Let’s Start the Interview:

The Worlds Times : Explain the background of you and the Company in detail.

Daby Toure : I have been running Actoris-21 for almost 3 years now. Previously I held responsibilities in different business segments in the banking industry. Actoris-21 was created in 2012 to support the economic development of our country, Mauritania, driven by the mining sector. It offers industrial solutions/expertise in the field of energy (electricity, oil and gas, etc.), mining and civil engineering.

The Worlds Times : Why did you start (or want to be the head of) this company?

Daby Toure : According to the economic operators present on our market, the offer in terms of local expertise is quite weak. But to develop the country, we need resources: human capital and of course financial capital. The first is lacking for the industrial sector and the second remains accessible despite certain difficulties linked to several factors (religious, social, governance, etc.). Being at the head of an SME, combined with fifteen years of banking experience, not only gives me more leeway but also a transversal vision of the economic fabric and the problems encountered by our companies. As I mainly worked for multinationals, I sometimes had to deal with a certain bureaucracy instituted by managers cut off from our realities, with glass ceilings, etc. which hinder any personal development of the employee. Rather than being an actor, we ended up becoming a spectator. It was then necessary to create Actoris-21 to respond to a major problem, that of meeting the needs of foreign companies in terms of finding qualified profiles.

The Worlds Times : What do you feel is the biggest strength of yourself/company right now?

Daby Toure : Our strength lies in our rigor and our commitment to our partners without forgetting our sense of ethics and the safety of people and property.

The Worlds Times : What was the path you/your company took to get to where you are today?

Daby Toure : It’s no secret that the life of an entrepreneur is a path strewn with pitfalls during the first years. A baby needs 2 to 3 years or even 4 years before running and jumping. I took over the management of Actoris-21 in 2020, in the middle of Covid19… If I had known that Covid19 would last more than 24 months, I don’t think I would have signed up. When you are a father, you see things differently and you are necessarily driven by a thirst for success. Separating from my family, wife and young children has had serious unexpected consequences in my life as an entrepreneur, but it has never made me give up, quite the contrary. I then resolved to follow the path of faith and commitment. I continued to believe, like everyone else, that this pandemic story would only last a few weeks or even months , but no… Fortunately, it is behind us now and we still have a long way to go in the tireless search for quality which we hope will take us beyond our expectations and that of our partners.

The Worlds Times : What have been the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome?

Daby Toure : I think C19 is and will remain (I hope) the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced in my life and that of our company… and I also think it’s been the biggest challenge for several generations of our planet.

The Worlds Times : Describe the business environment in which you operate ?

Daby Toure : Mauritania has never presented such significant economic potential as it currently does. The confidence of investors and lenders is finally regained when we see the financial flows and the presence of majors in the oil and gas, mining and energy industries. Of course, the challenge is to maintain this confidence.

I would like to salute in passing the remarkable work of the Head of Government and his team under the enlightened and humble leadership of the Head of State Mohamed Cheikh Ghazouani. Mauritanians, who live in a haven of peace and security compared to other countries in the Sahel, thanks to the senior officials of our army, will undoubtedly feel the impact of this painstaking work in the next 2 years and more. please God. The economic, social and even political impact will be resounding. As I answer your questions, several projects led by international investors are underway in the mining, gas, energy and agricultural sectors. Our reserves of gas, gold, phosphate, uranium, green hydrogen which will be exploited in the coming months and years, will bring the country’s growth to 2 digits in the next 5 years without stopping there. and it is a whole population that will undeniably benefit from it! The shock wave of this futur strong growth will impact our neighboring countries such as Morocco, Mali, Senegal, Guinea and to another extent the most industrialized countries. Energy is at the heart of all the concerns of our planet and we will position ourselves as a major player.

The Worlds Times : What are your goals?

Daby Toure : Our main objective is to be a key player in the field of energy by 2030. Through this objective, we want to be a development model for other companies that were born after us and who will be born later. We have a duty to positively influence young entrepreneurs and also to support them through our know-how and our experience. Of course, without the profitability of our economic model, it will be very difficult for us to achieve this objective.

The Worlds Times : What are the strategies of your company and how do they stand unique from your competitors?

Daby Toure : Our strategy is really focused on the development of human capital. We believe in the emergence of local talent and talent from the mauritanian diaspora currently serving other countries. To do this, we must build a business model worthy of the name to unite our talents.What are the key values which helped you to overcome the roadblocks/challenges in your career? Tell us something about your memorable incident in your leadership?

The Worlds Times : What are the key values which helped you to overcome the roadblocks/challenges in your career? Tell us something about your memorable incident in your leadership?

Daby Toure : Loyalty, integrity, respect and tolerance

The Worlds Times : Tell us about a project that forced you to be innovative and creative.

Daby Toure : Here I will rather speak of an event. The discovery of gas potential between 2015 and 2017. During my time in the banking sector, I had oriented the strategy mainly towards the mining and gas industries (at the prospecting/exploration stage with good indices). I already knew that Mauritania would become a major future producer of gas and gold… and now our energy potential (green hydrogen) is a new event for us. The basement is rich and promising and its geographical position gives it considerable advantages. So after all this data, it’s hard not to be innovative and creative.

The Worlds Times : How do you see the company changing in two years, and how do you see yourself creating that change?

Daby Toure : To do this we must comply with international standards. Operate with groups like Bouygues, Siemens, Wartsila, etc. helped us to raise the level of our quality of service and to increase our skills. There are still efforts in terms of process and organization to be able to support groups such as BP, Kosmos Energy, Total Energies, SNIM, Kinross, etc.

The Worlds Times : Where is your leadership going? What benefits do your clients are getting from your company in this competitive world?

Daby Toure : When you have also worked for fifteen years for groups such as BNP Paribas, QNB and Société Générale… and you have gone from the receptionist position to the position of Head of Large Companies, it is because the leadership is for something. The same path will have to be repeated in the process of entrepreneurship in order to bring our customers to take advantage of the reliability of our services.

The Worlds Times : What are the services/solutions or products offered by your company as par with the current industry standards? Tell us something about your upcoming products or services?

Daby Toure : Today the services and solutions we offer are varied but interconnected. Who says engineering work, maintenance and industrial upkeep, says human capital and financial resources (although less). This is why we have created a branch dedicated to the search for talent and a branch dedicated to industrial maintenance work studies. Engineering is part of our services and current projects will soon come out of the pipe. We are on projects with very strong added values in the country and which we are careful not to reveal until the desired moment. Let’s meet in a little less than two years!

Connect Daby Toure on Linkedin