Beyond Aid: Why Africa’s Youth Are the Future of Impact Investing
My first-hand account of untapped potential and the case for community-driven development
This July I was fortunate to visit Guinea. This was my life's most profound experience. This trip was able to combine my learnings and perspective from two different phases of my life—the time I spent in India growing up and the last 15 years spent in the U.S. Being able to experience Guinea as an American & Indian (developed & developing nation) brought a truly contradictory perspective.
When one visits Africa they think of Safari, culture and poverty. But what I saw was youth, love, growth, potential and opportunity. Western world has for centuries tried to control African people for their own selfish benefits. Less than a century ago it was about slave trade and now it's about raw materials such as Lithium, Cobalt, bauxite, Uranium and others. All crucial to the growth of the west's economic development. But this development has been at the cost of African people.
Guinea holds 40% of the world's bauxite reserves and is the largest producer globally, exporting a record 48.6 million tonnes in just the first quarter of 2025. The country's 7.1% GDP growth is driven by mining, yet 43% of Guineans live below the poverty line. This paradox became real for me until I visited Guinea—a lot of this knowledge was secondary until I experienced it firsthand.
Guinea, the world's largest bauxite producer, has various mines. Conakry is the capital of Guinea where we were staying for the duration of our trip. From local knowledge we were informed that the mine has been closed for a few years. We were interested in seeing what happens to a mining site after it's closed. We embarked on our journey Sunday morning.
The Journey to the Mine
What was supposed to be a 2.5hr drive ended up taking 5 hrs with traffic, rain and bad roads. Conakry lacks proper road infrastructure and is a significant issue for its people which gets worse during the rainy season. Guinea has a wet season from May to October with peak rainfall from July to September. The roads were nonexistent when we approached the village just outside of the mining area—part of the reality that only 8% of Guinea's 44,301 km of roads are paved.
As we got closer we also realized that the mine is actually operational with a factory nearby processing the raw bauxite. After reaching the mining area we were flagged by a guard to stop. We totally expected that we may not get permission to mine. But a few seconds later we realized that we were being stopped as a truck was approaching. Since this truck road was empty and the driver was probably in need to complete this work zoomed in front of something out of a James Bond movie. After the truck passed by we approached the guard, a local. We were lucky to have the support of local people on our trip who found out that there is a human side on the left and the Chinese side on the right. We chose to follow the truck which was headed to the Russian side.
Yes in hindsight this adventure could have gone wrong in many ways. We were also testing the limits of our Sedan with worn out tires on the uneven terrain. As we approached the mining site we saw a truck toppled down, maybe with heavy rain. This had also blocked the path for the trucks in and out of the factory and we could see hundreds of trucks lined up waiting tomorrow for the broken down truck to be moved.
As we moved forward we could see this huge orangish patch of land among the lush green forest of Guinea. This was a very profound moment to experience with our own eyes. We could see how human activity could destroy the beauty of nature. After we reached the entrance of mine which is an open pit mine we made a decision to go back as the terrain was very rough ahead and not suitable for our car. I did pick up a sample of rock to help tell the story to kids back in Conakry we are walking with.
Guinea Bauxite mine location
On our way back we saw the village outside mine and reflected upon what these mines provide these local people. The revenue earned through these mines is not reaching the people on the ground in Guinea. Russian and Chinese companies that are mining bauxite are earning millions while mining revenues account for only 2% of GDP in tax revenue. The government earns revenue but the majority of it is not getting to the development of local infrastructure. Even the job opportunities at these mines are not available to local people, primarily due to lack of education and training that are adequate for the job.
Through a friend I heard the story of a computer science grad working as a night watchman at a hotel. Yes there are universities that provide higher education but either they lack employable skills or related employment opportunities. Mining companies, even with the best intentions, are unable to help local people due to the skills gap, infrastructure and corruption.
I asked our friend who accompanied us to the mine and who happens to be an ambitious young leader that if he had power and influence what would be his three priorities for Guinea. He said: Education, Roads infrastructure and Clean water.
Priorities
Education: I was fortunate to attend the end of year program for CRS school supported by FCRS. This school was established by the refugees escaping war in Libya and serves the English speaking community. It's interesting that more and more people in Guinea are interested in English education that could open new doors for them in future as compared to French. Something I could totally connect with my own experiences from growing up in India.
