Morocco-Togo: Amina Zakhnouf and Ileana Santos, founders of a public policy incubator for young people

Founded in 2020 in the midst of the Covid 19 crisis, “Je m’engage pour l’Afrique” is an initiative of two young women, a Moroccan and a Togolese, to change the narratives on Africa. The platform aims to enable young people to take part in the public debate.

When they talk about their initiative, it is with great enthusiasm that Amina Zakhnouf, consultant in international development and Ileana Santos, consultant in strategy and transformation in financial services, describe it as “the solution” to enable African and Afro – optimistic youths to speak out on all the decisive issues on relations between Africa and Europe. 

The two young women established in France decided to launch « Je m’engage pour l’Afrique », the first public policy incubator for young Afro – optimists after observing that young Afro – optimists from Africa or France are absent in the public debate. “Young people are unable to find a real place, although everyone repeats that youth will be the cornerstone of a peaceful relationship between Africa and France,” says Amina Zakhnouf.

Through their initiative, the two young women aim not only to make the ideas and initiatives put forward by young people more visible, but above all to bring out new faces to the French, European and African public scene.  The objective is to be able to change the narratives on the African continent. For Ileana Santos, the major challenge is to put young Afro – optimists at the heart of decisions, to give them a space to express themselves, thus enabling them to be the gateways to Africa and to redefine the relationship between Africa and Europe for the benefit of all.

A space of commitment for young people

The platform brings together young Afro-optimists, as the two founders call them, who are either entrepreneurs, researchers, students, experts, from Africa or not, from Europe or not. It is aimed at decision-makers (politicians, institutions, companies). It allows them to express themselves on different subjects: finance, ecological and solidarity transition, culture, digital…

“Je m’engage pour l’Afrique” works, notably through a public policy incubator, which was launched in February 2021. It is a network of experts who express themselves on decisive issues in the public space by writing public policy briefs, organizing workshops and roundtables, and writing white papers. For 2021, the incubator will address topics such as the financing of sub-Saharan African economies, sustainable tourism in the Maghreb or the challenges of biodiversity and transfrontalities …  The initiative also offers acceleration programs for experts and young Afro champions to shine and increase their impact. It will accompany, in particular, young women project leaders in order to valorize themselves and feel legitimate. Finally, it carries out advocacy actions by bringing its ideas and positions to light during major events such as the Africa-France Summit, the AU-EU Summit, etc.).

Ileana Santos is a strategy and transformation consultant in financial services in Paris. Born and raised in Lomé (Togo), she arrived in France at the age of 18 to study private law in Poitiers. She then joined the EMLyon business school. She has several professional experiences in Europe, Africa, America and Asia. She works, in particular, on the resolution of complex problems, such as access to financing for women entrepreneurs, and the digitalisation of international donors. She has also worked in supporting politicians in their actions.

Amina Zakhnouf is an international development consultant. She assists public financial institutions in the management of innovation projects or the creation of innovative financial products. She holds a Master’s degree in International Public Management at Science Po Paris where she specializes in political economy, development banks, analysis of financial flows of diasporas. She worked, in particular at BPI France where she collaborated with several entrepreneurs, financed several collaborative projects …