TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Think Africa ry
Business ID: 2656503-4
Website: thinkafrica.fi
Email: info@thinkafrica.fi
Contact address: Kauppamiehentie 6, Kansalaisuus Toiminnankeskus Building, 2nd floor, 02100 Espoo, Finland

Effective date: 31 August 2026

1. About Think Africa

Think Africa ry (“Think Africa”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is a registered Finnish association serving the African diaspora in Finland and strengthening connections between the diaspora, Finnish society, organisations and institutions.

Think Africa’s activities include community building, career development, entrepreneurship, advocacy and civic participation, cultural activities, events and programmes, partnerships, publications, membership activities, products and services, and Afara.

These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern the use of the Think Africa website and the services made available through it.

2. Scope of these Terms

These Terms apply when you:

• browse or use the Think Africa website;
• create or use an account;
• submit information through the website;
• register for events or programmes;
• apply for membership through the website;
• purchase products or paid services through the website;
• submit an Afara request;
• apply to participate in Afara as an expert;
• submit content, applications or opportunities;
• use the Finland Civic Impact Monitor or other information resources; or
• otherwise interact with services made available through thinkafrica.fi.

Some Think Africa activities may have additional terms, participation rules, service agreements, assignment agreements, event conditions or programme-specific requirements.

Where specific terms have been expressly agreed for a service, programme, purchase or assignment, those specific terms apply to that activity. These Terms continue to apply to use of the website unless the specific agreement states otherwise.

3. Acceptance of these Terms

By using the website or submitting information through a function that states that these Terms apply, you agree to comply with them.

You should not use a service requiring acceptance of these Terms if you do not agree to them.

Simply visiting publicly accessible pages does not make you a member of Think Africa, an Afara expert, a programme participant, a partner or a client.

4. Membership

Think Africa membership is membership of Think Africa ry, not merely access to a website account or online service.

Membership is governed by:

• Think Africa’s registered association rules;
• decisions properly made under those rules; and
• applicable Finnish law, including the Finnish Associations Act.

These Terms do not replace or amend Think Africa’s registered rules.

Submitting a membership application through the website records an application. The membership process, membership approval, membership rights, membership obligations, resignation, termination and other membership matters are determined according to the association’s rules and applicable law.

Membership fees applicable at the time of application will be displayed through the relevant membership process.

Website access and association membership are separate matters. Closing, suspending or losing access to a website account does not by itself determine a person’s legal membership status.

Similarly, resignation from Think Africa does not automatically require deletion of information that Think Africa is legally required or otherwise lawfully entitled to retain.

5. Events and Programmes

Think Africa may organise free or paid events, workshops, mentorship activities, community gatherings, training, cultural activities and other programmes.

Registration does not guarantee participation where:

• capacity is limited;
• eligibility requirements apply;
• an application or selection process is used;
• the event has been cancelled;
• participation would create a safety or conduct concern; or
• programme-specific conditions have not been satisfied.

Any eligibility, selection or participation requirements must be stated in the relevant event or programme information.

Participants must follow reasonable event rules, venue rules and instructions relating to safety, respectful conduct and the proper delivery of the activity.

Think Africa may refuse or discontinue participation where reasonably necessary because of serious misconduct, harassment, threats, disruption, safety concerns, fraud or material breach of applicable participation conditions.

Paid events

Cancellation and refund conditions for a paid event will be stated in the event information or booking process where specific conditions apply.

For leisure events provided on a specified date or during a specified period, the general statutory 14-day right of withdrawal for distance contracts may not apply.

Where Think Africa cancels a paid event, participants are entitled to refunds or other remedies required by applicable law.

Where a paid event is postponed or materially changed, applicable statutory rights remain unaffected.

Nothing in these Terms removes rights that a consumer has under mandatory Finnish consumer law.

6. Products and Online Purchases

Think Africa may sell physical products or other items through the website.

The product description, price and applicable delivery charges displayed during the purchase process form part of the purchase information.

Prices applicable to a transaction are those presented to the purchaser before the order is confirmed.

A purchaser is responsible for providing accurate information necessary for payment and delivery.

Consumer withdrawal rights

Where a consumer purchases goods online and a statutory right of withdrawal applies, the consumer may exercise that right within the period provided by applicable law.

For most eligible physical goods purchased online, the statutory withdrawal period is 14 days from receipt of the goods.

Statutory exceptions may apply.

The customer must notify Think Africa clearly of the decision to withdraw within the applicable withdrawal period.

