What happens when we stop viewing Africa as a place of problems and start investing in its potential? In this insightful episode of The Invisible Experts Podcast, we speak with Koffi Assouan, a leading voice in youth innovation, digital transformation, and inclusive development across the African continent.

With decades of experience working with organisations like The Mastercard Foundation, The Global Fund for Children, and UNCDF, Koffi shares a clear-eyed view of the challenges and untapped opportunities in Africa’s development landscape. He discusses why investing in youth leadership, trust-based philanthropy, and community-rooted solutions is key to building long-term impact.

Koffi reflects on his own journey—from Côte d’Ivoire to the UK and into international development—and speaks candidly about the tensions between top-down donor agendas and grassroots innovation. His insights challenge the status quo, calling for less bureaucracy, more trust, and systems that truly serve people on the ground.

This episode is essential for anyone interested in youth development, African innovation, and systems-level change in philanthropy and international cooperation.

Key Topics Covered:

✅ Shifting the Narrative on Africa – Why development work must centre assets, not deficits.
✅ Youth Innovation & Entrepreneurship – How to support young African changemakers beyond tokenism.
✅ The Problem with Rigid Donor Models – Why top-down funding often fails and how to create space for local solutions.
✅ Trust-Based Philanthropy – Letting go of control and building real partnerships with local actors.
✅ The Role of Technology – How digital tools can amplify impact without replicating inequality.
✅ Power, Access & Representation – Challenging extractive funding practices and rethinking who gets to define success.
✅ Pan-Africanism & Identity – How values of solidarity and legacy shape Koffi’s approach to impact.

Koffi also shares personal reflections on fatherhood, returning to the continent, and the importance of making space for joy, love, and play in movements for change.

📌 Are we investing in the right systems to support youth in Africa? What would trust-based development look like to you? Leave a comment and join the conversation.

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