Throughout the program and the day I spent with these kids in school gave me hope for the future, importance of investment in education for Guineans and how they are protecting their culture & values even in less than ideal situations. Yet the challenges are enormous—83% of children can't read by age 10, and while 98% of enrolled children attend school, they remain learning poor due to quality issues.
Roads Infrastructure: Guinea's aging road network, particularly in the capital city of Conakry, requires significant improvement to support current development and future generations. Poor road conditions create daily challenges for students commuting to school, compounded by the absence of public transportation and costly taxi services. Farmers struggle to transport their produce to markets before spoilage, a problem worsened by inadequate storage facilities that result in the majority of crops rotting and being discarded. Additionally, deteriorating roads limit local businesses' access to both suppliers and customers, hampering economic growth throughout the region.
Clean Water: Guinea has a six-month wet season, and we witnessed firsthand how heavy the rainfall can be. Yet despite this abundant precipitation, access to safe drinking water remains critically limited. Everywhere we went, even locals relied on expensive plastic water bottles and pouches for drinking water. Only 64% of the population has access to clean water—a figure that has remained stagnant over the past decade. This reliance on bottled water is not only costly for families but also exacerbates pollution and worsens the country's waste management crisis. Waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid, along with vector-borne illnesses like malaria that thrive in areas with poor water infrastructure, have undermined decades of health and development progress.
Now the big question is how things could be improved, who should be driving the 'change'? With the closure of USAID the last few months have been already very difficult for many globally.
Sustainable Development Vision
The Challenge: Is Aid the Real Solution?
With my work over the last few years researching and working on topics related to climate change, sustainability, sustainable development, mental health, economic growth and impact, one question has become increasingly clear: is traditional aid the real solution?
The data tells a sobering story. Youth unemployment in Africa averages over 20% across the continent, with Sub-Saharan Africa having the highest youth unemployment rate in the world at over 30%. In some countries, youth unemployment reaches as high as 70-80%, and young women face even higher unemployment rates than young men. In Guinea particularly, with the lack of opportunities, young people are frustrated and in dire need of help—a pattern that research consistently highlights across similar communities globally.
But here's what I've discovered: sustainable change can only be driven by local communities empowered and enabled through education, training, opportunities, investment and entrepreneurship—developing local ecosystems that generate lasting transformation.
Our Solution: The Sostibl 4-Pillars Framework
Based on extensive research and real-world experience working with communities, particularly my recent transformative trip to Guinea, I propose a comprehensive approach built on four interconnected pillars that challenge the traditional aid dependency model.
Pillar 1: Youth Focused - Empowering the Next Generation of Changemakers
With 1.2 billion youth worldwide, we recognize that sustainable development can only succeed when young voices lead the conversation and drive the solutions. Our youth-centered approach goes far beyond traditional education.
Education: Providing meaningful and mandatory education that is culturally relevant, focusing on community engagement and building on local and tribal knowledge while providing global perspective to both young and adult populations. This isn't just classroom learning—it's education that connects directly to community needs and opportunities.
Training: As much as basic education is necessary, we must build on it with employable skills. Training is essential for real transformation. The CREST foundation in Ulaanbaatar serves as a powerful example, providing technology skills to high school students that create future engineers and innovators.
The Gap We Address: The education system in many countries is misaligned with labor market demands, resulting in graduates without the skills for available jobs, leading to talent shortages even amidst high unemployment. We bridge this critical disconnect.
Pillar 2: Investment Led - Market-Driven Solutions for Lasting Change
The Opportunity Crisis: Young people globally struggle to find entry-level employment opportunities. This represents the largest gap in the traditional aid or charity model. Training and education alone cannot lift people out of poverty or economic deprivation. Opportunities that provide employment and wages are essential to drive real change and transformation.
Investment & Entrepreneurship: All the students I've been working with—even before my trip to Guinea while teaching them sustainable development 101—demonstrate remarkable problem-solving skills and a strong desire to help their communities. What they need is investment and support to take their ideas to reality. Due to lack of related jobs, Guineans have developed an entrepreneurial approach but can rarely access investment or loans to fund their businesses.
