The way a leader is perceived
is not an accident. It is designed.

Matoi works with Africa's heads of state, ministers, parliamentarians, and public figures. We shape how you are perceived, so that every action you undertake carries its full intended weight.

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Matoi is based on the continent and built for the figures who will shape it. The international experience behind the practice is an instrument we bring, not a headquarters we answer to.
Two decades of creative direction at the highest level of global demand, across institutional law, luxury, and the premium brand world. We work from Maputo, natively in Portuguese, French, and English, with that depth behind every engagement.
Who we serve

Figures whose perception carries weight.

We work with people for whom image is not vanity but instrument. How they are seen shapes what they can do.

01
Heads of state and ministers
Legacy and legitimacy communication. Institutional publications, international visibility, and a public presence built with care over time.
02
Parliamentarians and candidates
Election-cycle image programmes. Narrative, identity, and presence built to move from recognition to mandate.
03
Public and business figures with political weight
Personal brand and pan-African profile for those whose influence crosses from enterprise into public life.
04
Institutions and governments
Forums, white papers, and media programmes that position an institution before investors, partners, and the press.
The practice

One discipline, applied to every surface of a public life.

Each capability stands on its own. Together they form a single programme, led by strategy and finished with world-class design craft.

01
Strategic image consultancy
Public narrative, personal brand positioning, digital presence, and a clear strategy for how a figure is read.
02
Brand identity and communications
Visual identity systems, websites, and ongoing communications for figures, institutions, and cultural organisations.
03
Institutional publications
High-production editorial documents: reports, white papers, and books, from concept to printed production.
04
Event creative direction
Visual strategy and production for international forums and institutional events in European and African capitals.
05
Public affairs and positioning
Strategic advisory for figures and institutions navigating international visibility, investor relations, and cross-border reputation.
06
Broadcast and media amplification
Television programmes, interviews, and editorial placement across pan-African and European media, through a dedicated partnership with Global Africa / Telesud.
How a leader is perceived is built. Deliberately, and over time.
Work on the continent

Our proof is the work we have already done here.

Real institutional work, delivered for the networks shaping Africa's next chapter. This is the track record the practice is built on.

DRC Electoral Evaluation Report cover
Institutional publication
DRC: Electoral Evaluation Report
A 64-page institutional report, authored by jurists from the Sorbonne and the Conseil d'Etat. Two thousand printed copies. Full creative direction, layout, and production.
Pointe-Noire Business Forum programme cover
Event identity
Pointe-Noire Business Forum, Paris
Creative direction for the Port of Pointe-Noire's international business forum at the Automobile Club de France. Government ministers, Abu Dhabi Ports, Hapag-Lloyd.
Les Rendez-Vous d'Afrique(s) brand identity
Brand identity
Les Rendez-Vous d'Afrique(s)
Full brand identity and website for the association convening high-level dialogue between Africa and the world.
The range we draw on

Fluent in the worlds where precision is not optional.

The continental work above is the proof. Behind it stands two decades of brand and communications practice for organisations at the highest level of demand, in fields where being misread carries a real cost.

Government and institutions
Electoral process, public affairs
Institutional law
Crisis, arbitration, governance
Luxury and fashion
Heritage houses, artisanal craft
Media and publishing
Pan-African television, editorial
Premium brands
International consumer and design
Technology
Connected devices, AI, machine vision

The depth of what we have done in other fields is what makes us different in this one.

About Matoi

The name means the standard raised above the smoke.

In Edo-period Japan, the matoi was a signal raised on a rooftop so people could find their way through fire and confusion. It marked a point of clarity, a place where capability was present and visible. We took the name for what it describes, not where it comes from.

Matoi works from the continent, for the continent. We bring two decades of strategic and creative experience and direct it toward Africa's most consequential institutions, leaders, and brands. We are not an agency parachuting in with templates.

We work with deep local knowledge, an active presence in Maputo, and a network of partners across Paris, Lisbon, and the continent. When Matoi takes on a figure, it stands behind them in full.

Based
Maputo, Mozambique. Partners and collaborators across Paris, Lisbon, Madrid, and West and Central Africa.
Reach
A practice that works across Portuguese, French, and English-speaking Africa, and into Europe.
Method
Strategy first, finished with design craft at international standard.
Languages
English, French, Portuguese, Spanish. We work natively in each.
The people behind it
Rodrigo Aguadé
Founder, creative direction
Twenty years of creative direction across London, New York, Paris, and Madrid. Brand and communications work for premium international houses, among them Devialet, Harman, and Withings, and for institutions where being misread was never an option.
Nelson Comboio
Business development, Maputo
On the ground in Mozambique, leading client relationships across the continent. The day-to-day point of contact for figures and institutions working with Matoi.
How we work

A practice is judged by what it refuses to do.

I
Discretion
Client work is confidential by default. What we do for a figure is not displayed, discussed, or used as proof without their written consent.
II
Editorial integrity
Broadcast programmes and editorial placements are identified for what they are. We do not present a sponsored presence as independent coverage.
III
Selectivity
Matoi chooses its engagements. We decline work we cannot stand behind, and we say so plainly rather than take the brief.
The network
Matoi is the single point of contact. Behind it stands an ecosystem of expertise: law, media, and institutional access, operating in concert.
Kimia Avocats
Law and public affairs
An independent Paris firm covering defence and crisis management, international arbitration, African business law, and a dedicated public affairs practice across national, European, and international levels.
Les Rendez-Vous d'Afrique(s)
Institutional dialogue
A think and do tank convening high-level dialogue between Africa and the world. Conveners of the Pointe-Noire Business Forum and a circle of institutional trust.
Global Africa / Telesud
Broadcast partner
The pan-African television channel behind Matoi's broadcast work, held through a dedicated programming partnership. 4.45 million viewers across eight francophone capitals, an executive-weighted audience verified by Africascope 2025, and carriage on major French networks.
Forbes Spain and France
Branded editorial
Access to branded content features in Forbes, reaching investors and decision-makers across two continents.
The press network
Placement and relations
Editorial placement and media relations through established channels in the French and pan-African press.
Begin a conversation

For leaders and institutions whose work is conducted under scrutiny, how you are perceived is not a detail. We should speak.

r@matoi.co