International experience
Local commitment
A Franco-Namibian initiative bringing together experience in complex industrial projects, regional partnerships and long-term agricultural development.
An entrepreneurial initiative with long-term intent
RAIN is the public identity of an integrated land regeneration and agro-industrial programme initiated by French entrepreneurs and anchored in Namibia through Romeo Africa Investments and local partners.
Our objective is to build a durable, commercially grounded model, starting with RAIN Otavi.
Leadership that connects
strategy with delivery
The team brings together experience in operations, investment projects, institutional dialogue and in-country execution.
Patrick Romeo
Patrick, the former CEO of Shell France and Shell Exploration & Production France, led a Shell–TotalEnergies–Tullow Oil consortium for offshore exploration in French Guiana. He brings 34 years of operational leadership experience in international energy projects to RAIN Otavi, that he co-founded in 2023.
Baki Youssoufou
Co-founder of Romeo Africa Investments, Baki has been developing RAIN since 2023, leading relations with Namibian authorities, communities, investors and industrial partners, and structuring Africa–Europe financing partnerships. Trained in banking and market risk, he has run advisory and business-development firms in Paris for more than a decade and teaches public affairs at Paris Institute of Political Studies (Executive Education). He has worked across the SADC region, in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Angola.
Gideon N. Aipanda
A former civil servant at the Ministry of Justice, Gideon founded Shati's Trading in 2016. He has grown the company to encompass medical equipment, agri-food and real estate, and it now has a portfolio exceeding N$50M. As RAIN's Namibian anchor, he is responsible for leading local partnerships, community engagement and in-country stakeholder relations.
Jean-Jacques Edouard
With 25 years of experience at Shell, Jean-Jacques brings deep expertise in operations, optimisation and major capital projects. At RAIN Otavi, he applies the industrial discipline needed to meet demanding deadlines, budgets, and safety and quality standards. He also translates industrial capabilities into financial forecasts, mitigates operational risks, and builds strategic partnerships to secure reliable, cost-effective inputs and services.
Bringing the right
capabilities together
Plant and nursery expertise cited in project material
Ambition matched
by operational discipline
A phased development model, project controls, local engagement, technical validation and sound governance are central to RAIN's approach.