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Democratic Republic of Congo

Compagnie Sucriere S.A

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COMPANY OVERVIEW

Created in 1869, the FINASUCRE group produces brown, blond, white and refined sugars from cane and beet, marketed in industry and large distribution. It also produces caramels and specialties. It sells renewable energy in the form of electricity. It produces alcohol, molasses, beet pulp and other animal feed products.

Through its subsidiary Galactic, FINASUCRE is a major producer of lactic acid and its derivatives, and conducts research into the production of biodegradable and recyclable plastics. The engineering and production of equipment for sugar mills completes the range of Finasucre’s activities. The group has factories in Belgium, the Netherlands, Democratic Republic of Congo, Australia, China and the USA.

The group operates a concession of 11,700 hectares under sugar cane in the Democratic Republic of Congo and owns 14,700 hectares of farmland in Australia, as well as 4,900 hectares of land with development potential.

Created in 1925 in Kwilu-Ngongo (Democratic Republic of Congo), the Compagnie Sucrière (CSKN) is one of Finasucre’s subsidiaries and is a semi-public company. where the Congolese state is a 40% partner. The country’s only sugar producer, the company includes sugar cane plantations, a sugar mill and a distillery.

SOLUTION

The Challenge

Between 2016 and 2017, Compagnie Sucrière – a cornerstone of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s agribusiness sector – confronted a devastating 31% collapse in sugar sales, plummeting from 101,218 tonnes to just 69,378 tonnes. Alcohol sales followed a similar downward trajectory. This crisis stemmed from three interconnected pressures:

Climate Vulnerability
Unpredictable weather patterns disrupted sugarcane cultivation cycles, reducing yields and compromising harvest quality. As crops faltered, production costs surged.

Economic Headwinds
A nationwide economic slowdown eroded consumer purchasing power. Households prioritized essentials over sugar, shrinking domestic demand.

Market Invasion
Legally and illegally imported sugar flooded local markets. Priced below production costs, these imports undercut Compagnie Sucrière’s competitiveness, squeezing profit margins to unsustainable levels.

The Solution

In 2019, AMSCO launched a multi-year intervention anchored in three pillars: operational restructuring, skills sovereignty, and community regeneration.

Operational Turnaround Through Expert Leadership

AMSCO embedded 27 international specialists across critical roles – Deputy Managing Director, CFO, Supply Chain Manager, and Plant Managers – to overhaul processes. These experts worked shoulder-to-shoulder with Congolese teams, diagnosing bottlenecks in real-time. One priority was supply chain resilience: optimizing harvesting windows around climate volatility and renegotiating supplier contracts to buffer import competition.

Building Local Leadership Pipelines

Beyond immediate fixes, AMSCO established a 2020-2021 training program focused on management and leadership. The goal? To prepare Congolese staff to assume senior roles. Expatriate experts served as mentors, transferring knowledge in financial governance, operational efficiency, and agronomic innovation. This ensured that improvements wouldn’t depart with consultants but would become institutionalized.

Community as the Foundation of Recovery

Recognizing that the company’s fate was tied to community welfare, AMSCO spearheaded infrastructure projects:

  • Water & Sanitation: 22 hand pumps brought clean water to workers’ families and neighbourhoods like Tumba and Mvambanu, while dry toilets improved public health.
  • Energy & Housing: Solar panels electrified areas near Kwilu-Ngongo, and housing with utilities was provided for police, teachers, and public officials.
  • Education & Healthcare: Over 450 students received educational support, while free medical care covered employees and land-rights holders.
  • Transport Resilience: The company maintained 17km of roads and bridges without state subsidies, ensuring supply chains and community access endured.

The Ripple Effect: Sustainable Transformation

Within three years, the strategy yielded profound outcomes:

Operational Sovereignty
Local teams now lead daily operations using transferred skills. Production stabilised despite climate pressures, and import competition was mitigated through cost-efficient practices.

Social Capital Restoration
Community trust rebounded as health, education, and infrastructure investments took root. Youth internships integrated 843 Congolese into the workforce, fostering loyalty and local expertise.

Market Resilience
By addressing systemic vulnerabilities – from roads to leadership pipelines – the company built buffers against economic shocks. Profits began funding further community projects, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of growth.

IMPACT
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Employees

4,307 Congolese employees as of December 31, 2018, including 1,572 permanents and 2,735 temporary.
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Turnover Increase

Increase in turnover and payment of taxes in 2018 compared to 2017.
  • Job Creation: As of December 31, 2018, Compagnie Sucrière employs 4,307 Congolese, including 1,572 permanents and 2,735 temporary employees (1,980 seasonal and 755 daily workers). As of December 31, 2019, the company employs more than 4,300, thus reducing the unemployment rate in the DRC.
  • Social assistance: through its CSR policy, Compagnie Sucrière has contributed to improving the lives of the Congolese people by building social infrastructure, including access to drinking water, electricity and improved medical facilities used by employees, their families and land rights holders.
  • Increase in turnover and payment of taxes in 2018, the turnover was 93.108.656.776,03 and the taxes paid to the Government of the DRC was: 3,371,946,988.93, compared to 8,134,209,040.28 in 2017, that is a difference of 12%.
Why This Model Resonates Across Africa

Compagnie Sucrière’s revival underscores a truth: sustainable agribusiness in volatile regions requires integrated development. Success hinges on:

  • Human Capital: Embedding expertise while prioritizing local ownership.
  • Ecosystem Thinking: Linking operational fixes to community well-being.
  • Patient Investment: Measuring impact in years, not quarters.

