OVO is ready for the next 25 years

Ondernemers voor Ondernemers (OVO) celebrated its 25th anniversary, and that milestone certainly called for a celebration. On 22 October 2025, volunteers, partners and investors were invited to an informal reception and walking dinner at Hal 5 in Leuven. Several speakers briefly looked back on the organisation’s history while also looking forward to a bright future for entrepreneurship in Africa.

Guests were welcomed by Pol Deturck, Chair of OVO, who reminded everyone that OVO was founded 25 years ago to bring together two worlds that hardly knew each other: NGOs and businesses. “OVO was a pioneer in the belief that sustainable development in the Global South can only be achieved through cooperation between the public sector, NGOs and the business community,” he said. “And we are more convinced of that than ever. In the next 30 years, 600 million young Africans will enter the labour market. They need jobs close to home. SMEs employ more than 70 percent of the population, so promoting entrepreneurship in Africa is part of the solution.”

He also emphasised an important aspect of OVO’s work: sustainability. The projects supported by the organisation are designed for the long term. “When OVO leaves a project, we are confident that the entrepreneurs have the necessary skills and resources to keep their business viable. The future of Africa depends on courageous and honest entrepreneurs. OVO is proud to be part of this family.”

Finally, he thanked all attendees for their presence and support, before giving the floor to OVO’s founder, Frans Bourgois.

“The first time the business world and the development sector worked so closely together”

In his speech, Frans described the birth and evolution of OVO in three phases: preparation and establishment; collecting donations for social NGO projects; and finally, supporting start-up entrepreneurs in developing countries. Preparation began in 1998. Frans wanted to apply his experience from the healthcare sector—where he had helped set up new structures and business processes—to the development sector. He had also come up with a name for the new non-profit: CFP, Corporate Funding Programme, with the subtitle “Businesses supporting sustainable development.” His vision was simple yet powerful: to collect corporate donations in Belgium and use them to build economic activities in Africa, with the aim of creating lasting prosperity for local communities.

For two years, supporting companies and NGOs worked closely together to shape the project. On 25 October 2000, the new non-profit organisation was officially launched at Leuven City Hall. That same evening, the VRT news reported: “Seven leading companies and six major NGOs have joined forces to establish a new non-profit organisation. It is the first time that the business world and the development sector have worked together so closely.”

Growth and a new name

Phase two, from 2000 to 2015, took place under the chairmanship of Fons Verplaetse, then Governor of the National Bank of Belgium. The focus during this period was on raising donations for social NGO projects. To make this possible, volunteers were recruited to visit companies and secure contributions. At that stage, the emphasis was mainly on social projects – the shift toward economic initiatives would come later. At the same time, a new name was sought. It became Ondernemers voor Ondernemers (OVO), or as Frans Bourgois described it in his speech: “a direct and clear name — sometimes the solution is close by, but you have to find it.”

The third phase, from 2010 to 2025, brought new energy under the leadership of Luc Bonte. In addition to supporting social NGO projects, OVO began exploring how it could also support emerging entrepreneurs in developing countries. Frans took the opportunity to explicitly thank Luc Bonte for his extensive work. Calling himself a “satisfied founder”, he ended his speech on a positive note: “Fortunately, we have been able to achieve something meaningful, especially in fostering prosperity within the civil society of developing countries. I believe in it, and I hope that our chairman Pol Deturck, together with Bjorn and his team, will fulfill their ambitions.”

Impressive figures

In his closing speech, Managing Director Bjorn Macauter shared some impressive figures: “Over the past 25 years, OVO has raised 14 million euros for NGO projects, coached nearly 300 African SMEs, and granted loans to 86 of them for a total of 2.5 million euros. Thank you to all volunteers and team members who made this possible. Your work is the driving force that keeps OVO moving forward.”

He immediately added that this was only the beginning. The organisation is ready to expand its impact. “We have learned from the past and adapted our model to make an even greater difference: supporting economic growth in Africa, creating quality jobs, and increasing prosperity.”

Looking ahead, he outlined three priorities: aligning the contributions of partners – NGOs, investors and companies – more effectively; preparing African SMEs more thoroughly in areas such as financing, governance and sales so they are ready to grow; and investing even more in local leaders and support structures to ensure that local entrepreneurship can grow sustainably.

He ended with a hopeful message: “Let’s raise a toast to the next 25 years of dedication, collaboration and real change.”

Article by Marc Van de Velde