Track Record
In the four years since we were founded in 2022, we have worked on more than 100 projects — with private companies, investment firms, international organizations, local governments and universities. What follows is the part of that work we can share with client names withheld.
100+
Projects delivered
60+
Companies and organizations supported
25+
African countries covered
2022
Founded (Takamatsu & Nairobi)
PUBLIC & ACADEMIC
Work with international organizations, government and universities
TICAD9: 22 MoU signed
August 2025. Of the 324 cooperation documents signed at TICAD9, 22 involved AXCEL AFRICA — second only to Toyota Tsusho, with 44.
Keio University EMBA
Supporting the Africa field study on the overseas fieldwork course. Six programmes delivered across four African countries. (Includes work by our CEO, Yokoyama, before the company was founded.)
Embassy of Japan in Kenya
Planning and running a Japan–Kenya business promotion event. Around 100 people attended, opening up opportunities to meet counterparts.
UNIDO × the University of Tokyo
Planning and running the training programme, including mentoring for students aiming to start businesses. The results were presented at United Nations University.
Tanzanian public institutions
MoUs signed with TISEZA and ZIPA, supporting market entry into Tanzania
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)
Commissioned work on technology transfer programmes in Kenya and Nigeria, and support for a UNIDO-linked study on Japanese companies entering these markets.
JICA Kenya Office
Planning and running a business ideathon on solutions to gender-based violence (GBV) — the first of its kind anywhere for JICA.
City of Yokohama, JICA and UNDP
Speaking engagements including seminars for the City of Yokohama, JICA-hosted seminars, AFRI-CONVERSE and Youth TICAD Drive Ghana.
JICA BLUE
Hands-on support for participating companies in a needs assessment programme covering Ghana, Zambia, Cameroon and Rwanda.
FEATURED CASES
Featured cases
LOCAL ENTITY
From nothing on the ground to a business that runs
Technology company / Kenya, Mauritius, Dubai / May 2022 – December 2024 (2 years 8 months)
The ask
“We have no people and no organization there, and no idea how to start.”
What we did
We set up the local entity and took on company registration, tax registration, licences, opening bank accounts and work visas. On that base we designed the workflow and the division of roles and put employment contracts in place. We hired the team and kept working on site until the operation ran on its own.
Outcome
Not a plan on paper, but an organization that runs. Since our work ended, the client has operated it alone.
GRANTS
From application to post-award settlement and reporting
Private companies (mobility, manufacturing) / Ghana, Kenya / April 2024 – present
The ask
“We want to use grant funding, but nobody here can write the application or handle the administration afterwards.”
What we did
We chose the schemes that fitted the business and wrote the proposals. Once awarded, we took on liaison with the grant secretariat, delivery support, expenditure management, organizing the settlement documents and preparing the reports.
Outcome
The time the client got back to spend on the business itself.
GROWTH
Taking an education NGO into five countries
Investment firm / Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia, Nigeria / April 2022 – present
The ask
“We want to take one of our portfolio NGOs from a single country into several, but we don’t know how to go about it.”
What we did
We put growth strategy and governance in place, introduced local companies and universities as partners, and carried those relationships through to signed MoUs. We set up country-by-country progress so it could be tracked in numbers, and we still review it monthly.
Outcome
An operating structure across five countries, with progress in each one visible in numbers.
SUPPORTED PROJECTS
Selected projects
Grouped by service. Client names are withheld; we give the sector instead.
Sales potential for agricultural inputs, and the organic farming market
Research / Kenya
Client:
Food and agriculture manufacturer
Year:
2025
We researched the sales potential for agricultural inputs in Kenya. Alongside that we mapped the state of the local organic farming market, and set out who would buy and through which channels.
Arranging research into purchasing behaviour at the base of the pyramid
Research / Kenya
Client:
Food manufacturer (listed company)
Year:
2024
Where, at what price and how often do low-income households buy everyday goods? We designed the field interviews and arranged everything through to fieldwork.
Market study: used medical equipment
Research / Kenya
Client:
Healthcare (SME)
Year:
2023
We mapped the used medical equipment market in Kenya: the overall picture, the value chain, the main wholesalers, and the bottlenecks in distribution.
