A few weeks ago two brand new warehouses were inaugurated in Burundi and Gambia. Samuel Mergui, AGS Director of International Records Management, travelled to Bujumbura to attend the launch of the records management and records management activity at AGS Burundi. AGS Movers Burundi Manager Francis Leclet also attended the event which took place on 04 October.

The official inauguration was held at the French Embassy in Bujumbura, in the presence of the Ambassador of France in Burundi, Mr. Laurent Delahousse and many guests, representatives of private companies and public bodies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance.

In his inaugural speech, Samuel Mergui informed guests of the records management market in Africa. This service enables companies to not only outsource the safe storage of thousands of documents, but also to securely preserve records with digitisation. Finally, heritage digitisation involves cutting-edge technologies for safeguarding documents that have historical value or contain sensitive information. AGS has over the years built close relationships with African universities for which it provides records management services.

This activity will also generate numerous job opportunities. AGS initiates archivist training in the countries where this service is offered in order to equip and hire competent local staff. This is the goal set in Burundi and Gambia, where AGS inaugurated another warehouse dedicated to records management services the next day, on 5 October.

Cheikh Tidiane Sy, Director of Records Management Development in West Africa, was present in Banjul to celebrate the launch in Gambia. Together with Cheikh, Martial Chazeaud, AGS Movers Gambia Manager and Emefa Djakpo, a freshly recruited archivist, presented the activity to the guests, as well as the new warehouse with a storage capacity of 8540 containers, i.e. nearly 35,000 archive boxes. Equipped with security systems (cameras, fire detectors, electronic locks) like all AGS warehouses, this one will also be equipped with a photo-voltaic system to cope with power cuts. We wish the Burundi and Gambian teams plenty of success in their new activity.

After spending several years at CODEM-Chad, Francis joined AGS in 2000 as branch manager in Niger and subsequently worked in many other African countries, including Guinea, Central African Republic, Mauritania, Chad, Congo, Burundi, Gabon, DRC and Burkina Faso. Some branches even welcomed him twice, such as Mauritania, Burkina Faso and now Burundi, where he currently occupies the manager position since June 2013.

Francis has many qualities that are needed to run a business in sometimes difficult territories where everyday life can be very challenging. In 2015/2016 the Burundi branch operated in a very tense environment with riots and gunfire taking place almost daily. Half a dozen employees slept at the agency every night, returning home only on Fridays to limit the risks and ensure that the planned work was completed.

Francis has courage as well as the innovative spirit needed by every good leader. When he arrived in Bujumbura, Burundi, Francis noticed that the movers were working with only a few, outdated equipment. He decided to bring all the necessary equipment from Paris, to offer a quality service worthy of AGS, even if it meant temporarily burdening the budget of the agency.
Francis is fully committed to the growth of the branch which, according to him means to be “thoroughly and completely involved in everything in the field and with every task.”

Expecting the same commitment from his employees, Francis trains them so that they are versatile and able to perform all duties required. Investing in your employees is not a short-term investment: “Employees who learn to develop their employ-ability gain confidence, improve performance and grow in loyalty.” Francis keeps a patriarchal benevolence when it comes to the safety of his employees; he insists that his administrative staff do not work late at night, preferring them to start early the next day: “Leaving late at night is too risky for their safety,” he said.

Francis adds that AGS is his second family and gives him the support he needs at certain times. “Working for AGS enabled me to have health coverage that I did not have when I worked for CODEM Chad. When my health was problematic in Niger, without repatriation and care, I would have been a dead man. Management has always responded and supported me in the most difficult moments.”

The AGS Group would like to thank Francis for his hard work and commitment.