Where required by law, Think Africa will provide the necessary online withdrawal mechanism and information concerning withdrawal, return and reimbursement.

Returning a product may affect the amount refunded if the product has been handled beyond what is reasonably necessary to establish its nature, characteristics and functioning.

Defective products and failures to supply products remain subject to the consumer’s statutory rights.

Nothing in these Terms limits mandatory rights concerning defective goods, non-delivery, refunds or other consumer remedies.

7. Payments

Payments made through the website may be processed through third-party payment service providers.

The payment provider may apply its own technical and payment-processing terms to use of its service.

Think Africa does not receive or control all payment information processed directly by an external payment provider.

The total amount payable must be presented before a paid transaction is confirmed.

Think Africa will not change a completed transaction merely because prices, membership fees or service pricing are subsequently changed.

Chargebacks, disputed payments and payment errors may be investigated to determine whether the underlying payment was valid and whether the relevant product or service was supplied.

8. Afara

Afara is a Think Africa service-delivery and expert-matching system connecting organisations with African diaspora expertise.

Through Afara, organisations may submit needs or requests and professionals may submit information concerning their expertise and availability.

Website participation in Afara does not by itself create an employment relationship, consultancy agreement, agency relationship, partnership, joint venture or paid assignment between any participant and Think Africa or between participants.

Any actual assignment, paid engagement or service relationship must be governed by the agreement applicable to that engagement.

Organisation requests

An organisation submitting a request is responsible for providing information that is accurate enough for Think Africa to understand and assess the request.

Think Africa may assess whether a request is sufficiently clear, viable, appropriate and suitable for Afara.

Submission of a request does not guarantee:

• acceptance;
• an expert match;
• availability of an expert;
• delivery of an assignment;
• a particular commercial result; or
• completion within a particular period unless separately agreed.

Experts

Submission of an expert application or profile does not guarantee:

• acceptance into Afara;
• publication in the expert directory;
• referrals;
• assignments;
• income; or
• continuing participation.

Think Africa may apply review, approval, verification or matching processes applicable to Afara.

Any such review or verification does not constitute a guarantee of an expert’s future performance, suitability for every assignment or commercial outcome.

Companies and organisations remain responsible for their own assessment and due diligence when deciding whether to enter into an engagement.

Experts remain responsible for the accuracy of qualifications, experience, services and other information they provide.

Afara assignments

Where a potential match progresses to an assignment, the parties may be required to enter into a separate service, assignment or other written agreement.

That agreement should determine matters such as:

• scope;
• responsibilities;
• deliverables;
• fees;
• payment arrangements;
• timetable;
• confidentiality;
• intellectual property;
• reporting;
• changes;
• cancellation or termination; and
• responsibility for the work.

These website Terms do not substitute for an assignment agreement.

9. Civic Monitor, Advocacy and Public Information

Think Africa may publish policy information, public-data analysis, civic information, advocacy materials, election-related information, explainers, research, articles and information through services including the Finland Civic Impact Monitor.

This material is provided for civic education, public information and community engagement.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, it is not:

• legal advice;
• immigration advice;
• tax advice;
• financial advice;
• professional regulatory advice; or
• an official decision or communication from a public authority.

Think Africa may use official sources, public datasets and other sources in preparing this information.

Laws, policies, administrative practices, public data and official guidance may change.

Users making decisions that depend on current law, eligibility, immigration status, public benefits, elections or official procedures should confirm the relevant information with the responsible authority or an appropriately qualified professional.

Think Africa does not guarantee a particular political, policy, administrative, electoral or personal outcome from information published on the website.

Corrections may be made where errors or materially outdated information are identified.

10. User Accounts

Some website functions may require an account.

You are responsible for:

• providing accurate account information;
• keeping login credentials secure;
• not knowingly allowing unauthorised use of your account; and
• notifying Think Africa where you become aware that your account may have been compromised.

You must not impersonate another person or create an account using information you are not authorised to use.

Think Africa may temporarily restrict an account where reasonably necessary to investigate security concerns, suspected misuse, fraud or serious breaches of these Terms.

Account restriction does not override legal rights arising from association membership, a completed purchase or a separate contract.

11. Information Submitted to Think Africa

Information submitted through forms, applications, event registrations, membership applications, Afara requests, expert profiles and other website functions must be materially accurate and must not intentionally mislead Think Africa or another user.

You must have the right to provide any information, document, photograph or other material you submit.

