve structural inefficiencies in the local economy, such as low financial inclusion and fragmented supply chains.
The broader ambition is to create a blueprint that can be exported to other CEMAC countries (Cameroon, Gabon, Chad, CAR, and Equatorial Guinea), which have historically struggled to attract the levels of VC funding seen in the “Big Four” (Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and South Africa).
The Reality Check
While €1m is a positive signal, the success of the 2026 fund will depend on whether these startups can scale beyond the limited domestic market of 6 million people. The 24-month incubation period is unusually long — a move that acknowledges the “tough-terrain” reality of doing business in Central Africa, where regulatory hurdles and infrastructure gaps often slow down the typical 6-to-12-month growth cycle.
The first startup to join the 2026 cohort is expected to be announced in early Q1 of that year.