Why AfricSearch
Founded in 1996, AfricSearch is one of the leading Head-Hunting and Human Resources Consulting firm for Africa. AfricSearch works to bridge the skills gap in Africa and find the best talent for the continent. We have built a reputation for delivering work with unrelenting commitment and guiding our clients to optimum performance. With offices in Africa, Europe, and the United States, AfricSearch recruits the highest calibre of executives and managers in Africa as well as around the globe. With experience across the continent, AfricSearch boasts with its ability to incorporate the African essence in each of its projects as well as leveraging cultural and technical diversity.
In 2014 AfricSearch entered in partnership with Alexander Hughes, an international Executive Search firm advising senior management on key talent acquisition: Executive and non-executive Directors, senior managers and recognized experts. The firm has been operating for 60 years. The AFRICSEARCH-ALEXANDER HUGHES group is present in more than 40 for countries worldwide, with a team of more than 150 consultants covering several fields of expertise from financial services to technology.
Our Coverage
As a Head-Hunting and Human Resource Consulting firm for Africa, AfricSearch consultants have worked on search mandates in more than 35 African countries.
Partnership with Alexander Hughes has extended AfricSearchs footprint and reach to more countries. In Africa, the group has offices in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Cotonou (Benin), Dakar (Senegal), Johannesburg (South Africa), Paris (France), Doula (Cameroon), Nairobi (Kenya), Washington D.C. There are correspondents in Accra (Ghana), Nairobi (Kenya) and Lagos (Nigeria).
Our Clients
We have clients across the African Continent. We work across sectors and industries including the Agribusiness, Telecommunications, Financial services, consulting, Pharmaceutical industry amongst others. Our clients range from fully integrated multi-nationals to local and panafrican champions.
The Team
Joel-Eric Missainhoun
Joel-Eric Missainhoun is a Managing Partner at AfricSearch and an Executing Director in charge of activities of the Abidjan office, Côte d’Ivoire. He monitors the operations of several offices in francophone African Countries. Missainhoun has over 20 years experience in successfully monitoring projects and activities directly linked to Africa. Missainhoun is a technically savvy executive recruitment professional with in-depth experience leading recruitment projects. He has 5 years experience as a lawyer (African Tax & Legal issues) at Ernst & Young in Paris. In that position, he was involved in providing advisory services to multinationals and assisting several African governments.
Missainhoun holds a Masters Degree (DESS) in Banking Law from the Sorbonne University in Paris and graduated from the Paris Bar school
Philip Armerding
Philip Armerding is a Managing Partner at AfricSearch and an Executive Director in charge of the activities at the Johannesburg Office, South Africa. He is in charge of financial services and insurance practice at AfricSearch. Armerding has over 25 years experience in projects and activities linked directly to Africa. From 1990 to 1995, Armerding worked as a Senior Editor and Business Advisor for Arthur Andersen in Côte d’Ivoire. He supervised and participated in numerous complex assignments in Côte d’Ivoire and sub region including financial audit services, business analysis, diagnostic reviews, advice and assistance to several African governments (in conjunction with the World Bank) in implementing their divestiture and privatization program. In 1997, Armerding joined Merrill Lynch International in Paris (France). From 1997 to 2001 he provided a comprehensive range of investment services to the banks African based clients.
Before joining AfricSearch early 2003, Armerding served as Vice President and Senior Investment Advisor of Global Equities PB, he had successfully established and developed Global Equities private banking activities. Armerding holds Masters in Sciences in Management with a major in finance from the Sorbonne University is Paris.
Didier Acouetey
Didier Acouetey is the President and Founder of the AfricSearch group since 1996 Before founding the AfricSearch Group, Acouetey had worked in the advertising and packaging industry as a Strategic, Sales and Marketing Director. As part of its activities, with Mr. Acouetey recruited several hundreds of executives and managers operating on the African continent and directed several corporate reorganization missions and accompanied the privatization processes of enterprises. In parallel, he formulates proposals for African states and international institutions for the improvement of education structures and capacity building. He is a business Advisor to several managing directors of Africs major companies and institutions. In addition, Acouetey is a columnist for Radio France International (RFI) on the issues of employment, training and creation in Africa.
In parallel to his activities, Acouetey chaired the Education-Training commission of the CIAN (French Council of Investors in Africa) until the end of 2014,