For industries facing climate, economic, or market pressures, AMSCO’s blueprint offers a replicable path from survival to resilience.

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Dickson Mwira is a Capacity-building specialist in private, public and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). He is an experienced multi-unit business leader with a proven record of accomplishment of excelling in business advisory services, management of capacity building programs, Business Development, Project Management, business mentorship and Coaching for over 15 years.

He is a holder of Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Strategic Management from the University of Nairobi and Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from The Kenya Institute of Management

His Experience spans from coaching, mentorship, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of capacity building programs and projects, technical expertise in design of needs assessment, research, training, and consultancy interventions.

Ignatius is an Aggressive National Sales & Marketing Manager capable of developing & implementing effective & profitable nation-wide sales and marketing strategies. Proven abilities in recruiting effective sales professionals, developing training courses that increase productivity & establish sales programs.

In his career life, Ignatius held several managerial roles. His most recent being Sales Consultant at Magnate Tomato Nig. Ltd where he was responsible for defining business and sales strategies, identifying new prospects, analyzing market opportunities and competition, and managing credit and accounts receivable collection.

Ignatius holds a Master of Science: Major in Psychology, Bachelor of Science: Major in Philosophy, and currently pursuing a PhD in Industrial & Organizational Psychology at Imo State University, Owerri, Nigeria.

Martial as IT Manager is responsible for deploying, managing, and maintaining IT systems, services, and capabilities to best meet the changing needs of the Group. Prior joining AMSCO Group, Martial brings in 10 years’ experience as Information Technology professional with supervisory roles.

He has an extensive background as System Administrator and Head of IT Infrastructure in telecoms, FMCG and agribusiness multinational companies. His expertise includes, but is not limited to, Networks and Sytems Administration, Cloud technologies, Business Analysis, IT Project Management and  IT Audit. He graduated Master of Engineering in Information Technology and is certified ITIL Foundation in IT Services Management.

Sydney Sampa is an accomplished Business Development and Training Professional with over 17 years of progressive experience in training and development, leadership, sales and marketing, agribusiness, telecommunications, and project management.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts with Education from the University of Zambia, an International Postgraduate Diploma in Management Studies from Cavendish University, and is currently pursuing an MBA at Cavendish University Zambia. He also holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Sales and Marketing Management from Zambia Open University.

Sydney is an accredited Insights Discovery facilitator (IDA-UK) and a certified ILO trainer in Business Management for SMEs.

His senior roles include Country Sales Manager, Regional Business Development Manager for Southern Africa, and Training and Development Manager for South Central Africa.

Zanele Radebe is an experienced Human Resources Professional with over 10 years’ multinational experience.

In her capacity as HR Business Partner, she is responsible for developing and implementing the organisation’s People Strategy, Policies & Procedures, end to end recruitment and overall Group HR Management. Zanele holds a Diploma in Human Resources Management from IIE, Certification in Labour Relations Management from WITS, Hiring Principles from the UNISA, Cost & Management Accounting from IAC and Payroll Administration from SAGE. She’s a member of the Institute of People Management (IPM).

Tumelo is an accomplished admitted attorney with 10 years post-qualification experience, with  a robust legal background and a dynamic skill set. Her professional journey has been marked by diverse experiences, both in-house and private practice, where she served a wide range of corporate and commercial clients. Her areas of specialty encompass drafting and interpretation of commercial agreements, the crafting of incisive legal opinions, the management of both cross-border and local transactions, Compliance and Corporate governance. Furthermore, her competencies extend to company secretarial duties and commercial litigation, ensuring a comprehensive legal service offering.

Prior to joining AMSCO, Tumelo worked in the Financial Services and Capital market space as Legal council: Transact manager and compliance officer.

Tumelo holds an LLB degree, complemented by a Postgraduate Diploma in Contract Drafting and Interpretation from the University of Johannesburg and a Postgraduate Certificate in Banking and Finance at Wits University.

Her current role at AMSCO is Group Legal and Risk Manager which role involves contributing to strategic decision-making, providing legal and operational advice and support to the Group and its subsidiaries, coordinating initiatives within  ExCO, as well as provide corporate governance and company secretarial support.

Richard Barasa joined AMSCO as an Accountant and rose to the role of Finance Manager in charge of the finance department. He is an experienced professional in accounting and financial management.

As Head of Finance he is in charge of aligning financial initiatives to achieve strategic objectives of the organisation by developing and implementing financial processes and controls, analysis and reporting and business decisions support. He is also in charge of managing the ATMS Foundation and development programmes audits. Richard is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Yves Alain Epangue was previously the Managing Director for Francophone Africa, prior to being appointed AMSCO Group CEO. He has a wealth of experience in managing profit centers, cross-functional teams and multi-country operations.

Over the past 20 years, he has held various management and leadership positions within international companies across Africa, in highly competitive industries and business environments. He holds a Post-graduate degree (PhD cycle) in Management and International Business from ESSEC Business School in Douala and HEC Montréal, a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, as well as a Leadership Diploma from Indian School of Business.