From Banking to Agriculture Queen: Mathila Soumahoro Transformative Journey in Ivory Coast.

On this Episode of the Discourse channel's African Voices of Impact from the Financing Agribusiness in Africa Forum organised by the EU–Africa Chamber of Commerce, we sat down for a candid conversation with Mathila Soumahoro — an Ivorian-American who left banking to build a 137-acre agribusiness and a hotel in her home village of Tuba.

In this interview, Mathila explains:
Why she swapped a successful banking career (she helped establish the Guaranty Trust Bank franchise in Ivory Coast) for farming and food transformation.

The frustration that drove her: cocoa farmers who never taste chocolate, and the high cost of imported produce that makes healthy food unaffordable.

How a hotel project (2017–2018) led naturally to farming to supply its restaurant — and how a “small plot” became 137 acres producing corn, okra, eggplant, pimentos and fish (aquaponics).

Her focus on value-chain integration: drying, grinding and packaging okra, plans to transform corn rather than sell raw, and the larger vision of local transformation.

The human side: employing women from three villages, training staff, and the challenges of recruitment and retention.

Technology & rigor in modern farming: drones, precision treatments, and the science behind production cycles.

Funding ask and scale: Mathila is seeking serious, low-cost capital (US$860,000, alongside her equity) to scale an aquaponics project that targets mass fish production — part of her ambition to become the “queen of agribusiness.”

Watch the full interview to hear Mathila lessons on resilience, community impact, and how value-addition can change agricultural economics in West Africa.

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