From $100 to Multinational Success: How an Ivorian Entrepreneur Turned a Snack Venture into a Continental Brand

Koffi Amani François Xavier started his snack company “Mon Chips” with just US$100. Today, it’s a multinational brand – thanks in large part to the African Development Bank (AfDB)’s ENABLE Youth Program.

Speaking at a side event during the Bank’s 2025 Annual Meetings, the 30-year-old entrepreneur credited the program’s AgriPitch competition for giving him the skills and confidence to grow his business. AgriPitch supports young agripreneurs with mentorship, training, and access to investors.

Xavier was a featured speaker at the May 26 session, “Mobilizing Africa’s Agripreneurs: Unleashing the Next Generation of Agricultural Innovators.” The event spotlighted ENABLE Youth’s impact – over 100,000 young people trained and 240,000 jobs created across 18 African countries since 2016.

“Agriculture offers the largest and fastest path to youth employment,” said Beth Dunford, AfDB Vice President for Agriculture, Human, and Social Development. “That’s why we launched ENABLE Youth – to empower young people to feed Africa and create jobs.”

For Xavier, the AgriPitch competition was a game-changer. Two years after winning US$25,000, he upgraded production, expanded to 150 retail locations in Ivory Coast, and entered four new markets.

Today, his company, Etoduma SARL, processes 50 tons of chips annually and employs 26 people – 80 percent of them women.

With more than 60 percent of its population under 25, Africa is the world’s youngest continent. By 2030, Africans will make up half of all new entrants into the global workforce – highlighting the need for sustainable job creation.

Through initiatives like the African Youth Agripreneur Forum, AgriPitch, and Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Banks, the AfDB continues to invest in Africa’s rising generation of agricultural innovators.