Haoussa Ly is the CEO of IBS Group, a Guinean company operating in five countries that has, over the course of fifteen years, become a major player in industrial services across West Africa.
Educated at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the United States, she initially built her expertise in internal control, compliance, and corporate governance—a demanding discipline that would leave a lasting mark on her leadership style, which is noted for its rigor.
She took the helm of IBS Group—founded in Conakry in 2009—and steered its transformation from a local service provider (specializing in industrial support, particularly for the mining sector, and spare parts sales) into a group capable of delivering turnkey projects to major mining companies. These projects include housing complexes comprising hundreds of units, complete with power plants, water treatment facilities, and full infrastructure.
Today, the group is organized around specialized subsidiaries: SIMI (engineering, EPC construction, and industrial maintenance), INJELEC (distribution of global industrial equipment brands), KRSS (facilities management and workforce camp operations), and MCK (mining operations). IBS Group operates in Guinea, Senegal, Morocco, Burkina Faso, and Côte d’Ivoire, employing over 1,000 people of more than 20 nationalities.
In February 2025, Haoussa Ly was nominated for the “Manager of the Year” Grand Prize at the Emergence Awards in Conakry, in recognition of her role in consolidating the group’s position in the Guinean market and expanding its international partnerships.
As a female leader in a predominantly male industrial sector, she holds a steadfast conviction: African companies can operate according to the world’s most rigorous standards, provided they invest in talent development and never compromise on rigor.
