Our investments

A growth portfolio invested in the future.

YAO Corp’s growing portfolio of investments and subsidiaries is a cross section of innovative,  scalable businesses that are already having a positive impact across the region. With a focus on financial services, healthcare, infrastructure and public services, the YAO Group is building Central Africa’s  commercial sector.

Telecommunications Financial Digital Health
Our Operating Companies

Our operating companies are scalable pockets of excellence across the region that provide the services of the future to Central African businesses and citizens.

Telecommunications

Silicone

Silicone provides the physical infrastructure that unlocks digital transformation across the Central African region. YAO Corp’s investment has enabled Silicone to pioneer the use of fibre optic cables technology to form million of connections and fuel business growth and success…

Established in September 2020, Silicone Connect is an optical fiber infrastructure operator and an internet service provider in the Republic of Congo. It operates an optical fiber network between Pointe-Noire - Brazzaville and Brazzaville - Owando, with metropolitan loops in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire. It also has two international connections, one via the WACS in Pointe-Noire and another through underwater optical fiber via Kinshasa, which gives it access to SAT3 and ACE.

Silicone Connect provides connectivity services to operators, large companies, public administrations, and NGOs. Its main activities include capacity sales, interconnection services, and wholesale. Silicone Connect aims to deploy and operate a robust and scalable infrastructure to establish itself as a leader in optical fiber in the Republic of Congo.

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Datacab

Datacab was established in April 2022 following a service delegation granted to the companies YAO Corp and 3C Technologies for the management, marketing, operation, and maintenance of the optical fiber telecommunication network resulting from the Central African Backbone project in the Republic of Congo - Congo / Cameroon and Congo / Central African Republic axes...

To carry out this delegation, the two companies formed an economic interest group called Datacab. The company is the designated point of contact for both national and international operators looking to operate on the Congo / Cameroon and Congo / Central African Republic axes from Ouésso. Datacab aims to provide telecommunications services related to optical fiber and to make Ouésso a hub for internet transit that benefits the whole region.

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Digital

Akieni

Akieni is a regional leader in the redesign of public and private sector service delivery for the digital economy. Working with the latest open source software platforms and lightweight digital infrastructure, Akieni provides bespoke service design, digitisation, and transformation programs to meet the individual specifications of a diverse range of clients...

Akieni are strong advocates of a digital future for Africa and their work is central to creating the next generation of government and institutional services. Their flexible technology platform and end to end solutions empower businesses and governments to deploy seamless digital services that empower populations.

Financial

Omya

Omya is a specialist corporate advisory firm working with the private sector throughout Central Africa. Omya delivers advisory services for capital raise, debt restructuring, negotiations of government debt, M&A and HNWI investment strategy...

Taking a tailored and holistic to each new project and drawing on decades of experience in financial services, logistics, wood and forestry, mining, technology, health, education and real estate, the team at Omya are experts in delivering a range of differentiated strategic services to address the often complex and multifaceted challenges facing corporate and financial players in the region.

Health

Polyclinique El Rapha

Polyclinique El Rapha is a YAO Corp “legacy” company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary acting across the Health Sector. The brainchild of Édith Lucie Bongo Ondimba (March 10, 1964 – March 14, 2009), the former First Lady of Gabon, Polyclinique El Rapha was funded as a centre of excellence iand has long been considered the leading healthcare clinic in the CEMAC region...

The clinic offers a range of life improving and life saving services in. At its peak Polyclinique El Rapha delivered consistent best-quality service to thousands of patients per year and maintained a strong financial performance, with turnover in excess of $20m and a double digit EBITDA margin.

YAO Corp has recently taken a more direct involvement and significant investment is being made to re-establish the clinic’s position as the region’s leader in modern medical practices and quality of care. The team at YAO Corp will use Polyclinique El Rapha as the launchpad for its ambition to create a group of leading clinics and healthcare operators across the Central African region.

The firm is re-investing heavily in the clinic to put it back in its position of leadership in the region and will actively look at growth opportunities through a roll-up strategy that will enable it to establish leadership throughout the CEEAC region in the health sector. YAO Corp sees health as a key sector for future investment, with tangible and positive impacts and economic rationales.

Our Participations

Working in partnership with institutional and other private investors, YAO Corp is a minority shareholder in a range of innovative financial institutions...

Financial

BGFI

BGFIBank, the leading financial group in the CEMAC region, specialises in financing for both businesses and individuals, asset management, specialised financial services and insurance. The group has a presence in 11 African countries as well as in France through its subsidiary BGFIBank Europe...

The Retail Banking division aims to make banking services accessible to a wide range of customers, whether individuals, craftsmen, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs/SMIs) or professionals, and whether they exercise a formal profession or not. This is made possible through various distribution channels including bank branches, ATMs, mobile banking and online banking.

The Corporate Bank deals with a client base made up of large companies with a substantial turnover that carry out high added-value activities, both locally and internationally.

BGFIBank Group offers a highly personalised trade finance offering, adapted to the specific needs of African markets. BGFIBank Europe acts as the group's European hub for its international trade, treasury management, liquidity management and correspondent banking activities.

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BGFI Congo

BGFIBank Congo, a subsidiary of the BGFIBank Group, entered the Congolese banking market in April 2020. Since December 2022 and has established 15 points of contact with customers across the country...

BGFIBank Congo maintains its well acquired leading position in the Congolese banking market.

Ecobank Gabon

Ecobank is a universal bank focused on the Sub-Saharan Africa region. It offers a comprehensive range of banking services, encompassing retail banking, corporate banking, investment banking, as well as financial transaction solutions for governments, financial institutions, multinational corporations, local businesses, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and individuals...

Ecobank organises its activities around three main customer segments: Personal Banking, Commercial Banking and Investment Banking.

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UGB

Union Gabonaise de Banque is Gabon’s third largest bank with 22 branches and nearly 300 employees. With a universal banking model, recognised expertise and a high profile, it is firmly established in the Gabonese banking landscape...

It serves over 123,000 individual, business and corporate clients throughout the Central African territory.

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Assinco

Created in 1997, Assinco quickly positioned itself as the market leader in property, casualty and credit insurance in Gabon. The corporate insurers carry 1 billion XAF of share capital and have issued over 1 billion XAF of premiums...

Assinco's business strategy sits on four pillars: Strengthening governance, Transforming human capital, Guaranteeing resources, and Controlling risks. Assinco is owned by BGFIBank Group and provides services across the region including insurance coverage for: Head of Family, Travel Health, Housing, Accidents, Motor, Home, Company and Credit.

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