Public health field research: meetings and on-site support
On-site support / Kenya
Client:
Construction consultancy (mid-sized company)
Year:
2023
For a field study in public health, we handled the whole package: securing the meetings, arranging travel and accommodation, and accompanying the team on the day.
Partner search and site visits in the content industry
Research & on-site support / Kenya
Client:
Anime content company (SME)
Year:
2026
We studied Kenya’s anime content market and looked for partnership candidates. We also ran a trial sales study.
Running EV assembly and pilot operations (AfDX)
Grants / Ghana
Client:
Mobility (startup)
Year:
2025 - 2026
For a programme selected under AfDX (Africa Digital Transformation), we supported the running of EV assembly and pilot operations in Ghana.
Delivery support for METI’s healthcare international expansion programme
Grants / Kenya
Client:
Healthcare (startup)
Year:
2024 - 2025
For METI’s Healthcare Industry International Expansion programme, we supported delivery after the award — running the project, liaising with the secretariat, and reporting.
Portfolio monitoring and value-up support
Operations / Africa Countries
Client:
Investment firm
Year:
2022年 - 2024
For an investment firm’s portfolio companies, we handled monthly monitoring, business advice and building governance. We stayed with them for around two and a half years.
Recruiting local management
Recruitment / Kenya, Egypt
Client:
Technology company (startup)
Year:
2022
We supported the recruitment of the management team for a local entity, from sourcing candidates through to selection.
Planning a design contest and event
Events / Kenya
Client:
Consumer goods and apparel (SME)
Year:
2024
We planned a design contest held in Kenya, along with the related event, and ran it on the day.
Baseline study for a trade platform
Research / Kenya
Client:
Trade platform operator (startup)
Year:
2024 - 2025
As part of a METI-funded programme, we carried out a baseline study of how trade procedures actually work in Kenya, and where a digital platform could fit in.
Interview study on fashion trends
Research / Kenya
Client:
Consumer goods and apparel (SME)
Year:
2024
We ran field interviews on fashion trends in Kenya and on how buyers think. We asked not only what sells, but why it gets chosen.
Auto parts market study and buyer visits
Research & on-site support / Kenya
Client:
Mobility parts manufacturer (listed company)
Year:
2024
We studied Kenya’s auto parts market and drew up a list of potential buyers. We also secured the meetings and accompanied the client on site.
Real estate field research: meetings and on-site support
Research & on-site support / Kenya
Client:
Tourism and real estate company (SME)
Year:
2023
For a field study in real estate, we secured the meetings, built the itinerary and accompanied the team on the day.
Setting up entities in Kenya and Mauritius
Company formation / Kenya, Mauritius
Client:
Technology company (startup)
Year:
2022
We handled the incorporation of the local entities — company registration, tax registration, the licences required, and opening bank accounts. We took on the full set of local procedures.
Settlement support for a Global South grant
Grants / Ethiopia
Client:
Mobility (listed company)
Year:
2025
We took on the post-award administration: liaison with the grant secretariat, expenditure management, organizing the supporting documents for settlement, and preparing the reports.
Grant support (J-Partnership)
Grants / Ghana
Client:
Agriculture (startup)
Year:
2022 – 2023
For an application to the J-Partnership scheme, we supported the whole path — organizing the business plan, writing the proposal, the research, and settlement support.
Farm management for a solar-powered agriculture pilot
Operations / Kenya
Client:
Energy and environment (SME)
Year:
2024
For a pilot combining solar power with farming, we managed the site — from day-to-day operations to keeping the records the pilot required.
Judging a local government business competition
Events / Japan
Client:
NPO (local government programme)
Year:
2026
We judged entries to a local government business competition, assessing them from the perspective of Africa and overseas expansion.
Donating refurbished computers
CSR / Kenya
Client:
IT and technology (subsidiary of a listed company)
Year:
2024
We supported a project donating used computers to educational institutions in Kenya, from selecting the recipients through to handover on the ground.
Why we don’t name our clients
Confidentiality obligations mean we withhold client names throughout and give only the sector and the countries involved. We are often asked to say more about the projects closest to a particular business. As far as our obligations allow, we can talk you through how a project actually ran, how long it took, and what didn’t work and why, when we meet.