Swiss Precision, African Spirit with CEO Daouda Fall: Brahms Group has Found the Perfect Balance

Switzerland-based and Africa-led, the Brahms Group was born as a consultancy in 2009 — and has grown into an established player in project development and impact investment.

CEO: Daouda Fall

In the firm’s consultancy days, founder and CEO Daouda Fall raised some $50m for projects in biotechnology and renewable energy. Still at the helm in 2021, his focus now is mostly on developing impact investment projects in Sub-saharan Africa, where the population is expected to grow to 2 billion by 2050.

The group’s main business interests are in sustainable energy resources projects, agricultural industry, and civil works — including real estate and construction. The Company creates eco-systems around its projects and is looking at setting up its first project development fund of USD 100 Million in 2022. Its interest in energy, agriculture and finance stems from Daouda Fall’s conviction that these sectors and economic development are coupled.

Brahms Group leads the origination and development of various major projects in West Africa. It is a diversified group in terms of its business lines, with a strong industrial and international finance network — and deep understanding and experience of Sub-Saharan Africa.

The company is currently developing Guinea’s largest industrial project in downstream oil and gas: a refinery, a storage terminal and port related infrastructure. It is structuring over $350m to finance the project via the Brahms Group financial network.

Brahms Group is also developing a 12,000-hectare agricultural project in Senegal in partnership with the Senegalese Sovereign Fund.

With his international background, born in Paris with parents from Senegal & Guinea, Daouda Fall has lived in numerous countries which gives him an international eye in the Company’s local activities. Daouda Fall, currently based in Geneva, began his career with Citigroup and JP Morgan. At Citigroup, he managed ultra-high-net-worth clients and created a solid professional network in the Middle East and Africa. At JP Morgan, he worked as a hedge-fund specialist.

Daouda is a board member and managing partner of Ascon Group, an international trading company. Besides its trading activities, Ascon Group is currently developing a Biomass Project in Namibia and promoting water treatment systems for local communities. He is a former board member of mining and logistic company the Mesa Group, where he developed business opportunities.

Daouda Fall was also a consultant for the China Mining United Fund.

Daouda Fall is a laureate of the Choiseul Institute think-tank that elects the 100 most influential young economic leaders in Africa, and holds a Master’s in Global Political Economy from the University of Sussex. He is a regular speaker at conferences.