• Due diligence (companies and individuals): background and reference checks, assessment of the reputational risk and brand name protection,integrity and compliance, professionalism, fraud and insolvency, non performance, etc.
  
  
• Country and sector risk (field studies, practical recommendations and support in the implementation): analysis of risks political and electoral, legal and administrative, operational and transactional, non-compliance (responsibility of businesses, standards, regulations, locally regionally and internationally), health and safety, etc.
  
  
• Proactive business continuity plans: audit and update documentation and internal procedures, implementation of crisis management, crisis management situation management cells, practical recommendations, etc.
  
  
• Discreet business travel chaperoning, in difficult environments, including meet and greet and pre-visit feasibility studies.
  
  

• Fraud and embezzlement theft, corruption and money-laundering, extortion, financing of terrorism, economic and financial crime, etc.
• Unfair competition, illegal trade, smuggling;
• Damage to image and reputation, industrial and intellectual property theft: counterfeiting, diversion of trademarks;
• Intelligence and evidence gathering including - commercial and private litigation, liquidations and arbitration;
• Debt recovery, asset tracing and insolvency
• Crisis management, implementation of business continuity plans.
• Dispute and informal resolution

Parallel to its development, the African continent knows a revival and new forms of economic and financial crime are faced by all business sectors the procedures and techniques used, which are fast becoming more and more sophisticated, have a strong and growing ability to impact upon all aspects of a business. These various forms of aggression cause businesses important economic and financial loss, damage to image and reputation, resulting in a reduction of confidence for investors to support their projects.

By proven discreet, legal and ethical innovative methods and operational techniques, we collect from multiple sources on the ground, human, documentary, technical information and evidence, is which both reliable and contemporary. Creative and efficient investigative and crime prevention methods allow us to analyse thoroughly and contextualize complex situations to draw well-argued conclusions, useful recommendations in the design and implementation of litigation support strategies.

Non – Corporate Intelligence can apply to Human Beings, Animals, and the Environment.


Societal – Human Beings

• Security/Safety, Terrorism/Counter terrorism intelligence, studies and assessments
• Food security, Water sustainability
• Socio economic studies and engineering, with contribution to and development of upstream projects and programmes. (CSR)
• Transparency v’s Corruption
• Child Exploitation.
• Empowerment through Education/Health Awareness and Freedom of Choice
• Freedom- economic/trade/ of movement
• Economic tourism, Promotion of medical tourism
• Advocacy for cause
• Litigation support
• Management of Media Strategy

Collective – Animals

• Protection of and responsibility for natural resources
• Recognition of Protection of natural environment
• Identification of Illicit trade, mineral/vegetation/human and animal trafficking/exploitation.
• Protection and Integrity of Food and Water Supplies (Contamination).

Environmental - Nature

• Recognition of Protection of natural environment, fight against pollution
• Climate change
• Protection and Integrity of Food and Water Supplies (Contamination)
• Competition in the Environment – research and studies
• Identification of Illicit trade, mineral/vegetation/human and animal trafficking/exploitation.
• Crisis Prevention and Management/ Natural catastrophe.

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BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

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• Market survey and due diligence

A North American investment fund wanted to grasp sustainable investment opportunities in companies located in West Africa, with high development potential regarding heavy industry sector.

The permanent presence of ARIS in the region, along with our extended capacities of commercial monitoring, access to reliable actualized and contextualized information led us to preselect three potential partners within three weeks. A discreet investigation then permitted to establish in ten days, the solidity and viability of the company, appreciate his real value on the market, but also the reputation, liability and integrity of the major leaders and shareholders. Thus our client was, with a clear awareness of calculated risks, able to early start fruitful negotiations with the company of his choice.

• Market study and mapping of key decision makers

A European industrial group active in sub-Saharan Africa wanted to extend his presence on the continent and diversify activities in some central Africa markets. In a less transparent environment, ARIS in four weeks identified actors, key factors of decision and influence potentially favorable or unfavorable to our client’s project. On the basis on these information and analysis, but also through a discreet support in the field, we were able to recommend and contribute to implement a target and effective negotiation strategy, which procured him a competitive advantage.

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INVESTIGATIONS

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• Unfair competition

An African food-processing group was suspecting a competitor of unfair practices resulting in serious commercial and financial harm. A discreet and in-depth investigation allowed us in six weeks, to confirm his suspicions and unveil fraudulent practices regarding importation and illicit goods sale. Information and elements of evidence gathered, along with analysis and guidance provided to our client, allowed him to quickly and sustainably put an end to the damage, through the intervention of forces, legal actions towards the main actors and accomplices, add to mass communication and awareness campaign aimed at national authorities.

• Asset trace and debt recovery

In a West Africa English speaking country, a company, client of an African bank group pretended incapacity to pay back a debt worth of several millions euro. Our discreet investigations inside three African countries and two European countries have permitted within six weeks, to demonstrate that the said company has organized its insolvability. The investigations enabled us to locate and evaluate important real estate and financial possessions susceptible to be frozen and seized.

In another case, an international financial institution having massively invested in the repurchase of an African industrial group in difficulty, created a structure of defeasance to solve the problem of the debt. Our investigations permitted within two months, to locate, catalogue and recover many assets.

ARIS-Intelligence puts its operational capabilities and its advice to the service of customers, private and institutional, African, Africa-based and international.

Located in Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria, we are able to intervene at short notice in all of all of the sub-Saharan Africa countries, and in the North, for the benefit of a diversified client base consisting of SMEs and multinationals:

Banking and financial sector

• Banking groups
• Donors
• Private investment management and pension funds
• Private wealth management

Economic and industrial sector

• Energy & Mines
• Agro-industry
• Textile
• Pharmaceutical & cosmetic
• Luxury
• Telecom & NTIC
• Aerospace and automotive
• OEMs
• Transport & logistics
• BTP

Service activities

• Law firms
• Certification and auditing
• Insurance and reinsurance
• Lobbying
• Public relations
• Communication

A commitment to results

On the basis of an initial briefing covered by a confidentiality clause, the systematic conduct of a preliminary feasibility study - preliminary research and internal reflections - allows us, if necessary, to commit ourselves on results, for clearly defined objectives and according to previously approved conditions.

Our researchers, analysts and project managers are then able to form teams to collect, remotely and on the ground, using methods and techniques that are discrete, efficient and legal, information of a high added value from multiple sources, both open and non open. Our powerful investigative techniques are based on an organizational and operational model based on the international best practices for inquiry and advice trades, adapted to the African context.

The information obtained is verified, dissected and analyzed according to in depth creative methods of analysis. The relevant conclusions obtained, allow us to make recommendations relevant to decision making and contribute to the implementation of strategies of development or advocacy.