Clearly CFAO is the obvious, if not obligatory, partner for French companies interested in Africa. The company Beaumanoir, for example, recently signed a partnership with CFAO to bring several of its brands to the continent. 

This time it is L’Oréal which announced on Friday that it had signed a partnership with CFAO covering the production and distribution of cosmetics products in Ivory Coast.

L'Oréal is thereby aiming to "accelerate its expansion into key markets in French-speaking West Africa," and CFAO will offer "access to its distribution channels and its thorough knowledge of African countries and markets," the companies said in a joint statement.

CFAO will contribute to the partnership with its "production facility for cosmetics and packaging components" and will be the "sole distributor of L'Oréal international consumer brands in Ivory Coast." 

The partnership with CFAO is part of "a strategic plan" for L'Oréal in Ivory Coast and French-speaking West Africa, according to Geoff Skingsley, L'Oréal's managing director for Africa Middle-East Zone. 

Ivory Coast is "a fast-growing market" and "it is crucial for L'Oréal to increase its presence in these expanding markets," he added. 

CFAO CEO Richard Bielle, meanwhile, said that the partnership was "fully in line with CFAO's strategy" and will encourage "the consumption of innovative, quality products in West Africa." 

Jean-Paul Leroy (with AFP)