The Ambitious.Africa team met with Pekka Haavisto last Thursday, August 6th to discuss the importance of engaging youth in Africa and bringing the youth perspective to the Foreign Ministry through an ‘Africa Day’ event, which will be held in Helsinki towards the end of September.

The Ambitious.Africa team met with Finnish Minister of Development and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari on Monday, August 10th to discuss ways of strengthening Finland’s business presence in Africa and the importance of young people working together.

Start North is a student-driven community educating students around the world about 5G technology so they can stay ahead of its developments, understand how it will affect society and be used most effectively. Ambitious Africa and Start North are planning to establish 5G learning platforms called ‘5G Mökkis’ in African countries.

SideBySide is a fairtrade interior design company started in 2016, which Ambitious Africa is partnering with. The business has so far employed five hundred women in Tanzania, in rural communities as well as in a women’s shelter. The women make interior items such as handweaved baskets, which are sold to Finnish resellers. They can use their earnings to move beyond household duties and imagine new possibilities for themselves and their families.

Only 30% of Africans have a smartphone. The cost of a smartphone is often equivalent to a full month or half a month all earnings, further data costs are expensive as well. The backbone of Africa's economy and well being are women who spend more than 80% of their earnings on family and the community. By enabling women entrepreneurs access to credit and a smartphone the economic opportunities increase, as do the access to life-changing information related to health, education and civic participation.

The unexpected is here with us. The Covid-19 crisis has affected the normal operations of governments, citizens, service providers and humanitarians. This includes the interruption of the implementation of a game-changing plan we have been working on with the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE). This Triple E (Education, Entrepreneurship and Education) initiative aims to support the integration of teenage mothers in schools as well as enhance the quality of Early Childhood Education first in nine countries in Africa. This is an initiative that is fitted nicely under the Ambitious Africa program led by youth in Finland and many African countries, championed by the Foreign Ministry of Finland.

This is not the typical Europe meets Africa story. You know that times are changing when like-minded individuals from the Nordics and various African countries join hands to create sustainable development virtually. Out goes the preoccupation with foreign aid and in comes mutual respect and understanding.

In a vibrant corner of Kakuma, a new chapter of hope and transformation is being written. Nordic Capital's recent collaboration with Ambitious Africa's Creative Gateway program in Kakuma has begun to illuminate the aspirations of young learners.