Teyliom Group
Pan-African conglomerate founded in 2001 by Yérim Sow, active in real estate, hospitality, finance, industry, energy, logistics and telecommunications across West and Central Africa.
Last updated September 29, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Teyliom Group is a pan-African conglomerate headquartered in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, founded in 2001 by Senegalese-Ivorian businessman Yérim Habib Sow. The group began in telecommunications, building on Sow's earlier ventures in IT and paging, and later diversified into real estate, hospitality, finance, industry, energy and logistics. Its mission is to contribute to Africa's development by providing innovative products and services tailored to B2C, B2B and B2G customer segments. The group's strategy rests on three pillars: a geographic focus on West and Central Africa, long-term investments to build value-added expertise in each activity, and strategic partnerships in key sectors. Teyliom operates through a portfolio of subsidiaries, including Teyliom Energies & Services, Teyliom Finance (which includes Bridge Bank), Teyliom Properties, Teyliom Telecom, and Chain Hotels & Resorts. It has a strong real estate identity, covering the entire value chain from design to management of infrastructure, with products ranging from residences and offices to hotels and industrial facilities. Teyliom is present in 13 African countries and in Europe. In 2021 it reported revenue of €129 million, up 41% from €75 million in 2016. The group is privately held and led by its founder, Yérim Sow, who has also served as chairman of the board of MTN Côte d'Ivoire and Yas Sénégal. Through its foundation and charitable activities, Teyliom also engages in social initiatives. Its slogan is "Tomorrow is Now."
History
The genesis of Teyliom Group lies in the entrepreneurial career of Yérim Habib Sow. In 1988 he created Direct Access, a company specialized in information technology. In 1994, with the advent of paging, he founded the first paging company in Senegal, BIP ACCESS, and thanks to the success of its "Bip Access" model he extended the business to Côte d'Ivoire under the name Access Telecom, one of the first telephone operators in French-speaking Africa. In 1996, with the launch of the first mobile telephony licenses in Côte d'Ivoire, Access Telecom partnered with Loteny Telecom, an Ivorian company that had been awarded the first GSM license on 2 January 1996. Joined by Telecel International as a third shareholder, the consortium developed under the commercial name Telecel CI. Under the management of Yerim Sow, majority shareholder and managing director, Telecel CI captured nearly half of Côte d'Ivoire's mobile telephony market with 800,000 subscribers. In August 2001, with Telecel CI as its main investment, Yerim Sow created the group Teylium International, a company based in Mauritius but with management installed in Geneva. In 2005, Yerim Sow sold 51% of Telecel CI to the MTN group for €76 million. With this sale, the Teylium group entered the capital of MTN CI with a 15% stake. From that year, the group, initially active in telecommunications, diversified across eight sectors: real estate, hospitality, finance, industry, energy and logistics. It created two subsidiaries that same year: Teylium Properties Group, specialized in office and residential real estate projects, and Chain Hotels & Resorts, specialized in hotel construction and management. The group also created support offices in Dubai and Abidjan. In 2006 it opened its Geneva office and closed the Dubai and Abidjan support offices. From 2014, the group changed its name to Teyliom Group and shifted its slogan from "l'empreinte du futur" to "Tomorrow is Now." In 2016, at the International Africa Development (IAD) forum held in Casablanca, Teyliom Group was ranked second for the South-South Cooperation award. In 2017, its subsidiary Teyliom Côte d'Ivoire was certified ISO 9001-2015 by the certification body SGS ICS France. In telecommunications, after selling the majority of Telecel CI to MTN, the group retained a 15% stake, which it reduced to 10% in 2008 and to 7% in 2012. Yerim Sow served as chairman of the board of MTN CI from July 1998 to September 2024. In 2006, Teylium Telecom obtained a mobile telephony license in Cape Verde and created Tplus Télécommunication as a 70% majority shareholder, the country's second mobile operator; it sold all its shares in Tplus in 2012. Also in 2006, Teylium Telecom took 70% control of Intercel Holding, Guinea's third mobile operator; in 2010 it sold 25% of its capital, reducing its stake to 45%, and in 2011 sold all its shares to the Sudanese group Sudatel. In 2018, in a consortium with Xavier Niel via Iliad and Hassanein Hiridjee via Axian, Teyliom Group acquired 20% of Senegalese mobile operator Tigo, which became Free Sénégal on 1 October 2019 and later Yas Sénégal on 27 November 2024. Yerim Sow has served as chairman of the board of Yas Sénégal since April 2018. In 2025, Teyliom Telecom holds stakes in two mobile operators: MTN Côte d'Ivoire (7%) and Yas Sénégal (20%). In real estate, Teyliom Properties, formerly Keyrode Group SA, specializes in the construction, sale and rental of office and commercial properties and is present in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Mali. In 2005 it entered the real estate sector with its first office infrastructure, Trillenium Dakar. In 2007 it completed Waterfront, the largest luxury residential complex ever built in West Africa at the time, a 31,000 m² development with 129 high-end units designed by South African architect Stefan Antoni of SAOTA. In 2008 it added the Teylium building in Abidjan, headquarters of Bridge Bank, designed by the architectural duo Koffi & Diabaté and the first building in Côte d'Ivoire to obtain HQE certification. That same year it built the NGor Coralia residences in Dakar. In 2009 it completed its second real estate project intended for rental.
- 2024
Free Sénégal becomes Yas Sénégal on 27 November.
- 2019
Tigo Senegal becomes Free Sénégal on 1 October.
- 2018
Consortium with Iliad and Axian acquires 20% of Tigo Senegal.
- 2017
Teyliom Côte d'Ivoire certified ISO 9001-2015 by SGS ICS France.
- 2016
Ranked 2nd for the South-South Cooperation award at the IAD forum in Casablanca.
- 2014
Group changes name to Teyliom Group and adopts slogan 'Tomorrow is Now'.
- 2008
Teylium building in Abidjan, first HQE-certified building in Côte d'Ivoire, added to portfolio; NGor Coralia residences built.
- 2007
Completion of Waterfront, the largest luxury residential complex in West Africa at the time.
- 2006
Teylium Telecom obtains mobile license in Cape Verde and creates Tplus; takes 70% of Intercel Holding in Guinea; opens Geneva office.
- 2005
Sale of 51% of Telecel CI to MTN for €76 million; diversification begins; Teylium Properties Group and Chain Hotels & Resorts created.
Products and positioning
A pan-African investor and developer with a strong real estate identity, focused on innovation, long-term value creation and contributing to Africa's emergence.
Teyliom Properties
Real estate subsidiary specialized in construction, sale and rental of office and commercial properties in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Mali.
Bridge Bank
Banking group founded as part of Teyliom's investments in the financial sector in West Africa.
Teyliom Telecom
Telecommunications arm holding stakes in MTN Côte d'Ivoire (7%) and Yas Sénégal (20%).
Chain Hotels & Resorts
Subsidiary specialized in hotel construction and management.
Teyliom Energies & Services
Subsidiary focused on energy optimization solutions within the real estate ecosystem.
Sources5 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/teyliom · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled