Talent2Africa

What Talent2Africa does

Talent2Africa is a pan-African HR solutions and recruitment firm founded in 2016 in Dakar, Senegal, operating across 50+ African countries plus the Middle East and France. The company delivers three core professional services — executive search (headhunting for management and leadership roles), portage salarial (employer-of-record/payroll outsourcing that handles legal, accounting, and fiscal obligations for clients hiring in Africa), and business process outsourcing for commercial, administrative, and digital teams. It serves multinational enterprises, large corporations, international organizations and NGOs, oil & gas operators, and African SMEs, with a disclosed customer base of 400+ clients that includes Société Générale, General Electric, Engie, Vinci, Atos, Castel, Dalberg, Oryx Energies, and the Tony Blair Institute.

The company's platform combines AI-assisted candidate matching and recommendation algorithms with a database of over 200,000 executive profiles, layered onto a network of multilingual sector-specialized consultants. Service delivery is anchored by seven regional offices (Dakar, Abidjan, Nairobi, Lagos, Paris, Casablanca, Mauritius), a dedicated Digital Factory unit in Dakar for tech and AI/Big Data talent recruitment, an online Marketplace (marketplace.talent2africa.com), and The Cloud Recruiters pan-African network of independent HR consultants established in 2021. Pricing is quote-based and tailored per mandate, with a stated commitment to deliver qualified candidate shortlists within 10 days.

The business model is professional-services fee-based, combining contingent executive search fees, recurring portage/BPO contracts, and partner/affiliate revenue through The Cloud Recruiters network. The company is privately held, has raised $1 million from VC Saviu Ventures in 2018 (the only disclosed external round), and is led by co-founders Chams Diagne (ex-Viadeo CEO Africa) and Benoît Martin (ex-Le Monde, Figaro Classifieds). Recognitions include TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Africa finalist (2017), Stanford Seed Transformation Program participant (2019), and co-organization of the African Leadership Forum with the World Bank IFC (2018).

Name

Talent2Africa

Legal name

Talent2Africa

Website

https://talent2africa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Talent2Africa is a pan-African HR solutions firm founded in 2016 in Dakar, providing executive search, employer-of-record payroll portage, and business process outsourcing services across 50+ African countries for multinational enterprises, NGOs, and African SMEs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Employment Services (5613)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Help Supply Services (7363)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPACAPAD

Talent Acquisition (Recruiting) & Applicant Tracking (ATS)

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Human Capital Management (HCM) & HR Tech

SECONDARYBPACAFAC

Professional & Technical Direct Hire (IT, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare)

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Permanent Placement & Direct Hire

SECONDARYBPACAFAO

Remote & Global/Multilingual Direct Hire

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Permanent Placement & Direct Hire

SECONDARYBPACAKAG

Recruiting Administration Outsourcing (Recruitment Support, Scheduling, Onboarding Ops)

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/HR Outsourcing (HRO) & Shared Services

SECONDARYEDAAAKAO

Career Coaching, Mentoring & Placement Support Services

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Career Readiness & Employability Skills (Resume, Interview, Workplace Skills)

Keywords

• Executive recruitment Africa
• Talent acquisition services
• Payroll portage Africa
• HR outsourcing Africa
• Pan-African recruitment

Headquarters

HQ city

Dakar

HQ country

Senegal

HQ region

Africa

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Executive Search / Executive Recruitment: Headhunting and executive search services for management and leadership positions in Africa, delivered by specialized consultants covering specific sectors and geographies. Clients include multinationals, large enterprises, and organizations seeking cadres and dirigeants.
2. Payroll Portage (Portage Salarial): Employer-of-record services allowing companies to hire talent without direct employment contracts, facilitating administrative, accounting, and tax compliance for collaborators in Africa.
3. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO): Outsourcing of commercial, administrative, and digital teams, providing companies with flexible workforce solutions and operational support across Africa.
4. The Cloud Recruiters Network: Pan-African network of independent HR consultants providing recruitment services under the Talent2Africa umbrella, expanding service delivery capacity.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Talent2Africa is a pan-African HR solutions firm that sells executive search, employer-of-record (portage salarial), and business process outsourcing services to enterprises operating in Africa. Its service delivery is supported by AI-assisted candidate matching, a database of 200,000+ executive profiles, multilingual consultants across 50+ African countries, and a candidate-facing online marketplace.

