African Students and Alumni Forum

What African Students and Alumni Forum does

The African Students and Alumni Forum (ASAF) is a non-profit regional network serving African students, alumni, and professionals who have participated in EU-funded international mobility programmes under Erasmus+. Founded in 2019 and registered in Brussels, Belgium, ASAF operates as the official African regional chapter within the Erasmus+ International Student and Alumni Networks, administered by the European Commission's Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). The organization is governed by an elected Board (Conseil 2024-2026), with regional co-ambassadors coordinating activity across five African sub-regions (North, West, East, Southern, and Central Africa) and functional task forces covering Communication, Research & Surveys, and International Collaboration.

ASAF's core product is its online Community Portal at community.asaf.africa, which provides member profiles, groups, events, polls, albums, hashtags, and voting features that enable cross-country knowledge exchange and community governance. The platform is complemented by offline engagement through Annual General Forums (AGFs) rotated across different African cities each year, with documented AGFs in Dar es Salaam (2022), Nairobi (2023), Cotonou (2024), and Cape Town (2025). Distribution is entirely self-serve: eligible beneficiaries register directly on the portal at no cost, while outreach occurs through ASAF's LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube channels plus the official Erasmus Networks Platform.

The business model is grant-funded rather than revenue-generating: ASAF is fully financed by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme via EACEA, with no membership fees, paid tiers, or commercial revenue streams. Membership is free for individuals who have completed EU-funded mobility schemes. With 15 employees and 20+ active community groups, the organization functions as a continental alumni association whose financial sustainability is structurally tied to continued EU programme funding and the renewal of its network designation.

Name

African Students and Alumni Forum

Legal name

African Students and Alumni Forum (ASAF)

Website

https://asaf.africa

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The African Students and Alumni Forum (ASAF) is a Brussels-based non-profit and the official African regional network of Erasmus+ International Student and Alumni Networks, funded by the EU to connect and support African beneficiaries of EU mobility programmes through an online community portal and annual forums across five sub-regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Alumni Network Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Erasmus+ and Government-Sponsored Exchange Partnerships (EDAIABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Student Advising & Resource Centers (Wraparound Support) (EDAIAKAJ), Intergovernmental Education Cooperation & Bilateral/Multilateral Programs (EDADALAA), Education Sector Coordination, Clusters & Working Groups (EDADALAE)

Keywords

• Student alumni network
• Higher education exchange
• International mobility programs
• Community networking platform
• African educational development

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Erasmus+ EU Funding: ASAF is funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme. The organization is part of the Erasmus+ International Student and Alumni Networks, supported by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ASAF operates a structured online community forum and in-person events for African students, alumni, and professionals who have participated in EU-funded Erasmus+ international mobility programmes. Through its community portal, regional co-ambassador groups, task forces, and rotating Annual General Forums, the organization facilitates knowledge exchange, collaboration, personal development, and member-led governance across five African sub-regions.

Product overview

ASAF operates as a unified community platform centered on the ASAF Community Portal, which serves as the primary digital space for member engagement. The platform offers integrated features including groups (organized by regional co-ambassadors, task forces, and event-based communities), events management, polls, albums, hashtags, and member directories. The community is structured by African regional groups (North Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa, Eastern Africa, Central Africa) and functional groups such as the Communication Task Force, Research & Surveys Task Force, and International Collaboration Task Force. Annual General Forums (AGF) are hosted in different cities each year, with dedicated community groups for each forum.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ASAF Community Portal Free online community portal where eligible African Erasmus+ beneficiaries register, create profiles, join regional and functional groups, attend events, participate in polls, share albums, and vote on community governance matters.
• Annual General Forum (AGF) In-person annual gathering convened in a rotating African city for ASAF members to meet, exchange knowledge, and conduct governance activities; open to eligible Erasmus+ beneficiaries and ASAF community members.
• Regional Co-Ambassador Network Sub-regional volunteer leadership layer across five African regions that recruits, orients, and supports ASAF members locally, including co-ambassador training such as the session held in Addis Ababa in 2023.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Erasmus+ International Student and Alumni NetworkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASAF is an official regional network under the Erasmus+ International Student and Alumni Networks umbrella, collaborating on knowledge exchange and mobility programme support across Africa.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Scholars at Risk: An international network of universities and scholars protecting threatened academic communities. Partial overlap with ASAF in operating an international academic network with regional representation and a community-led GTM, though focused on a different sub-population.

Broad incumbents

• AIESEC: A global youth-led organization running international exchange and leadership programmes for students and recent graduates. AIESEC is comparable to ASAF in target demographic (young internationally-mobile Africans and global peers) and community-led engagement model, but operates at much larger scale and with commercial partnerships.

Direct peers

• Erasmus+ Alumni Network: The official global alumni network under the Erasmus+ International Student and Alumni Networks. ASAF is structurally affiliated with this network as its Africa regional chapter, sharing governance, funding, and mission.
• Erasmus Student Network (ESN): The largest student network in higher education in Europe and a direct counterpart within the Erasmus+ ecosystem. ESN operates as a peer student/alumni network under the same Erasmus+ umbrella, sharing ASAF's community-led GTM and mission of supporting mobility beneficiaries.
• SPHERE Community: A peer regional network under the Erasmus+ International Student and Alumni Networks for a different geography. Operates the same community-led model with co-ambassadors, governance bodies, and Annual General Forums — a structurally analogous peer to ASAF.
• Erasmus Mundus Association (EMA): The alumni association for Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees, operating within the same Erasmus+ family. EMA shares ASAF's focus on supporting alumni of EU-funded international mobility programmes through networking and professional development.
• IAESTE: The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience operates international student mobility programmes with a comparable community-driven alumni network structure. Relevant peer for benchmarking ASAF's mobility-to-alumni engagement model.

Regional players

• AfriLabs: A pan-African network of technology and innovation hubs. Comparable as a continental African network with regional nodes, community-driven governance, and a mission of developing African talent ecosystems.
• African Leadership University (ALU): A pan-African higher education institution focused on developing African leaders. Comparable to ASAF in mission alignment around shaping Africa's higher-education landscape and serving internationally-mobile African students.
• Generation Africa: A pan-African youth-focused initiative supporting young African entrepreneurs and talent. Comparable to ASAF in geographic focus (Africa-wide) and target demographic (young internationally-engaged Africans), but with a different vertical focus on entrepreneurship rather than higher-education mobility.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@africanstudentsandalumniforum
• Facebookfacebook.com/ASAFafrica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/african-students-and-alumni-forum
• Instagraminstagram.com/asaf_africa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about African Students and Alumni Forum