By Asha Elmi - Reporter
Djibouti, 25 August 2026 Djibouti on Monday opened the fourth edition of the C STAR youth innovation and entrepreneurship program, bringing together young entrepreneurs from across Africa.
The launch at the Djibouti International Exhibition Centre was attended by Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority chairman Aboubaker Omar Hadi, China Merchants Group chairman Miao Jianmin, Djiboutian ministers for infrastructure, economy and finance, and digital economy, China's ambassador Hu Bin, and UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Philippe Clerc, according to state news agency ADI.
Launched in 2022, C STAR is a pan-African program run with the China Merchants Charity Foundation, UNDP and the Centre for Leadership and Entrepreneurship to connect young entrepreneurs with networks and investors. It has trained more than 1,500 participants from over 50 African countries, 45% women, ADI said.
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Organizers received 641 applications from 44 countries for the 2026 edition and selected 32 people from 19 countries, including Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The program is aligned with the Beijing Action Plan of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation for 2025-2027, ADI said.
"We also want Africa to be a space where talent meets, ideas circulate, knowledge is shared, investments meet opportunities and partnerships take shape," Hadi said, adding Africa's development required knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurship, not just infrastructure.