Chidi is a prolific educator, serving as product faculty and instructor at the Center for A Reimagined Africa, Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, General Assembly, African Leadership University School of Business. Based in Atlanta, he works across three continents connecting African, American, and European organizations through product thinking and digital transformation.

Chidi Afulezi advises and coaches leaders and teams on how to build products, services, and organizations that create real value. He is a product guy, digital insurgent, educator, and an entrepreneur with a day job as Managing Principal of redKola Digital Labs, a product management and digital transformation advisory shop. He was Managing Partner of theZVG, a boutique communications products firm, where he designed strategic communications programs and products for partners including WHO and Mastercard Foundation, and produced the Unstoppable Africa gathering at UNGA in from 2022-23. He also co-founded aKoma Media, a platform for the creative and cultural industries in Africa, and The Core Ventures.

His work spans product strategy, leadership coaching, program design, and institutional transformation, across Fortune 500 companies, African government ministries, multilateral bodies, and high-growth startups. He chaired the 2025 Inspire Africa Conference in Kigali, Africa's largest product conference, and co-founded the Product Leadership Accelerator, a Pan-African product management program.

Jason Masai is a digital transformation leader operating at the intersection of business, technology, CX, strategy, and design. With over 18 years of experience across banking, telecommunications, and fintech. He has built a track record of leveraging technology and innovation to create a competitive advantage while delivering measurable customer and commercial impact. He currently serves as Head of Product – Digital at M-Pesa Africa, where he leads the digital transformation agenda across consumer and merchant ecosystems. He oversees the strategy and execution of the M-Pesa Consumer and Business super apps across six markets —driving commercial growth, innovation in payments, financial services, and embedded digital experiences at scale.

Previously, as a Product and Innovation Manager at Absa Bank Kenya PLC (formerly Barclays Bank Kenya), Jason led the development, launch, and commercial scaling of Timiza, a mobile-first virtual digital wallet proposition offering micro-lending, payments, savings, insurance, and lifestyle solutions— positioning it as a pioneering digital banking model in the market.

Jason is also an active thought leader in the global digital and fintech ecosystem. He is a regular keynote speaker and panelist at international industry conferences and forums, where he contributes insights on digital payments, super apps, financial inclusion, product leadership, and emerging technologies shaping the future of financial services. He is a graduate of the University of Nairobi and an alumnus of MIT Executive Education, where he completed the Innovation of Products & Services program. A Certified SAFe® Professional, he also holds an Executive MBA in Strategic Leadership from the Quantic School of Business and Technology.

Kedi has nearly a decade of experience working with African partners, leading the implementation of interoperability solutions and supporting digital transformation and knowledge exchange initiatives. Aktors has been one of the core contributors to the development and global deployment of X-Road-based interoperability solutions, as well as key public sector systems including justice sector digitalisation platforms. The company has implemented large-scale digital solutions internationally, with projects across Africa and the Middle East, and the Caribbean.

CEO and Board Member of Aktors, an Estonian software development company specialising in e-governance and interoperability solutions based on X-Road technology. Aktors delivers end-to-end custom software solutions, from analysis to implementation, with a strong focus on the digitalisation of justice, finance, and homeland security sectors.

In addition to her role at Aktors, Kedi serves as Vice President of the Board of the Estonian ICT Association. She is also an active contributor to international digital development initiatives, including the EU Digital for Development (D4D) Hub, Global Gateway Business Advisory Group and GovStack.

Previously he has managed change as the head for Renewable Energy at the Ministry of Climate of the Republic of Estonia and industry decarbonisation at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications. He has co-chaired the IEA Working Party for Industrial Decarbonisation. His EU-level experience stems from work at the European Commission for the Commissioner for Energy, where his responsibilities included energy end-use consumption and decarbonisation, including efficiency and storage. Prior to that he worked at DG Energy as an expert for industrial energy efficiency. Having gathered experience in EU level negotiations and policy in Brussels for over a decade, he has also covered the EU internal market, competitiveness, intellectual property, transport and energy affairs.

He is educated in international affairs and is a graduate of Paris I Panthèon Sorbonne (cum laude) and the École Nationale d'Administration (with recognition).

