The African Union recently finalised a free trade agreement based on the European example. It aims to stimulate intra-African trade, increase employment and finally give the continent a greater share in value creation from its natural resources. GPS tracking systems for logistics companies - which Salim Benaissa and his business partner began developing three years ago and have been fine-tuning ever since - are therefore precisely the right product, in the right place at the right time. This is reflected in the company's success. From initially supplying just the Moroccan market, it has now won its first customers in Mali, Mauritania and even Italy.

Using Genius Contract's GPS tracking systems, logistics companies can monitor their fleets in real time and thus improve their management. The trucks on African roads are generally worth several hundred thousand euros. The value of the goods they carry is often just as high. The Malian logistics enterprise Petro Bama, one of Benaissa's satisfied customers, has this to say of the product: 'Genius Contract Morocco's new tracking system helps me manage my fleet more efficiently - and helps me sleep better at night. Especially when my trucks have to travel through risky areas, like Mali at the moment.' Hicham Elalaoui, logistics director at Moroccan company Sofadex, highlights the financial benefits of the product: 'We're saving several thousand euros per month with the new system. We no longer have to pay high roaming costs on transit journeys across different countries. Also, by managing routes more intelligently we can significantly reduce fuel consumption in our fleet. What's more, the sensors installed in the fuel tanks as part of the tracking system have already alerted us to more than one fuel thief. And when the temperature gets too high for a cargo of perishable goods, the system also sends out a warning.'

Genius Contract is now putting out feelers not only in other countries, but also in other sectors. Its latest customer in Morocco is the City of Rabat. By adapting his original product, Benaissa has come up with an intelligent GPS waste management system for the city. Genius Clean City recently began monitoring the status of 13,000 waste bins in four city districts and the work of 15 waste collection trucks equipped with its trackers. Now that full bins are being emptied promptly, the city is visibly cleaner, smells better and presents fewer health risks for its citizens. The new product will shortly be launched in an initial municipality in the Agadir area, too.

Salim Benaissa and his partner produced their first prototype with the financial support he received in 2016 from Business Ideas for Development. As he recalls: 'The money was actually not the most important thing for us. Much more valuable were the ongoing advice, the feedback we received on developing our idea and the many useful contacts we were given. That opened a lot of doors for us.'