Sometimes, serendipitous meetings result in the most fruitful collaborations.
Early in 2014, France‐based Axcentive got to know Dr Ibrahima Sall, a poultry vet with big ambitions, while he was working on a World‐Bank sponsored project with a breeder farm in Nigeria.
Dr Sall is also managing director of Avivet suarl, a veterinary practise headquartered in a suburb of Dakar, Senegal. Thanks to the CDEAO (a free trade agreement between several West African countries), Avivet’s distribution operation trades across both countries. Following the first tentative conversations about a partnership with Axcentive’s Halamid® brand of poultry disinfectant, Dr Sall quickly secured the necessary import licenses and approvals and has made an impressive start launching the Halamid brand to the region in 2014.
“Most experiences with registrations teach us to be rather pessimistic about launch timetables in new territories – so Avivet’s achievements in West Africa have been a refreshing surprise!” commented Toby Heppenstall, General Manager of Axcentive.
Poultry farmers in Senegal and Nigeria prefer to buy disinfectant in smaller packaging units than is common in Europe due to smaller barn sizes. Halamid’s new 2kg bucket format developed for South East Asian markets, has translated well to Africa.
Dr Sall of Avivet added “The response to Halamid has been fantastic. Farmers with successful operations like to identify with Western brands, production is really becoming more intensive. And it’s a big market here!”