Former Communications Director of the West African Development Bank (BOAD), Serge Bouah, launches The West Office (TWO), a pan-African platform connecting public institutions, local authorities, businesses, and a pool of senior African experts. “The initiative aims to highlight the experience accumulated by former senior executives, consultants, business leaders, and sector specialists to meet the growing expertise needs of African states and organizations,” explains Mr. Bouah.
Positioned as the first B2G and B2B platform dedicated to African senior expertise, The West Office aims to provide quick access to what it calls the “institutional memory” of the region. The model is based on a simple observation: while many strategic projects suffer from a lack of specialized skills, Africa has a significant reservoir of experienced experts often underutilized after retirement.
The platform targets governments, regional institutions, local authorities, SMEs, large companies looking for specialized skills for short or long-term missions. The referenced experts must have at least fifteen years of experience and undergo a verification process including checking professional references.
According to its promoters, The West Office stands out for three main reasons: knowledge of local realities, quick availability of experts, and a cost lower than that of major international firms. The platform also promises a hybrid selection process combining artificial intelligence and human validation to offer clients the most suitable profiles within 48 to 72 hours.
Beyond matchmaking, the stated ambition is to make West Africa a hub for African senior expertise, in a context marked by the acceleration of national development programs, the rise of local authorities, and the growing need for technical support. “Let’s not let our knowledge sleep anymore. Let’s reactivate it together,” summarizes the slogan of this new platform accessible at The West Office.
Box
Key figures of The West Office
Pan-African B2G/B2B platform specialized in senior expertise;
Experts with at least 15 years of experience;
Pre-selection of three suitable profiles within 48 to 72 hours;
Missions with states, institutions, local authorities, and companies;
Platform commission set at 25% of expert fees;
Zero tolerance policy against corruption and contract traceability.
