Founders
Two brothers. Global Entrepreneurs.
NAFCO Group is built and run by two brothers — Rayan and Johny Jr. Nahle. Born in the United States, raised across the Republic of Congo, and Côte d'Ivoire, the partnership combines twenty-four years of trading experience with eight years of joint operations across West Africa, the Gulf, and the United States.
Every operating company under the NAFCO Group umbrella is co-founded and equally owned. Rayan leads the trading offices in the US and Dubai. They both lead strategy of the group. Johny Jr leads operations on the ground in Africa from Abidjan. Combined annual trading volume across the group exceeds one hundred million US dollars.
Why It Works
Most trading groups operating across Africa, the Gulf, and the United States are run by people who understand one of those markets deeply and the others by reputation. We know and understand the markets in all three. We read, write, and negotiate in the three languages that move goods between them. We have built operating businesses across each, not just visited them.
That is the lens we bring to every trade and every advisory engagement.
Rayan Nahle
Co-Founder & Principal
Head of the trading offices in Dubai and US—Group Strategy
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Twenty-four years building trading and distribution businesses across three continents. Co-founded and ran NAFCO Côte d'Ivoire and SOCOCI for thirteen years from Abidjan before relocating to Dubai. Led the SOCOCI exit in September 2023 and the NAFCO rebuild in April 2024. Now based in Dubai, leading NAFCO Group Holdings, Alveo Global Trading FZE, and Meridian Trade Partners — the group's US advisory and trading arm.
Raised across Central and West Africa and the United States. Operates fluently in three cultures and three languages — English, French, and Arabic. Active real estate investor across the jurisdictions where the group operates.
US citizen. Holds operating jurisdiction across the UAE, the United States, Côte d'Ivoire, and the Republic of Congo.
Johny Nahle Jr.
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Head of Africa Operations—Group Strategy
Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Joined the family businesses in April 2018, immediately after completing his Master's in International Business at Hult International Business School in London. Has been the operational lead in Africa ever since, co-founding every NAFCO Group company with day-to-day responsibility for ground operations, supplier relationships, logistics, and distribution across Côte d'Ivoire.
Based in Abidjan. Operates fluently in English, French, and Arabic. Runs the African side of every trade the group executes. Active real estate investor across the jurisdictions where the group operates.
US citizen.