Amoyta Sets The Trend For Fsd's Crowdfunding Scheme

Originally from the coastal town of Obock, Dato Gaas Ali spent more than a decade at the World Food Programme WFP, travelling Djibouti to oversee food distribution and school enrolment programmes. "After all these years in humanitarian work, I wanted to do something different: become an entrepreneur," he says.

In 2018 Gaas Ali identified a gap in the local market: families with toddlers had access to only two types of nappies - expensive high-end products or cheap options of mediocre quality, often unsuitable for infants. Facing this problem with his own son, he decided to do something about it. He sold his Land Cruiser and flew to China where he visited a dozen factories before selecting a certified supplier.

Gaas Ali started his business by importing nappies and sanitary towels, which he sold door-to-door. The beginnings were difficult. "I distributed free samples and canvassed shops one by one," he recalls. Little by little, his brand, Amoyta, made a name for itself. Today, the brand is available in five supermarkets, 24 pharmacies and 30 wholesalers in Djibouti City.

In 2023, the Djibouti Sovereign Wealh Fund FSD launched Inclufin, a platform dedicated to crowdfunding. A first in Djibouti, its objective is to support the emergence of a dynamic entrepreneurial class by putting project leaders in touch with investors.

"The challenge is to democratise crowdfunding and encourage Djiboutians to invest in local projects," explains Abdallah Abdoulkader, head of Inclufin at the FSD. The ambition is to finance around 50 high-potential companies over the next five years and to structure a more inclusive ecosystem.