CAFEC SA

What CAFEC SA does

CAFEC SA (Cabinet Africain d'Expertise et de Conseil SA) is a privately held multidisciplinary engineering consulting firm and geotechnical laboratory founded in February 2011 in Dakar, Senegal by Youssouf SAKHO, a public-works engineer with over thirty years of experience in the road sector and prior senior positions including Minister of Equipment and Transport and Director General of AGEROUTE and ARMP Senegal. The company operates as a société anonyme with 18 employees and a single headquarters and laboratory site in Dakar.

The firm delivers two integrated service lines. Its Ingénierie Etudes Conseils unit covers road studies (feasibility, technical execution, quarry studies, pavement design), geotechnical investigations, institutional reform studies, delegated project management, water and sanitation engineering, professional training, and organization of scientific events. Its Laboratoire Géotechnique unit performs laboratory and in-situ testing across hydrocarbons (bitumen penetration, ductility, viscosity, flash/fire point, paraffin content, Marshall mix design), soils and rocks (granulometry, Proctor, CBR, Atterberg limits, organic matter, specific gravity), concrete and aggregates (Los Angeles, Micro-Deval, formulation, compression), and field methods (dynamic and static penetrometer, pressuremeter, Benkelman beam, plate bearing). The firm also offers photogrammetry, hydraulics modeling, and structural calculation as supporting capabilities.

CAFEC generates revenue through project-based professional service fees billed to clients in Senegal and across West, Central, and East Africa, with stated scale metrics of 200+ completed projects and 120+ clients since founding. Primary customers are Senegalese government ministries and agencies (Ministère, PROBQSE, PRODAM, AGEP, PND, PADEN, CADAK, Ville de Pikine, Caisse de Dépôt et de Consignations), public financial institutions, the education sector (UCAB), mining operators (EMEEF), and construction companies (Luis Berger, CCST, Synergie Afrique, Sentra BTP, CACO Laboratoire, Ecore BTP). The go-to-market is sales-led with direct engagement, supplemented by a basic content-marketing website. Public pricing is undisclosed; contracts are negotiated per project. No external funding rounds, parent company, M&A, or stock exchange listing have been disclosed.

Name

CAFEC SA

Legal name

Cabinet Africain d'Expertise et de Conseil SA

Website

https://cafec.sn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CAFEC SA is a Dakar-based, privately held engineering consultancy and geotechnical laboratory founded in 2011 that serves Senegalese government agencies, construction firms, and private investors with road studies, geotechnical investigations, laboratory and in-situ testing, hydraulics, structural calculation, and training services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Consulting Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAIAA

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Engineering & Technical Consulting

Keywords

• Engineering consulting services
• Geotechnical laboratory testing
• Road infrastructure studies
• Soil and concrete testing
• Construction project management

Headquarters

HQ city

Dakar

HQ country

Senegal

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consulting Services: Project-based consulting fees for engineering studies, geotechnical investigations, road studies, hydraulic studies, structural calculations, institutional missions, and delegated project management assistance.
2. Laboratory Testing Services: Fees for geotechnical laboratory testing services including soil, rock, concrete, and hydrocarbon product testing performed for clients on specific project requirements.
3. Training Services: Professional training programs in geotechnical engineering, road hydraulics, road project economic analysis, pavement design (Alizé software), foundation design, laboratory testing, public procurement, and public service delegation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

CAFEC SA is a multidisciplinary engineering consulting firm and geotechnical laboratory that delivers road studies, geotechnical investigations, water and sanitation studies, institutional missions, delegated project management assistance, and professional training. It also operates a fully equipped geotechnical laboratory providing laboratory and in-situ testing for hydrocarbon products, soil, rock, concrete, and aggregates on a project-specific basis. Services are sold directly to government agencies, private investors, project owners, and construction companies across Senegal and West, Central, and East Africa.

