Patricia Zoundi Yao
Former Advocate for Anglophone Africa
Member of the eTrade for Women Advisory Committee
QuickCash
Founder & CEO
FinTech
Côte d’Ivoire
Meet Patricia
Patricia Zoundi Yao is a serial entrepreneur based in Ivory Coast. She founded various successful companies among which Quickcash and Canaan Land. She believes in using digital tools to create a more equal and gender inclusive economy. Fun Fact about Patricia: She learned the fundamentals of entrepreneurship as a little girl by selling on markets with her mother during holidays.
Early Milestones and Business Development
Patricia was born into a humble family of farmers. Her business sense and her work ethic enabled her to finance her education and obtain a master’s degree in Business Law.
Patricia had some challenges: right after completing her degree, she started a company with her uncle and had to close this first venture. But she did not give up: with very little resources, Patricia started QuickCash in 2010, a business specialized in facilitating money transfers for marginalized people who can’t use the traditional banking system.
Her determination allowed her to climb the ladder to become the successful women entrepreneur she is today.
As an Advocate, I have the possibility to help build a community of women entrepreneurs in the region, to find joint solutions and continue growing.
Social Impact
Patricia has always prioritize giving back, especially to the rural community. Her work has already positively impacted hundreds on producers in Ivory Coast, with a majority of women.
Through Cannan Land which aims at feeding Ivory Coast through a sustainable agriculture that guarantees fair wages to the all the actors of the value chain, Patricia has tremendously impacted the social and environmental ecosystem of her country. And she is looking forward to reproducing it at a higher scale in order to support the development of marginalized communities.
Recognition and Awards
Patricia’s work has been recognized at the national and global level :
- Chevalier de l’Ordre National et du Mérite
- Prix Spécial du Premier Ministre Côte d’Ivoire
- Prix National d’Excellence de la Présidence de la République
Patricia is also an Ambassador of the African Development Fund of the AfDB since 2019.
The Way Forward
Staying close to her roots, Patricia has now expanded her empire by creating two other firms: Digital Hub, in the fin-tech sector, which enables small vendors to accept mobile payments, and CanaanLand, which provides services to small-scale farmers.
In a Nutshell
Quickcash
Digital Hub in the fin-tech sector
- 25 employees
- 4 countries in West Africa
- +1 million transactions since 2011
CanaanLand
Providing services to small-scale farmers
