For more than thirty years, FTHM Consulting has been a leading player in the consulting industry in Africa and the Indian Ocean. Based in Madagascar and led by Thierry Rajaona, the firm has completed over 700 missions and is the first African consulting firm to be ISO 9001 certified. With offices in Abidjan, Libreville, Mauritius and the Comoros, FTHM continues to pursue its ambition of becoming a benchmark pan-African network serving both companies and governments across the continent.
Recognized, Certified and International Expertise
One of FTHM Consulting’s major milestones was obtaining ISO 9001 certification, making the firm the first in Africa to receive this distinction. Thierry Rajaona emphasizes that the certification was never an end in itself, but rather the result of a philosophy of continuous improvement.
“From the very beginning, we asked ourselves what we could do better than before. The certification came as a recognition of that ongoing effort.” — Thierry Rajaona, Director of FTHM Consulting
Beyond recognition, ISO 9001 certification provides clients with a guarantee of quality. It reflects the rigor of internal processes and the firm’s commitment to meeting international standards. For FTHM, it has also strengthened internal culture—from junior staff to partners—by reinforcing an approach to work focused on efficiency and impact.
Membership in the MGI network, one of the world’s top twenty networks of independent firms, is another key driver of development. This network enables FTHM to benefit from specialized training and international benchmarks, while maintaining its independence.
“MGI gives us the opportunity to share expertise and access training tools that are not always available locally, which allows us to offer very high-level service to our clients,” says Thierry Rajaona.
This dual identity—local and international—is at the heart of the firm’s DNA. FTHM remains deeply rooted in Madagascar while deploying its expertise across the continent and the Indian Ocean. This approach allows the firm to address the specific needs of governments and companies, combining a deep understanding of local challenges with a vision aligned with global standards.
From Local Consulting to a Pan-African Network: A Vision for the Future
The experience accumulated by FTHM Consulting today translates into a wide variety of missions. The firm predominantly supports the private sector, but also works on governmental projects that are often crucial for national development. Thierry Rajaona highlights the major difference between these two types of engagements:
“In private-sector projects, leaders closely track the results of our interventions and look for immediate impact. In the public sector, processes are longer and the implementation of recommendations can be more difficult, as it depends on multiple stakeholders and external funding.” — Thierry Rajaona
This ability to navigate between private expectations and public challenges reflects the firm’s strategic maturity. It is based on a careful balance between local identity and international openness. FTHM aims to cover the entire African continent while partnering with specialized firms in fields such as communication, IT/digital project management, and legal services. The goal is to build a trusted African network capable of addressing the complex needs of companies and governments regionally and continent-wide.
Innovation and continuous improvement remain central to the firm’s strategy. Each project is an opportunity to strengthen expertise, expand the network and consolidate FTHM’s reputation.
“We want to build a pan-African network of excellent firms, where every partner shares high standards of quality and reliability, so that our clients know they can trust us,” concludes Thierry Rajaona.
With thirty years of experience, sustained growth, international certifications and a rapidly expanding network, FTHM Consulting perfectly illustrates how a local player can achieve international reach. Its trajectory shows that the combination of deep local knowledge, professional rigor and global openness is the key to supporting long-term economic development in Africa and the Indian Ocean.
Forbes Magazine