Omar Cissé, CEO of Intouch, calls on local investors to be more committed

Created ten years ago, the startup InTouch revolutionized the digital ecosystem in Senegal. It is now present in 26 countries, with more than 4,000 corporate customers, and a network of 60,000 partner retailers.

‍To mark its tenth anniversary, the company organized a panel that brought together decision-makers, partners and customers. For Omar Cissé, its CEO, the objective remains the same. “We want to be the trusted partner in every digital transaction,” he said. But in order to take full advantage of digital technology, Omar Cissé insists on the need for local investors to be more involved in the development of technology companies. “We were lucky enough to get funding,” he said. But how many other African startups will have this opportunity? It is time for our investors to diversify their investments beyond real estate and support technology companies.” According to him, this call for a more structured financial commitment aims to encourage the creation of a dynamic ecosystem, where local startups can develop and become major players in African digital technology. For Omar Cissé, the future of African fintechs depends on the rise of national champions capable of structuring the ecosystem sustainably. This is why he considers it urgent to develop an ecosystem with new players.” But it is even more essential to have national champions who will be the drivers of long-term development. We have a lot of promising small businesses, but it takes a determined will for these start-ups to become African references. ”, he added.