Aziz Boughourbal is a distinguished entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience and a prominent figure in both the economic and sporting spheres of Mauritania. As CEO of Africa Ocean Group, he has steered the company's growth into one of the most influential players in the national fishing industry, employing nearly 3,000 people and collaborating with key markets across West Africa, Asia, and Europe—including the Baltic States. His achievements have earned recognition in leading international media such as Forbes Afrique, Financial Afrik, TV5 Monde, Le Monde, BeIn Sports, and Jeune Afrique.

Beyond the business world, Boughourbal has made a lasting impact in sports. In 1999, he co-founded Football Club Nouadhibou, which has since become one of Mauritania's most successful and respected football clubs. From 2002 to 2006, he served as President of the Mauritanian Football Federation (FFRIM), where he led efforts to revive Mauritanian football from near collapse. Deeply committed to the development of sports nationwide, he currently serves as First Vice President of FFRIM. Aziz Boughourbal holds a master's degree in Management and Finance from the Lincoln International Business School. Through his dynamic leadership and cross-sector influence, he exemplifies a new generation of West African leaders driving change at the intersection of business and sport.

Eddie Sembatya is a seasoned impact investment and economic development professional with over 19 years of experience supporting social and climate-smart MSMEs, investors, and development partners across East Africa. He is the Founder and CEO of Finding XY Group, a platform dedicated to advancing entrepreneurship, investment readiness, and access to finance through innovation for inclusive and sustainable development.

Eddie has led and advised programmes focused on climate technologies, gender-lens investing in agriculture, the circular economy, and green finance. His work includes facilitating market and feasibility studies that promote green growth, with particular emphasis on energy and climate-smart technologies in East Africa.

An Oxford University alumnus, Eddie also serves as a Board Member of the Uganda Solar Energy Association, contributing to the advancement of renewable energy policy and market development in Uganda.

Krisela excels with 13 years of experience on maximising value between interpersonal and governmental processes. Over the past four years at the Estonian Environment Agency, she has turned data into real-world value to benefit the society, the environment, and technological progress. She is a practical visionary at the intersection between government, sustainability, and innovation.

Data is the defining asset of our era. Yet our natural environment is something irreplaceable and beyond measure. At the Estonian Environment Agency, we work to unlock the value of environmental data in order to support the sustainable development of society.

Dr San Bilal is the executive director of ECDPM, a think-and-do tank (NL, BE), based in Brussels. His current activities focus on geostrategic international relations, development finance, climate finance and trade policy, promotion and finance, sustainable investment, economic diplomacy, EU external partnerships, external financial tools and Global Gateway, economic resilience and transformation dynamics (notably in Africa and the Ukraine reconstruction), trade and development, sustainable value chains, private sector and green industrialisation dynamics.

San holds a PhD in international economics from the University of Birmingham, a master's degree from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, and a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Geneva. Before joining ECDPM, he worked at ODI, the European Institute of Public Administration and the University of Geneva's economics department.

San is also a Board member of the European Think Tank Group (ETTG) & a Steering Committee Member of the Ukȧmȧ Africa-Europe platform for sustainable development.

Götz von Thadden was appointed Head of the EIB Group Office for Estonia in April 2025. He has been with the European Investment Bank (EIB) for more than 20 years, including various assignments in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. Previous positions include Head of Unit for Financial Instruments in the Baltic Sea and Northern Europe Department, and Principal Advisor at the European PPP Expertise Centre. Götz is an economist by training and holds a PhD from the London School of Economics.

Mary Kerema was currently appointed as the Secretary ICT, E-Government and Digital Economy in the Ministry of IC&DE . Prior she was working as Deputy Director, E-Government in ICT Authority. Prior to joining the Authority, Mary has 25 years' experience as an ICT Specialist heading various ICT units and managing national ICT projects. She is an ICT leader who has consistently demonstrated the ability to implement ICT systems for efficient and effective service delivery.

Her achievements include: Overseeing the development, deployment and maintenance of the government enterprise systems such as National education management Integrated system (NEMIS); implementing the Electronic Government Procurement System (e-GPS); spearheading implementation of the Re-engineered Pension Management System; Development of ICT Masterplan, Strategic Plans, ICT Policies, standards and Procedures for the National Government; Technology lead in the Digital Identity project in Kenya; Overseeing and guiding the Implementation of e-Citizen Platform. She has also been appointed as the deputy ambassador for ID4Africa for Kenya 2024.