You must not knowingly submit:

• unlawful content;
• fraudulent information;
• defamatory material;
• material that infringes another person’s intellectual property rights;
• malicious software or harmful code;
• information obtained through unlawful access;
• another person’s confidential information without authority; or
• another person’s personal data where you have no lawful basis or authority to provide it.

12. Ownership of User Content

You retain ownership of original content that you submit to Think Africa unless a separate written agreement states otherwise.

Where you submit material for publication, listing, promotion or another website function, you give Think Africa the limited permission necessary to store, reproduce, display, process and communicate that material for the purpose for which it was submitted.

This permission does not transfer ownership of your work to Think Africa.

Where broader intellectual-property rights are required for a commissioned project, publication, Afara assignment, creative work or other activity, those rights must be addressed in the applicable agreement.

Think Africa may remove publicly displayed user material where:

• the person who submitted it requests removal and removal is appropriate;
• the material is inaccurate or misleading;
• publication rights are disputed;
• the material breaches these Terms;
• the material creates a legal or security concern; or
• there is another legitimate reason to discontinue publication.

Removal from public display does not necessarily require deletion from records that Think Africa is legally required or otherwise lawfully entitled to retain.

13. Think Africa Intellectual Property

Unless otherwise identified, the website and original materials produced by Think Africa, including its branding, website content, text, graphics, programme materials, reports, design elements and original publications, are owned by Think Africa or used with permission.

You may access and use publicly available material for normal personal and informational purposes.

You may not, without the relevant permission or another lawful basis:

• represent Think Africa material as your own;
• use Think Africa branding in a way that falsely suggests endorsement or partnership;
• reproduce substantial protected content for commercial exploitation;
• remove ownership or attribution information from protected material; or
• create misleading copies of Think Africa websites, services or communications.

These Terms do not restrict uses permitted by applicable copyright law or other mandatory law.

Third-party material remains subject to the rights of its respective owner.

14. Acceptable Use

You must not use the website to:

• commit or facilitate unlawful activity;
• interfere with website security;
• obtain unauthorised access to accounts, systems or data;
• deliberately introduce malicious code;
• scrape, extract or harvest personal data unlawfully;
• send spam or abusive communications;
• harass, threaten or target other participants;
• manipulate registrations, applications, polls or other website processes;
• misrepresent an affiliation with Think Africa;
• misuse community, expert or member information; or
• interfere materially with another person’s ability to use the website.

Think Africa may take reasonable technical or administrative measures to protect the website, its users and organisational systems from misuse.

15. Community Standards

Think Africa’s activities are designed to support participation, belonging, representation, empowerment, collaboration and meaningful engagement.

Users, members, experts, event participants and other participants are expected to interact respectfully.

Disagreement, criticism, debate and different viewpoints are permitted. They must not be used as a pretext for harassment, threats, discriminatory abuse or deliberate disruption.

Nothing in this section prevents legitimate criticism of Think Africa, its decisions, public institutions, policy positions or other matters of public interest.

16. Partnerships and Third Parties

References to organisations, institutions, companies, funders, experts, partners or external services do not automatically mean that Think Africa endorses every activity, statement, product or service offered by that third party.

A logo, collaboration reference or past partnership does not establish an ongoing partnership unless the relationship is current and expressly described as such.

External websites linked from Think Africa are operated under their own terms and privacy practices.

Think Africa is not responsible for controlling independent third-party websites.

17. No Guarantee of Outcomes

Think Africa works to create opportunities, connections, information, programmes and services aligned with its organisational mission.

Participation does not guarantee:

• employment;
• business growth;
• investment;
• funding;
• membership of another organisation;
• immigration or residence outcomes;
• admission to a programme;
• an Afara assignment;
• expert income;
• commercial success;
• policy change;
• electoral outcomes;
• partnership agreements; or
• any other outcome that depends on decisions or circumstances outside Think Africa’s control.

Where Think Africa expressly agrees to deliver a defined paid service or assignment, its obligations are determined by the applicable agreement.

18. Website Availability

Think Africa may maintain, improve, replace or update website features.

Temporary interruption may occur because of maintenance, security measures, technical failure or circumstances outside Think Africa’s reasonable control.

Think Africa does not guarantee uninterrupted availability of every website function.

Where a paid service is materially affected by a service failure, any remedies required by the relevant agreement or mandatory law remain available.

19. Privacy and Personal Data

Think Africa processes personal data in accordance with its Privacy Policy and applicable data-protection law.

These Terms do not replace the Privacy Policy.

Where cookies or similar technologies require consent, they are governed through Think Africa’s cookie information and consent mechanism.

