Members Business Directory terms and listing policy
For members, authorised business representatives and directory users
1. Purpose and operator
The Members Business Directory, also called the Members Service Directory, is a Think Africa activity for eligible members to present their businesses or services. It is separate from Afara expert assessment, matching and project delivery. Think Africa ry, Business ID 2656503-4, operates the directory. Contact: info@thinkafrica.fi.
These terms govern listing applications, publication, acceptable content, enquiries and moderation. They supplement Think Africa’s applicable membership terms and registered rules. They do not amend approved membership prices, plans, renewal rules or membership rights.
2. Eligibility and authority
The member pathway requires standard Think Africa membership and a separate choice to request a directory listing. Afara participation is not a prerequisite for a directory request. Selecting both services does not merge their approval or publication decisions.
The person submitting a listing must be the business owner or have authority to act for the business. They must identify the actual business or service provider accurately. Membership of an individual does not prove that the business is incorporated, licensed, insured or approved by Think Africa.
A recorded current-year bank payment must be reconciled rather than charged again for the same membership. Payment, an invitation or a submitted form does not itself approve the listing or authorise publication. Personal invitation links must not be shared.
3. Information and evidence
Provide accurate business identity, services, descriptions, location, markets served, languages, links and relevant evidence. Keep information current. Do not imply professional licensing, experience, clients, results or qualifications that cannot be supported.
Only submit a name, photograph, logo, testimonial, work sample or other material when you have the rights and authority required for its stated use. A business representative cannot give an individual’s personal publication consent merely by accepting these terms.
4. Review and publication
Think Africa may request relevant clarification, decline unsupported or ineligible submissions, or require correction before publication. Any verification label must describe a check that was actually completed; listing approval is not an endorsement, quality guarantee or credit assessment.
Only the information identified as public and authorised through the publication process may be displayed. Private supporting documents must remain outside the public listing. The Members Business Directory Privacy Notice explains personal-data use, public visibility and withdrawal.
5. Permitted content and use
Listings must describe lawful business activity and must not contain false claims, impersonation, unlawful discrimination, harassment, threats, malware, unlawful goods or services, infringement of intellectual property, or unauthorised personal or confidential information. Links must not mislead visitors about the provider or destination.
Directory users may make relevant individual enquiries. They must not harvest contact information for unsolicited mass messages, sell extracted personal data, interfere with the service or present directory membership as an endorsement by Think Africa.
6. Transactions and responsibilities
Unless Think Africa separately signs an agreement for a specific service, the listed provider and customer are responsible for their own contract, scope, price, payment, tax, licences, delivery, complaints and any statutory consumer duties. A listing or an enquiry does not make Think Africa the seller, employer, payment guarantor or agent of the listed business.
Visitors should establish the supplier’s identity and check suitability for the intended work. Nothing in these terms removes the listed provider’s duties or excludes Think Africa’s responsibility for its own conduct where applicable law imposes it.
A directory introduction is not an Afara assignment. Work that proceeds through Afara requires the applicable Afara review and assignment agreement. No directory commission, transaction fee or service guarantee is created by these terms.
7. Content rights and publicity
The provider retains its intellectual property. It grants Think Africa the limited right to host, format and display the authorised listing and associated material for the directory’s operation. Substantive edits must not change a business claim without the submitter’s approval.
A listing does not authorise a separate campaign, case study, testimonial or use of a logo to imply a partnership. Any such use requires specific permission. Public personal data remains subject to the person’s applicable rights.
8. Ordering and visibility
No position, lead volume or continuous exposure is promised. Before issuing these terms, describe the actual ordering, filtering and any featured-listing criteria in the following field: [verified directory ordering and visibility explanation]. Paid prominence must not be hidden or presented as independent verification. No paid-prominence arrangement is established by this document.
9. Reporting a listing
Report a suspected illegal, misleading or rights-infringing listing to info@thinkafrica.fi or the verified reporting control displayed with the listing. Give the precise page or content location, explain the concern and provide relevant supporting information. Where appropriate, include contact information for a reply and a statement that the report is made in good faith. Do not attach unnecessary sensitive data.
Think Africa will assess relevant reports, preserve necessary evidence, request clarification where needed and determine a proportionate action. A report does not by itself establish wrongdoing. The reporter’s identity is not automatically shared with the business concerned.
10. Restrictions, reasons and review
A listing may be corrected, temporarily hidden or removed for loss of eligibility, withdrawn publication permission, materially inaccurate information, prohibited content, a legal requirement or an unresolved material safety or rights risk. Urgent action may be taken before notice where needed to protect people or comply with law.
Where permitted, Think Africa will explain the affected content, relevant facts, term or legal reason, duration or scope of the restriction, any use of automated detection or decision tools, and the available review route. The affected provider may respond with evidence and ask for review by a suitable person without a material conflict.
Do not implement undisclosed automated final moderation under these terms. Before publication, verify whether any automated detection is used and add its actual role to this policy. Any applicable statutory complaint mechanism or external remedy remains available.
The directory’s exact obligations under the Digital Services Act and other platform rules must be assessed against its actual operation. This draft does not claim an exemption, a confirmed platform classification or that an email address alone satisfies every applicable reporting duty.
11. Leaving and membership changes
The authorised submitter may request withdrawal of the listing. A person can separately withdraw consent to publication of their personal data. Think Africa must stop the affected publication through its operational withdrawal process; the privacy notice explains retention and copies.
Directory visibility depends on the applicable active-membership eligibility and approval conditions. Ending a listing does not automatically resign membership, cancel renewal, remove a separate Afara profile, end existing customer contracts or create an automatic refund. Those matters follow their own terms and law.
12. Changes and legal rights
Notify material changes before they take effect and allow a reasonable opportunity to consider them. Changes do not retrospectively impose fees or create new personal-data consent. Finnish law applies subject to mandatory protections and applicable conflict-of-law rules. These terms do not exclude non-excludable liability or prevent a claim before a competent court.