In recognition of her role as a pillar in development of ICT in Government and outstanding and distinguished service to the nation in various capacities she was in 2020 awarded Order of Grand Warrior of Kenya (OGW) by His Excellency the President. She has also been recognized by The Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative (GESCI as an African leader in ICT.

Eng. Murenzi Daniel is a seasoned technology and digital transformation leader with over 22 years of experience driving innovation, strategic initiatives, and high-impact projects across East Africa. Currently, he serves as the Principal Information Technology Officer for the East African Community (EAC) and Project Coordinator for the Eastern Africa Regional Digital Integration Project, leading regional initiatives that advance socio-economic integration through technology.

Daniel holds an MSc in Communication Management and he is perusing his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Computer Science with a strong background in computer engineering. His expertise spans ICT enterprise architecture, e-services, digital IDs, digital payments, fintech, health informatics, trade, customs, agriculture, data governance, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies (AI &IoT). He has successfully designed, implemented, and supported complex digital initiatives that enhance efficiency, innovation, and public sector performance.

Beyond technology, Daniel is passionate about education and community empowerment. He is a co-founder of Kayonza Parents School, reflecting his commitment to nurturing the next generation of leaders.

Katrin Winter is the Head of Global Partnerships and New Initiatives at the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV). She leads the development of strategic partnerships and collaborative programmes across Europe, Africa, and other partner regions. Her work focuses on building high-trust relationships, aligning diverse stakeholder interests, and bringing together public, private, and civil society actors to deliver practical, scalable solutions. With a strong academic background in Sino-Africa relations, resource governance, and development policy, Katrin combines analytical depth with hands-on international experience spanning digital transformation, good governance, education, economic growth, gender equality, and development financing. She is known for her ability to bridge institutional and sectoral divides, turning complex challenges into collaborative opportunities with tangible, long-term impact.

Paul Ndungutse is a Senior Digital Specialist with the World Bank, supporting digital transformation initiatives across Eastern and Southern Africa. His work focuses on strengthening Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), Data Governance, AI for Development, and expanding resilient Digital Infrastructure, helping countries design inclusive digital systems that drive economic growth and social inclusion. Paul was a Mason Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Josephine Lusi is a doctoral researcher at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech). Her research focuses on deepening the understanding of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and advancing innovative GovTech solutions that enable the design of inclusive, user-centric public services for holistic societal transformation.

Over the past several years, she has contributed to the design and implementation of DPI initiatives across the Global South, supporting efforts aimed at strengthening digital governance systems and public service delivery. She has also been involved in the Women in GovTech training program, which promotes knowledge exchange and capacity development on DPI systems and digital governance practices globally.

Riho Pihelpuu is the CEO of ADM, a group of digital agencies founded in Estonia that since 1997 have been designing, building and running mission-critical e-services for businesses and governments. Riho has studied in Estonian Business School eMBA program and holds a MSc from Tallinn University of Technology in business information technology. He pairs commercial acumen with deep public-sector experience, having led projects for Estonia, EU institutions and, most recently, emerging economies. He spearheaded ADM's work in Kenya, where his team is piloted GovStack-compliant Open-Source building blocks—including Information Mediator and revenue collection functionalities—to streamline birth registration, social-impact lending and vocational-education services. The aim was to digitalise those processes and to make them more effective, faster and more user friendly and convenient for the citizens of Kenya. At the Africa Business Forum 2026 "Global Gateway: co-creating scalable development projects" sessioon, Riho will distil these lessons and show both how to apply GovStack practices when designing green-field solutions from scratch and what the delights and pain points are when grafting GovStack principles onto legacy systems and entrenched processes. His goal: share a pragmatic roadmap for modular, interoperable digital public infrastructure that accelerates inclusive service delivery across Africa—and far beyond.

Carolyne Kendi is a Business Coach, Commercial strategist and brand transformation expert with over 24 years of experience driving growth, market expansion, and cross-border collaboration across Africa.

She has held senior leadership roles at Unilever, Diageo, Safaricom, and Absa, where she led large-scale commercial strategy, brand transformation, and go-to-market execution across multiple diverse markets.

Carolyne currently works at the intersection of business culture, growth strategy, and execution, helping organizations translate ambition into measurable outcomes.

Pius is the founding CEO of Nabo Capital, and his passion is to connect investors to lucrative opportunities across Africa. He passionately believes that investors cannot afford to ignore the continent, a key topic when he speaks at global investment forums. Quick to acknowledge he has the best job in the world, Pius believes Africa is the best place for anyone wishing to make a remarkable difference and leave a legacy.

