Successful entrepreneurs do not owe their success to chance. They have equipped themselves with the resources they need to maximise their chances of success. Indeed, the success of business start-ups depends largely on the quality of the support they receive. As a complex and demanding process, and operating in a constantly changing economic environment, business creators can't manage on their own with just their goodwill. They need a range of information and tools to get started, which underlines the importance of business start-up support structures.

It is against this backdrop that the Réseau pour la Promotion de l'Entrepreneuriat en Afrique (REPEA) has set up a "Maison de la Création d'Entreprise" (MCE), entirely dedicated to supporting project holders, company founders and entrepreneurs.

The MCE is a place of discovery, creativity and awareness of the entrepreneurial spirit, a talent spotter, a place of welcome, guidance and support for project leaders and entrepreneurs.

It aims to :

• Promoting the entrepreneurial spirit
• Spreading the entrepreneurial culture
• Supporting the creation and development of micro, small and medium-sized businesses
• Encouraging individual and collective initiatives that generate economic activity and jobs
• Upstream and downstream support and training for business start-ups and entrepreneurs
• To train professionals in business start-up consultancy.

One of its main missions is to professionalise support for entrepreneurs. It acts as a guide and mentor throughout the start-up process. To do this, it adopts a structured approach comprising various stages: awareness-raising, information, guidance, reception, support including coaching and follow-up, training, and the organisation of meetings and events on business start-ups. It also provides documents and a co-working space dedicated to business start-ups.