Acceptance of these Terms must not be treated as consent to optional processing that legally requires separate consent.

Where a specific programme, event, publication, expert listing or project requires additional information about personal-data processing, that information may be provided separately.

20. Photography, Video and Event Media

Attendance at a Think Africa event does not, by itself, constitute unrestricted consent for Think Africa to use a participant’s image, voice or personal information for every purpose.

Where photography, filming, interviews, live streaming or publication involves personal-data processing, Think Africa will provide appropriate information and use the lawful basis applicable to the activity.

Where specific consent is required, it should be obtained separately.

Separate agreements may apply to speakers, performers, interviewees, commissioned creators or other participants whose contribution is intended for publication.

21. Limitation of Liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes or restricts liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or restricted.

Think Africa remains responsible for its obligations under mandatory Finnish law and under any specific agreement it enters into.

To the extent permitted by law, Think Africa is not responsible for losses resulting solely from:

• inaccurate information deliberately provided by a user;
• unauthorised use of a user’s account resulting from the user’s failure to protect credentials;
• independent decisions or actions of third parties;
• reliance on clearly identified general civic or informational content as individual professional advice;
• external websites outside Think Africa’s control; or
• circumstances outside Think Africa’s reasonable control.

Any specific allocation of commercial risk relating to an Afara assignment or another paid organisational service should be contained in the relevant service agreement rather than these general website Terms.

Consumer rights under mandatory law are not restricted by this section.

22. Suspension and Termination of Website Access

Think Africa may suspend or terminate access to a website function where reasonably necessary because of:

• serious or repeated breach of these Terms;
• fraud;
• unlawful conduct;
• security risks;
• abusive conduct;
• unauthorised access;
• legal requirements; or
• discontinuation of the relevant service.

Where reasonably possible and appropriate, Think Africa may give the user an opportunity to correct a breach before permanent termination.

This section concerns website and service access. Legal membership of Think Africa ry remains governed by the association’s registered rules and Finnish association law.

23. Changes to Services

Think Africa may develop, discontinue or restructure programmes and website services as its activities evolve.

This does not permit Think Africa to unilaterally remove rights already acquired under:

• mandatory law;
• a completed purchase;
• an existing paid service agreement;
• an Afara assignment agreement; or
• Think Africa’s association rules.

24. Changes to these Terms

Think Africa may update these Terms where reasonably necessary because of changes to:

• the website;
• Think Africa services;
• organisational activities;
• applicable law;
• security requirements; or
• operational processes.

The current version and effective date will be published on the website.

Material changes will apply prospectively unless applicable law or an existing agreement allows otherwise.

Changes to these website Terms do not amend Think Africa’s registered association rules.

25. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by Finnish law.

Mandatory rights available to consumers under Finnish or applicable European Union law remain unaffected.

Nothing in these Terms prevents a consumer from relying on mandatory protections that cannot lawfully be waived by contract.

26. Complaints and Disputes

Questions, complaints or disputes concerning Think Africa services should first be submitted to:

Think Africa ry
Email: info@thinkafrica.fi

Think Africa and the user should first attempt to resolve the matter directly.

Where a matter concerns a consumer purchase or consumer service and cannot be resolved directly, a consumer may seek guidance from the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority’s Consumer Advisory Services and, where applicable, refer the dispute to the Finnish Consumer Disputes Board.

Association membership and governance matters are dealt with under Think Africa’s registered rules and applicable association law rather than ordinary consumer dispute procedures where consumer law does not apply.

Business-to-business or organisational disputes concerning Afara assignments, partnerships or paid services are governed by the dispute provisions contained in the relevant agreement, where such an agreement exists.

27. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be interpreted or limited only to the extent necessary under applicable law.

The remaining provisions continue to apply where legally possible.

28. Entire Website Terms

These Terms constitute the general terms governing use of the Think Africa website.

They do not replace:

• Think Africa’s registered association rules;
• the Privacy Policy;
• the Cookie Policy or cookie notices;
• event-specific terms;
• programme-specific participation conditions;
• product-specific purchase information;
• Afara service agreements;
• expert assignment agreements;
• partnership agreements; or
• other expressly agreed contracts.

Where one of those documents applies to a specific relationship, it operates together with these Terms according to its stated scope.

29. Contact

Questions about these Terms may be sent to:

Think Africa ry
Business ID: 2656503-4
Kauppamiehentie 6
Kansalaisuus Toiminnankeskus Building, 2nd floor
02100 Espoo
Finland

Email: info@thinkafrica.fi
Website: thinkafrica.fi