With more than 15 years experience of successfully investing in Africa, he has overseen investment transactions in excess of $500Mn and investment returns in excess of $82mn. On the back of remarkable success, Pius led his team at Centum to spin off into an independent fully-fledged investment boutique, Nabo capital which is now managing over $200mn In AUMs and has helped reputable institutional clients from US, Europe, Asia and Africa acquire sizeable stakes and break into top ten shareholders of some of the most coveted blue-chip companies on the continent. Pius leverages a wide network and with unique, boots-on-the-ground experience operates across multiple asset classes such as equities, fixed income, private debt, private equity and real estate. Pius was part of the dream team that formulated and successfully implemented the now famous "Centum 2.0 Strategy" that began the exciting journey of transforming Centum, a once laid back $60million investment firm, into a $1 billion AUM outfit.

His colleagues occasionally refer to him as the "Resident Bishop" because of his deep spiritual orientation and personal values. Pius does not consider what he does to be a job, but rather his divine purpose to enrich society and people's lives. Despite a demanding schedule, Pius is happily married to Joyce Muchiri and they are blessed with three wonderful boys and three beautiful girls. He enjoys reading, travelling, fishing and swimming for rest and recuperation. He is also an active member of his local church. Pius is a CFA charter holder-Certified Public Accountant and a member of the Institute of Public Accountants of Kenya and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree. He is also a Tutu fellow and a Certified life Coach.

Risto manages some of the most challenging markets in Bolt's real estate portfolio — Africa, global expansions, and warehouses — where quick, out-of-the-box thinking is essential to capture scarce opportunities. His background in analytics, sales, and marketing has shaped an approach built on solving problems on the go.

Risto graduated from the Estonian Business School with a degree in International Business Administration. During his studies, he spent a year in the Netherlands — first in Amsterdam, then Rotterdam — where he extended his extracurricular involvement through Erasmus University, JCI, and the Watertalent organization, becoming one of the top-performing students in the city. He has also served as a member of the Administrative Council of the Tallinn City District.

Over the past four years, he has overseen more than 1,000 real estate contracts, built out over a dozen offices, and delivered 250+ warehouses across the globe — giving him the ability to get up to speed in any environment and deliver fit-out premises on tight timelines.

Olga Bogdanova is the Regional Adviser for Africa at the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV) and serves as ESTDEV's representative in Nairobi. In her role, she supports Estonia's development cooperation initiatives across the African continent, fostering partnerships that promote inclusive governance, digital transformation, and sustainable development. Based in Nairobi, Olga plays a key role in aligning ESTDEV's regional efforts with both Estonia's foreign policy goals and the broader objectives of the Europe-Africa partnership.

Sidee Dlamini is the Chief Executive Officer of African Leadership University (ALU), a pan-African institution dedicated to developing ethical, entrepreneurial leaders who will drive Africa's growth and transformation. As CEO, she oversees ALCHE and ALU's strategic direction, operational excellence, organizational culture, and financial sustainability. Sidee served as a founding member and leader within ALU and the African Leadership Group for a decade of her career.

Prior to this, Sidee served as Chief Ecosystem and Partnership Officer at Delta40 Venture Studio, where she connected and empowered entrepreneurs—particularly women—to build scalable, sustainable ventures driving disruptive change across Africa and raising millions of dollars for ventures. She played a critical role in strengthening ecosystem partnerships, supporting founders in their venture-building and fundraising journeys, and connecting global partners to the African innovation ecosystem, particularly in entrepreneurship and climate innovation. During her time at the African Leadership Group (ALG), Sidee was a "multiplier," delivering transformative outcomes across the organization. She built and led teams that earned ALG recognition as Fast Company's #1 Most Innovative Company in Africa, played a pivotal role in securing a landmark $400 million fundraise through key partnerships, and spearheaded the creation and growth of key functions, including Human Capital & Talent, Fundraising & Stakeholder Engagement, Member Opportunities, and Key Account/Business Development Management.

Sidee holds a BA in International Economics from Texas Christian University and a Master's Degree in Development Economics and International Development from UC Berkeley. Her experience at UBS Wealth Management further strengthens her position as a connector at the intersection of strategy, operations, and finance.

