Rokhaya Sall Mbaye, Managing Director of EPC Mineex:

A trained geological engineer, Rokhaya Sall Mbaye is one of the few West African women to establish herself as a leading figure in the drilling and mining sector. After working at the Compagnie Sahélienne d’Entreprises (CSE) in the construction industry, she founded Mineex in 2011, a company specializing in rock fragmentation using explosive blasting. Driven by the ambition to prove that a local company can compete with international giants, she has played a key role in modernizing the sector by introducing methods and innovations aimed at raising industry standards.

In 2017, eager to continuously provide new solutions to her clients, she partnered with EPC Group, a global leader in drilling and mining with a turnover of €549 million in 2023, by taking a stake in the company, before a merger in 2022. Well established with clients active in the quarry sector, where she manages all activities related to drilling, mining, transportation, and storage of explosives, she now aims to expand into the mining sector. Her unique journey and impact have been widely recognized. In 2020, she was named among the economic leaders of tomorrow by the Choiseul Institute and won the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2019 at the 7th edition of Hub Africa.