The Investment Advantage: The Global Impact Investing Network estimates the worldwide impact investing market at $1.571 trillion USD, proving that unlike traditional aid that creates dependency, investment creates opportunity through patient capital and strategic funding to build self-sustaining enterprises.
Proven Returns: Research demonstrates that sustainable investment delivers measurable returns. Dow Chemical's use of Sustainable ROI for their 10-year sustainability goals is estimated to return $1 billion in cost savings or new cash flow while benefiting the lives of 1 billion people. REI's mission-aligned employee sustainability program led to reduced turnover and hiring costs and increased productivity, totaling a net benefit of $24M—approximately 5% of their payroll expenses.
Pillar 3: Sustainable Development - Solutions That Heal Communities and Planet
Every project we support tackles real environmental and social challenges while creating economic opportunities. We believe sustainability isn't just about protecting the environment—it's about building resilient communities that thrive for generations.
Community-Driven Impact: Small businesses created 64% of all new private-sector jobs in the U.S. from 1995 to 2020 and donate 250% more than larger businesses to local nonprofits and community causes. This model of community-centered economic development creates lasting wealth and social cohesion.
Local Ecosystem Development: Rather than extractive models that remove value from communities, our approach builds local capacity, keeps resources circulating within communities, and creates multiplier effects that benefit entire regions.
Pillar 4: Technology Driven - Scaling Impact Through Innovation
Technology amplifies human potential and connects local solutions to global opportunities. Our platform leverages digital tools to deliver training, track impact, and facilitate collaboration—even in resource-constrained environments like Guinea.
Accessibility First: Mobile-first platforms accessible on basic smartphones, with offline capabilities for areas with limited internet connectivity, ensure that geography doesn't limit opportunity.
The Intersecting Impact: Where Magic Happens
The transformation occurs where these pillars intersect:
Youth + Sustainability = Innovative solutions to environmental challenges led by those who will live with the consequences
Sustainability + Investment = Profitable businesses that prove environmental responsibility drives economic success
Investment + Technology = Scalable funding mechanisms that reach youth entrepreneurs anywhere in the world
Technology + Youth = Digital natives using their skills to solve local problems with global tools
All Four Together = A new model for sustainable development that transforms aid recipients into economic drivers, creating lasting prosperity that benefits everyone.
Our Pilot: Impact Innovation Lab in Guinea
My trip to Guinea left a profound impact and generated concrete ideas to drive support to this community and many others globally. Working with a nonprofit for the last two years has taught me how difficult it is to raise charity money—which is why we're shifting to an investment-led approach.
CAST group
The Foundation Group: The pilot group I'm working with in Guinea is establishing the foundation of our Impact Innovation Lab, built on this 4-pillars framework. These young entrepreneurs have demonstrated:
Exceptional problem-solving capabilities despite resource constraints
Deep community knowledge and commitment to local solutions
Entrepreneurial drive constrained only by lack of access to capital
Innovation potential that could transform their communities
The Investment Opportunity
Market Size: The impact investment market provides capital to address the world's most pressing challenges in sectors including energy, microfinance, healthcare, sustainable agriculture, infrastructure and housing, representing a $1.571 trillion global opportunity.
Proven Model: Youth entrepreneurship creates jobs not only for the entrepreneurs themselves but also for others in their communities, leading to increased economic activity, reduced unemployment rates, and enhanced community resilience.
Sustainable Returns: Unlike traditional charity with no financial return, our investment-led approach creates:
Financial returns through profitable, scalable enterprises
Social returns through job creation and community development
Environmental returns through sustainable business practices
Knowledge returns through replicable models and best practices
Call to Action
I am now dedicating my time to researching and exploring ways to drive investment into global communities and young people in a more meaningful and impactful way. This represents a fundamental shift from charity dependence to economic empowerment.
If you have thoughts, ideas, or interest in joining this movement, I invite you to reach out. Together, we can prove that the most powerful force for sustainable development isn't aid—it's young people with the right support, tools, and opportunities to change the world.
Ready to build the future? Join the Sostibl movement and help us transform aid recipients into economic drivers, creating lasting prosperity that benefits everyone
