In Burkina Faso, the chronic housing deficit and the dominance of energy-intensive construction materials call for sustainable alternatives rooted in local realities. A pioneer of fired-clay bricks, POCERAM joins the Néré Capital portfolio under the CATAL1.5°T programme. This partnership opens a new stage in the company’s development, with the ambition of accelerating the industrialisation of ecological brick production and meeting the growing demand for sustainable construction materials.

From an artisanal heritage to an industrial eco-materials model

POCERAM’s story begins well before its official creation in 2008. Its roots go back to 1975, when Mamoudou Traoré, trained at the Seoul Institute of Technology, founded an association dedicated to pottery and ceramics. Living with a disability himself, he chose to put his expertise at the service of a social mission: training and integrating marginalised people (persons with disabilities, women and unqualified young people) through the craft of ceramics.

The conviction is simple: in a country where the dominant construction material remains the cement brick — costly and thermally inefficient — the fired-clay brick is a local, sustainable and high-performing alternative, able to combine architectural quality, energy efficiency and economic accessibility.

It is from this conviction that POCERAM Briqueterie was born in 2008. The company gradually specialised in the production of hollow fired-clay bricks, whose design offers better thermal insulation than conventional materials, reducing the need for air conditioning and the energy costs of buildings. In addition, the company manufactures improved cooking stoves that deliver charcoal savings of up to 80%.

Since 2012, the new generation has taken over. Bintou Traoré, manager and daughter of the founder, with more than fifteen years of experience in commercial management, and her brother Alhousseini, technical manager, lead the company with a complementarity that combines strategic vision and operational mastery.

The company’s results testify to significant performances. According to data presented by POCERAM, its hollow bricks significantly reduce the energy consumption of buildings, with an estimated emission reduction potential of 7.8 ktCO₂eq per year within five years. In 2024, revenue reached 139 million FCFA, up 21% on the previous year, with a net margin of 25%. The company employs 25 people, 32% of them women, and has delivered emblematic projects such as the Grand Marché of Ouagadougou and the Coris Bank ZAD branch. Its vertical integration (own clay quarries, industrial site at Tanghin Dassouri, dedicated borehole and distribution fleet) gives it a rare strategic autonomy on the market.

Support to scale up

POCERAM’s entry into the Néré Capital portfolio, under the CATAL1.5°T programme, aims to enable the company to consolidate its foundations and take a new step in scaling up. The support will cover several dimensions.

• First, strengthening the production tool. POCERAM plans to acquire a modern, ecological and high-performance kiln, with a capacity of 10,800 bricks per day. This evolution should allow it to drastically increase volumes, reduce its carbon footprint during firing, and meet large-scale orders within tight deadlines.
• Next, structuring the organisation. The support will make it possible to formalise internal processes, strengthen middle management, implement robust management accounting and optimise production management. The objective is to install solid governance, a sine qua non condition for sustaining growth and preparing the opening to new financial partners.
• Finally, commercial development and advocacy. The company intends to intensify its educational communication to raise awareness of the advantages of eco-materials, while consolidating its strategic partnerships with institutional actors and property developers. The signing in July 2025 of a memorandum of understanding with the Caisse des Dépôts et des Investissements du Burkina Faso (CDI-BF) gives decisive institutional support to this momentum.

Eco-materials in the service of climate resilience

Beyond the support, this partnership reflects a shared vision of tomorrow’s construction.

In a context of a structural housing deficit estimated at more than 400,000 units in Burkina Faso, and where conventional materials lead to massive reliance on air conditioning, construction solutions must be able to combine thermal performance, reduced environmental impact and economic viability.

This is precisely the ground on which POCERAM intends to position itself. By offering hollow fired-clay bricks that keep indoor temperatures more stable, the company contributes directly to reducing the energy consumption of buildings and the related greenhouse gas emissions. Its improved stoves reduce households’ charcoal consumption by up to 80%, reducing exposure to smoke and pressure on forest resources.

The growth potential is accentuated by the major public construction projects underway: the Presidential Initiative for Quality Education (IPEQ) provides for the construction of 40 university lecture theatres whose facades must mandatorily be built with fired-clay bricks. POCERAM, the only industrial producer in this segment, has already been directly approached by several successful bidders. Regional prospects are also opening up, notably in Côte d’Ivoire, where the company is in negotiation for a lecture theatre project at the University of Korhogo.

For Néré Capital, supporting POCERAM is part of a broader approach: identifying and supporting companies capable of turning environmental challenges into lasting economic and social opportunities, while strengthening the resilience of territories to the effects of climate change.

A new stage for POCERAM

After more than fifteen years of development in the field, POCERAM is today entering a new phase of its history.

The support of Néré Capital and the CATAL1.5°T programme should enable it to reach the full capacity of its industrial tool, structure its growth and capture large-scale markets. The total financing of the project amounts to 415 million FCFA, of which 130 million requested from the CATAL1.5°T programme, complemented by a bank loan and a personal contribution.

About CATAL1.5°T

CATAL1.5°T is an acceleration programme dedicated to African SMEs and startups committed to the fight against climate change. Funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and BMZ, the programme offers seed financing as well as strategic and technical support designed to help companies structure their growth and maximise their impact.

The programme is carried by GIZ, Climate-KIC and I&P, in partnership with Néré Capital, Comoé Capital and Teranga Capital. It targets companies active in energy access, sustainable mobility, energy efficiency and resource management.

Links
Website: poceram-bf.com
Facebook: POCERAM