Product overview

CAFEC SA (Cabinet Africain d'Expertise et de Conseil) is a multidisciplinary engineering consulting firm and BTP laboratory based in Dakar, Senegal. The company operates two core offerings: Ingénierie Etudes Conseils (Engineering Studies & Consulting) providing road studies, geotechnical investigations, institutional missions, delegated project management, training, water and sanitation studies, and scientific event organization; and Laboratoire Géotechnique (Geotechnical Laboratory) offering comprehensive testing services for hydrocarbon products, soil and rock, concrete, and in-situ testing. Founded in 2011, the firm serves public agencies, private investors, project owners, and construction companies across Senegal and West, Central, and East Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ingénierie Etudes Conseils (Engineering Studies & Consulting) Comprehensive engineering consulting service covering road studies, geotechnical investigations, institutional missions, delegated project management, training, water and sanitation studies, and scientific event organization, sold to government agencies, private investors, project owners, and construction companies.
• Laboratoire Géotechnique (Geotechnical Laboratory) Fully equipped geotechnical laboratory providing testing services for hydrocarbon products, soil and rock analysis, concrete testing, and in-situ testing including penetration, pressiometer, Benkelman beam, and plate load tests for construction and infrastructure clients.
• Essais sur produits Hydrocarbones (Hydrocarbon Product Testing) Testing service for bituminous products including penetration, ductility, viscosity, flash point, fire point, paraffin content, and asphalt mix formulation using the Marshall method, for road construction and infrastructure clients.
• Essais sur sols & roches (Soil & Rock Testing) Laboratory testing service for soil including granulometry, Proctor, CBR, organic matter content, Atterberg limits, sand equivalent, specific weight, and natural water content, sold to construction and infrastructure clients.
• Essais sur bétons (Concrete Testing) Concrete and aggregate testing service including Los Angeles, Micro-Deval, granulometry, sand testing (granulometry, sand equivalent, organic matter), concrete formulation, and compression testing, for construction clients.
• Essais in-situ (In-situ Testing) Field geotechnical testing service including dynamic penetrometer, static penetrometer, pressuremeter, Benkelman beam or deflectograph measurement, and plate load testing, delivered on construction and infrastructure project sites.
• Eau & Assainissements (Water & Sanitation) Water and sanitation engineering service including drinking water supply, stormwater and wastewater management, sanitation master planning, and solid waste collection and treatment for public agencies and private developers.
• Formation (Training) Professional training service covering road geotechnics, road hydraulics, economic project analysis, pavement design using Alizé software, shallow and deep foundations, laboratory testing, and public procurement, delivered to engineering professionals and public servants.
• Etudes Routières (Road Studies) Road engineering study service including feasibility studies, technical execution studies, quarry studies, pavement design, and business plan development, sold to public works agencies and private developers.
• Missions à caractère institutionnel (Institutional Missions) Institutional consulting service covering infrastructure sector reform studies, public and private agency restructuring, performance contract evaluation, and regulatory framework assessment for government institutions and public agencies.
• Maîtrise d'ouvrages délégués et assistance (Delegated Project Management) Project management and technical assistance service supporting infrastructure project implementation and public procurement execution and monitoring for public agencies and private project owners.
• Organisation de rencontres scientifiques et techniques (Scientific & Technical Events Organization) Organization of seminars, colloquia, study trips, pilot project demonstrations, and test board events related to infrastructure and transport for public agencies and professional audiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• 120+ satisfied clients
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Egis: French-headquartered engineering group with significant operations across Africa, providing transport, water, and urban infrastructure consulting. Comparable to CAFEC's road studies, hydraulics, and project management services across the African continent.
• SGS: World-leading TIC firm with construction materials testing and geotechnical laboratory services globally. Comparable to CAFEC on the materials testing side and on multi-region infrastructure project support.
• Bureau Veritas: Global testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) company that operates construction materials and geotechnical testing laboratories. Overlaps with CAFEC's laboratory testing services (soil, concrete, hydrocarbon) at much larger scale.
• Intertek: Global TIC company offering construction materials testing, geotechnical engineering support, and infrastructure quality assurance. Comparable to CAFEC's testing and quality control offerings across large infrastructure projects.
• STUDI International: French engineering group whose West African subsidiary previously employed CAFEC's founder. Comparable engineering and consulting capabilities to CAFEC, with broader geographic and sectoral reach in Africa.
• Tractebel (Engie): Global engineering consultancy with active African infrastructure portfolio (energy, water, transport). Comparable to CAFEC on infrastructure consulting, project management assistance, and engineering studies at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Setec Group: French engineering consultancy with strong infrastructure, geotechnical, hydraulics, and structural calculation practices. Directly comparable to CAFEC's multidisciplinary engineering and structural offering, though typically at larger project scale.
• TERRASOL: French geotechnical engineering consultancy specializing in soil and rock mechanics, foundations, and ground engineering. Directly comparable to CAFEC's geotechnical investigations and engineering studies offering, with deeper international reach.

Regional players

• LGL SA (Laboratoire Géotechnique de Lomé): Leading geotechnical laboratory based in Togo serving West African markets. Closely comparable to CAFEC's Laboratoire Géotechnique offering, with similar service menu (soil, concrete, in-situ) and overlapping regional client base.
• CIRA (Compagnie d'Ingénierie et de Réalisation Africaine): Francophone African engineering and consulting firm with infrastructure and project management mandates. Comparable to CAFEC on engineering studies and delegated project management within West Africa, though typically larger in scale.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cafec-sa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 CAFEC SA