02Cohorts
Two intakes. One year of work.
The cohorts are the engine of the Exchange. Thirty to forty people each, selected on what they have built, and designed so that February's relationships become September's collaborations.
Cohort 01February 2027
The Connection Cohort
Discover. Connect. Exchange.
The first intake. Built to establish relationships, read each other's ecosystems honestly, and find where the real opportunities sit.
What it is built to do
- —Build trusted cross-border relationships
- —Understand each other's markets and institutions
- —Exchange knowledge and working methods
- —Develop Gulf–Africa cultural intelligence
- —Meet relevant mentors and institutions
- —Identify areas for collaboration in Cohort 02
Cohort 02September 2027
The Collaboration Cohort
Build. Collaborate. Create.
The second intake turns relationships into work. Selected alumni from Cohort 01 join new participants, founders, investors and institutional partners.
What it is built to do
- —Develop cross-border ideas into proposals
- —Build partnerships and explore ventures
- —Connect founders with markets
- —Connect talent with institutions
- —Develop Challenge Lab outputs
- —Produce tangible collaboration proposals
01Road to the Forum
The Forum is the convergence. The Exchange is the engine.
A cycle, not an event. Relationships form in February, work continues through the year, and the strongest of it converges in November.
February
Connect
Cohort 01 convenes in Dubai. Relationships formed, Labs opened.
March – August
Build
Mentorship active. Lab work continues remotely. Introductions executed and tracked.
September
Collaborate
Cohort 02 convenes. Proposals developed with named owners.
October
Develop
Outputs refined. Institutional commitments negotiated ahead of the Forum.
November
Converge
The Grand Gulf–Africa Youth Forum. The year's work, in one room.
Selection is on contribution, not need.
We look for evidence of something built, shipped, led or contributed to — a genuine interest in the Gulf–Africa relationship, and the capacity to act on the network afterwards. Age is not the criterion.