Dr. Slavko Rakić is a Associate Professor at Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia, and an Assistant Professor at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia. His research focuses on artificial intelligence in education, digital pedagogy, and ICT skills development. He serves as principal investigator on projects funded by Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, CERV, and other international and national programmes. Dr. Rakić is also a researcher in the Digital Explorers II project, where he contributes to a gap analysis of Kenyan ICT higher education and labour market needs with comparative reflections on Nigeria and Armenia — work aimed at aligning education systems with industry demand and supporting international talent mobility between the Baltic countries, Kenya, Nigeria, and Armenia.

Alvin Ruto is a software engineer and data analyst from Kenya, currently based in Tallinn through the Digital Explorers programme. His specialization focuses on building practical data, AI, and digital systems across agritech, customer intelligence, and public-sector innovation. Through his cross-border experience studying and working in 2 continents, Alvin has gained first-hand insight into the opportunities and challenges young professionals face when transitioning from education into industry, contributing to data-driven systems and supporting technology initiatives with measurable impact. He is particularly interested in how talent partnerships between countries, institutions, and employers can better equip young people with the skills, exposure, and experience that we need.

Mari-Liis Kitter is the Co-Founder and VP of Growth at kood/Jõhvi, an innovative peer-to-peer coding school established in Estonia to address the growing skills gap in the technology sector. With over 26 years of experience in communications and management, she has driven kood/Jõhvi's expansion from a single campus in Ida-Viru County into a multi-country initiative with campuses across Estonia, Finland, Ukraine, and Kenya. Her work focuses on delivering accessible, hands-on, project-based training that equips diverse talent, including career changers and women re-entering the workforce for real-world tech roles. Prior to kood/Jõhvi, she advised startups and scaleups at Miltton New Nordics and has been a consistent advocate for inclusive and practical approaches to tech education.

Hegle Sarapuu-Johanson is a co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Trinidad Wiseman, one of Estonia's leading service design and digital transformation companies. With over 20 years of experience in human-centred design and technical innovation, she is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of user experience (UX) in Estonia. Over more than a decade, Hegle has built and led a multifunctional team of designers, consultants, and researchers, guiding organisations in both the public and private sector through complex digital transformation journeys. She is a regular guest lecturer at Estonian universities and an internationally recognised speaker on service design, Neuro UX, usability, and business design.

Gomolemo Lolo Madikgetla, based in Botswana, is a seasoned leader operating at the intersection of social entrepreneurship, government advisory, gender equity, care, shared value, and social innovation. Lolo has over two decades of board experience spanning investment, trade, innovation, education, fine art, STEM, gender advocacy, and storytelling (namely TEDGlobal).

An ISO 30415 Diversity and Inclusion certified professional, she founded UNGWA Africa, a social enterprise that co-creates meaningful impact through leadership, mentorship, coaching, and project management, with a core focus on women and youth in Africa and the diaspora. Through UNGWA Africa, she has delivered inclusive impact and influence in collaboration with the private sector, the public sector, and civil society. UNGWA Africa has partnered with UNDP Africa, UNICEF, the WHO, the Botswana Government, the South African Embassy in Botswana, the European Union in Botswana, the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, Women in News (WIN), and numerous other formal and informal entities. Grassroot communities, startups, women, youth and redemptive leadership remain the heart of UNGWA Africa.

Her 24-year career background includes diverse sectors such as diamond mining (Debswana Diamond Company), cross-border trade (Botswana International Financial Services Centre), regional integration (SADC Secretariat), corporate and investment branking (RMB), and freelance strategic brand communications advisory through her own boutique Consultancy. Currently, she is the Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) and serves as Strategic Advisor, Africa, for the Government Council on Social Innovation (GCSI).

In her work, Aune focuses on promoting sustainable fashion consumption and advancing the circular economy, offering the fashion industry an environmentally friendly and economically viable alternative.

Aune Aunapuu is the founder and CEO of Yaga. Under her leadership, Yaga has grown into the most popular secondhand marketplace in Estonia and South Africa, with over 2 million users and more than 6 million fashion items recirculated. Yaga recently raised €4 million to continue expanding in Africa and the Middle East.

