Senegalese agribusiness giant Sedima is expanding its footprint in Central Africa with plans to invest 20.47 billion CFA francs, roughly $35 million, in an integrated poultry and farming complex in Nkouo, in the Pool department of the Republic of Congo.
The project, being developed through Sedima Congo SA, is expected to bring together the major stages of poultry production under one operation — from cultivating maize and soybeans for animal feed to breeding, poultry farming, slaughtering and packaging.
According to business publication EcoMatin, the facility will be modeled on Sedima’s integrated operations in Senegal, giving the company greater control over its supply chain while reducing dependence on imported feed and poultry products.
At full capacity, the planned complex is expected to produce approximately 10,800 tonnes of maize, 6,600 tonnes of soybeans and 2,200 tonnes of broiler chicken annually.
The development will include agricultural fields, a hatchery, poultry farms and a processing facility, creating an integrated production chain designed to serve the Congolese market.
Financing will come from a combination of Sedima’s own capital and loans from regional financial institutions, including BGFIBank and the Development Bank of Central African States (BDEAC).
Sedima’s move into Congo has been more than a decade in the making.
The group began exploring opportunities in the country in 2015, when its executives engaged poultry farmers in Pointe-Noire over plans to produce and distribute day-old chicks locally.
The expansion comes as Congo and other Central African markets continue to rely heavily on imported poultry and animal feed. By producing its own feed crops and managing multiple stages of the value chain, Sedima aims to build a more locally integrated supply system while competing with imported products.
Sedima’s expansion is rooted in the entrepreneurial journey of founder Babacar Ngom, who started the business in 1976 at age 21 with just 120 broiler chicks and 60,000 CFA francs.
What began as a small poultry operation eventually developed into one of Senegal’s largest agribusiness groups. Sedima now operates across poultry production, animal and livestock feed, eggs, grain farming and wheat milling, alongside interests in real estate and finance.
The group generated around 60 billion CFA francs in revenue in 2022, according to Jeune Afrique, with Senegal remaining its main market. Its operations have also extended into Mali and Congo.
The Congo investment represents Sedima’s largest foreign expansion to date, highlighting the company’s broader ambition to replicate its vertically integrated agricultural model beyond Senegal.
The group has historically maintained concentrated ownership under the Ngom family. Its founder remains a major shareholder, while his daughter, Anta Babacar Ngom Diack, has led the company since 2016 after joining the business in 2009.
For Sedima, the Congo project is more than a new production facility. It marks a significant step in exporting a Senegal-developed agribusiness model into another African market where demand for locally produced poultry and animal feed remains substantial.
