FOCUS TOPIC
YOUNG AFRICAN AND EUROPEAN PEOPLE LEADING CHANGE AND TURNING COVID-19 INTO OPPORTUNITY
Maija Luukka Local Group Lappeenranta
Alina Weckström
Ambitious Africa has created super-connectivity between bright young people from Africa and Europe so they can solve local problems in African countries and drive change together focusing on the Three Es: Education, Entrepreneurship, and Entertainment. The initiative is working to heighten the visibility of African startups in Europe through cross-continental online networking events. Ambitious Africa is a new initiative founded by
novel impact projects are started that feed off the
young Finnish people, including ESTIEMers (!)
collaboration between the African and European
which brings together driven youth across the
youth. The first national day event for Kenya in April
cultures and borders of Africa and Europe who
reached 500 participants. Any of these Ambitious
are hungry for change. When COVID-19 hit, the
Africa events are a great way to learn more about
initiative turned a challenge into an opportunity.
what is offered, meet interesting people, and get a
Its founders realised they could easily bring
feel for Ambitious Africa’s dynamic network.
people together from these two parts of the world, as online meetings quickly became the norm. They
A mutually beneficial exchange between Africa
kickstarted the initiative in April 2020 through a
and Europe
series of online matchmaking events. Ambitious Africa is already established in 25 African countries.
Supporting Africa by sharing European solutions
Ten more are in the works. The ambitious goal is
is a sustainable way of empowering young African
to have established national teams in all fifty-four
entrepreneurs to realise their ideas, according
African countries. Going forward, Ambitious Africa
to the initiative. It allows mutually beneficial
continues to work on different projects, including
exchanges between the countries where cultural
collaborative events.
differences can be used as an advantage for creating new solutions. The ethos of Ambitious
Solution-focused
matchmaking
events
with
Ambitious Africa’s national teams
Africa is based on the understanding that African countries are capable of solving their own problems and providing value to Europe.
Through the events, African entrepreneurs can leverage their knowledge, expand their networks
The initiative focuses on problem-solving using
and showcase startups to potential investors. The
the latest insights in the areas of education,
African countries involved each form a national
entrepreneurship,
youth-driven team. Each team’s function is to
Ambitious Africa sees as some of the Nordics’ core
be a “super connector” between the continents
strengths. The goal is to create conditions and
bringing people together to make the change.
opportunities for young people in Africa which
For example, they organize their own events or a
will propel the societies forward in a progressive,
‘national day’, where the country representatives
peaceful, and playful way, without taking away
and participants, which include entrepreneurs,
from their cultures and traditions.
and
entertainment,
which
government officials, educators, and investors, zoom in on country-specific challenges. During
Current projects
the event, solutions to the challenges are brainstormed. European companies that already
The Ambitious Africa network stretches within a
have solutions to problems discussed during the
range of different industries, such as agriculture.
event are then connected to a country in Africa
In Rwanda, Ambitious Africa stands behind
and vice versa. If there is no existing solution,
innovative agri-startups such as HydroFeeds. In
16 ESTIEM Magazine | 59th issue - Innovation in a Crisis: Adapting and Advancing