Product overview

Talent2Africa operates as a pan-African HR solutions company offering three core services: Executive Search (headhunting for executives and managers), Portage Salarial (employer of record/payroll services), and Outsourcing (BPO for commercial, administrative, and digital teams). The company also operates the Talent2Africa Marketplace platform for job listings, the Digital Factory unit for tech talent (AI/Big Data engineers), and The Cloud Recruiters network of independent HR consultants. The portfolio is unified by AI-powered digitalized recruitment processes that deliver candidate shortlists within 10 days across 50+ African countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Cloud Recruiters: The first pan-African network of independent HR consultants (cloud recruiters), created in 2021.

Products and services

• Executive Search Headhunting service for executive and management positions across Africa, providing candidate identification, evaluation, and presentation for critical leadership roles for multinationals, large enterprises, NGOs, and startups.
• Portage Salarial (Payroll Portage / Employer of Record) Employer-of-record service enabling companies to hire talent in Africa without direct employment contracts; handles legal, accounting, and fiscal compliance for collaborators across multiple African jurisdictions.
• Outsourcing (BPO) Business process outsourcing for commercial, administrative, and digital teams, allowing companies to delegate operational functions across African markets.
• Talent2Africa Digital Factory Specialized digital talent solutions unit based in Dakar recruiting AI and Big Data engineers from Senegal for international clients, notably for the French market.
• The Cloud Recruiters Network First pan-African network of independent HR consultants (cloud recruiters) delivering decentralized recruitment coverage across the continent under the Talent2Africa brand.

Quantifiable outcome

• Deliver qualified candidate shortlists within 10 days while respecting client budgets
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and minor.

• World Bank IFCflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTalent2Africa co-organized the African Leadership Forum in Paris in 2018 with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. This collaboration positioned the company as a thought leader in African HR and economic development.
• TILIA POUR LES AIDANTSminorOthersPartner providing support services for caregivers and employees, integrated into the HR services ecosystem.
• TRANSITIONS PRO ILE-DE-FRANCEminorOthersCareer transition and professional development support partner, particularly for professionals relocating to Africa.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm with an established Africa practice serving multinationals, PE, and large enterprises. Direct competitor for Talent2Africa's marquee cross-border leadership mandates.
• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm operating across continents, including Africa. Comparable on senior executive search and HR advisory services.
• Robert Half International: Global staffing and recruitment firm with Africa operations. Comparable to Talent2Africa's professional placement and contract/temporary staffing services, though broader in scope.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a large executive search division and Africa presence. Comparable on executive search, talent management, and broader HR consulting services.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm serving multinational clients across functions and geographies, including Africa. Comparable to Talent2Africa's executive search practice for senior leadership and board mandates.
• Pedersen & Partners: Mid-market international executive search firm with strong emerging-markets presence, including Africa. Comparable to Talent2Africa in serving multinationals hiring executives across frontier and emerging markets.
• Michael Page (PageGroup): Global recruitment firm with Africa offices recruiting across professional disciplines and management levels. Comparable on mid-to-senior professional placement services in African markets.

Regional players

• Jobberman: Largest job marketplace in Nigeria and West Africa, connecting employers with candidates. Overlaps with Talent2Africa's Marketplace offering, though focuses on volume hiring rather than executive search.

Emerging players

• Andela: Tech talent platform sourcing African software engineers for global clients. Overlaps with Talent2Africa's Digital Factory unit on AI and Big Data engineer recruitment, though more specialised in tech roles.
• Brunel International: Global specialist recruitment and project services firm with energy, mining, and infrastructure verticals — including African operations. Comparable to Talent2Africa's oil & gas and infrastructure mandates (e.g., Vinci, Engie, Oryx).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Talent2Africa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCv3Mgl3bf0D-iC_fgYC-oRQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/Talent2Africa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/talent2africa
• Instagraminstagram.com/talent2africa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Talent2Africa