CMA CGM

• The CMA CGM Foundation’s latest commitment to championing education in Africa 
• Inauguration of an Innovation Centre aiming to promote young people’s employability  
• 10 CMA CGM containers converted to house training workshops, computer rooms and co-working spaces 

Joint commitment to help the Kenyan youth find better opportunities 

The CMA CGM Foundation has made education for all its priority. It champions educational achievement and employability all around the world, in partnership with recognized non-profit organizations. Via Le Phare, its social incubator, the Foundation is also committed to supporting entrepreneurial and associative projects offering innovative educational solutions in Marseille, the French Antilles, and Côte d’Ivoire. 

The Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) was established in 1965 and is recognized as an auxiliary to the national and county governments. It supports local communities through its emergency response mechanisms and innovative partnerships. 

I.O.Me 001: an innovation lab aimed at empowering children, women and the youth 

Together with the KRCS, the CMA CGM Foundation made the commitment to support the economic empowerment of young people in the region. To achieve this goal, it has supplied 10 CMA CGM containers free of charge, which have been converted into an innovation centre in Mombasa, Coast Region- Kenya. 

This centre is designed to host, train, link people and create a positive impact for the community within the country at large. Its equipment and technologies will enable underprivileged young people to co-create and design solutions to the daily challenges they face. Through access to resources, youth and women will be empowered to setup businesses and startups strengthening their economic skills, and creating sustainable solutions. 

They will also be given the opportunity to take part in a range of courses and mentoring, including training to refine their core skills and the entrepreneurship and financial management skills that are so crucial to their employability. 

I.O.Me001 is the second innovation centre for the KRCS, with the first built and setup in Lamu, 2020. To date, in partnership with the French Embassy in Kenya and Somalia, I.O.Me001 has empowered over 1200 youth and women in Mombasa, that includes 400 children empowered with coding skills, with over 32 youth employed and more than 40 entrepreneurs supported including the 22 Women entrepreneurs empowered by French Red Cross.