Ave Matsin is a heritage craft researcher and programme director at the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy. Her work focuses on the study and contemporary application of traditional craft knowledge, particularly in textiles, materials, and practice-based research. She has played a long-term role in developing heritage related study programmes and curricula that connect cultural heritage with creative entrepreneurship and sustainable value creation. She is also actively involved in national and international heritage and cultural policy networks, including the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, the Estonian Folk Art and Craft Union, and the Estonian Council on Intangible Cultural Heritage.

She has been involved in several Estonia–Namibia cooperation projects aimed at strengthening the creative economy through heritage-based approaches. These initiatives, implemented in collaboration with Creative Estonia, ESTDEV, UNESCO partners, and local institutions in Namibia, have focused on supporting creative entrepreneurship, capacity building, and youth engagement. Through academies, conferences, and Hack the Heritage–style formats, her work explores how heritage-based knowledge can be mobilised as a resource for local economic development, cultural sustainability, and cross continental collaboration.

Martin Villig is the co-founder of Bolt, the European leading mobility platform with historically over 200 million customers in over 55 countries and 850 cities around the world. Martin is an entrepreneur who started and sold his first startup in 1998-1999. He has previously held management positions at Skype, Fortumo and NASDAQ Tallinn Stock Exchange. He is a leading figure in the Estonian startup community, having co-founded Estonian Founders Society and Garage48 Hackathons. In 2018, Martin co-founded a €3 million Education Foundation to support innovative education initiatives in Estonia.

Martin and Markus Villig have been awarded E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year in Estonia. He has also been granted a decoration from the President of Estonia for his contribution in Estonian entrepreneurship and education.

Gerald Black is an African tech ecosystem builder, connector, and storyteller with over a decade of experience supporting founders, operators, investors, and innovation hubs across the continent. With a background in computer engineering and over 10 years experience, he works at the intersection of technology, community, capital, and storytelling to help ecosystems grow through meaningful collaboration.

He is the CEO of XConnect Africa, a strategic connections and ecosystem advisory platform supporting startups, investors, and corporates with partnerships, expansion, and market-entry opportunities across Africa. Gerald is also the Founder of Backend Studio, a media company focused on documenting and amplifying Africa's innovation stories through documentaries, podcasts, interviews, and ecosystem-focused content.

Through his work, Gerald has collaborated with accelerators, venture capital firms, corporates, innovation hubs, and developer communities across Africa, focusing strongly on mentorship, ecosystem development, and connecting African talent and startups to global opportunities.

Daniel Schaer has over 20 years of diplomatic experience. He has a passion for Africa having lived in Rwanda for 4 years and having visited over 35 African countries. In 2023, Daniel presented his letter of credential to President William Ruto in Kenya and President Cyril Ramaphosa in South Africa to become Estonia's first Ambassador in both countries. As Ambassador for Africa, Daniel is looking to build stronger economic and diplomatic relations between the continent and Estonia.

In 2022, Daniel led the innovative Estonian pavilion at EXPO 2020 Dubai. He has previously been Estonian Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. As Ambassador at large – Special Diplomatic Representative of the President of Estonia for Africa, Daniel helped run Estonia's successful UN Security Council Campaign.

Daniel is a graduate of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, where he studied International Relations. He has a Master's degree in European Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.

Evelyn Kaldoja is the head of the foreign news desk at Postimees, Estonia's oldest national daily newspaper, and also contributes regularly to the main radio program of Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR). In her daily work, she combines hands-on journalistic field reporting with planning and coordinating the work of other journalists.

While her reporting assignments most frequently take her to Brussels, she has also covered regional affairs, diplomacy, and multinational military operations in various parts of the world, including assignments in Africa — such as Mali, Djibouti, and the Central African Republic — as well as the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.

Joel Karubiu is a seasoned business leader and market development strategist with over 20 years of experience driving growth, building brands, and unlocking new market opportunities across Africa.

As the Export Adviser in Kenya for the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency, Joel plays a central role in advancing trade and investment between Estonia and East Africa. He works closely with Estonian companies to identify high-potential sectors, build strategic partnerships, and successfully enter and scale in the African market—bridging Estonian innovation with opportunities across the continent. With extensive board experience across financial services, education, manufacturing, and the digital ecosystem, Joel brings a well-rounded perspective on governance, innovation, and cross-border collaboration—key themes shaping the future of Africa–Europe partnerships.

At this forum, Joel brings not only his professional expertise, but also a deep understanding of how to connect ecosystems, translate opportunity into action, and drive meaningful partnerships between Estonia and Africa.