Pillar 02

Estonia — West Africa Forums

Meet, exchange, build.

Since 2023, Estonia has hosted its Africa Business Forum in Tallinn. Goldenseal takes the complementary initiative of holding Forums directly in West African capitals.

The concept

Two to three days, two ecosystems

Estonian side: Cybernetica, Nortal, Digital Nation, Helmes, Bolt, Wise, eGA, TalTech, ESTDEV, ICT Cluster, Embassy. West African side: digital ministers, senior civil servants, leaders of state companies, banks, telco operators, startups, investment funds and universities.

Typical programme

Three lively days

Day 1

Strategy & vision

Morning
  • · Opening ceremony
  • · Ministerial panel: "Why the Estonian model for our country?"
  • · Keynote: "Foundations of a sovereign digital state"
Afternoon
  • · Case studies: Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Namibia
  • · Roundtables: state cybersecurity · digital identity · blockchain
Day 2

Markets & partnerships

Morning
  • · Presentations of invited Estonian companies
  • · Estonia ↔ Africa startup pitches
Afternoon
  • · B2B / B2G matchmaking
  • · Exhibition space
  • · Networking cocktail
Day 3

Deep dive

Morning
  • · Sector workshops: Banking & Fintech · Public administration · Energy · EdTech
Afternoon
  • · Institutional visits
  • · Closing ceremony & signing of cooperation protocols
Tentative calendar

Planned capitals

Goldenseal coordinates these events with the Estonian Embassy in Kenya, ESTDEV, and local host authorities.

🇸🇳 Dakar
Inaugural forum

Public administration, cybersecurity, startup ecosystem.

🇨🇮 Abidjan
2nd edition

Banking, fintech, economic operators.

🇨🇲 Yaoundé / 🇸🇳 Saint-Louis
3rd edition

Focus on local priorities identified.

Worth knowing

Existing forums

Goldenseal facilitates the participation of West African delegations in these flagship events.

Africa Business Forum (Tallinn)

Annual, organised by the Estonian MFA. 350+ participants in 2025. Free.

Latitude59 Kenya (Nairobi)

African edition of Estonia's largest tech summit. 2,500+ participants in 2025.

Locked Shields (Tallinn / virtual)

World's largest cyber defence exercise. Run by CCDCOE.

e-Governance Conference (Tallinn)

Biennial reference conference. Co-organised by eGA and the Estonian MFA.

Benefits

What you take away

  • Direct access to leading Estonian institutions and companies, with no untargeted intermediaries.
  • Discovery of concrete technical and commercial partnership opportunities.
  • Connections with Nordic and Baltic investment funds active in emerging markets.
  • International visibility for West African actors showcasing their innovations.
  • Opportunity to sign cooperation protocols in the presence of the respective embassies.
Join the next Forum

Register, participate, sponsor.

Get notified when registrations open, or express interest in speaking, sponsoring or attending in an official delegation.