Code of Conduct

01Our promise

Africa Global Forum is a peer network for Africans abroad. It only works if the room is safe enough to ask for help, share what we’re going through, and try out ideas in front of each other. This document is how we make sure that stays true.

It applies to every member, every space (chapter dinners, online channels, live talks, the “You Are Not Alone” room, partner events), and every interaction that uses the AGF name.

02Our values

• Respect. We treat each other as peers, regardless of country of origin, age, gender, sector, seniority, religion, sexuality, language, or how recently they arrived abroad.
• Confidentiality. What members share inside the Forum stays inside the Forum unless they say otherwise. This is especially strict in the “You Are Not Alone” channel.
• Helpfulness. We show up to give as well as receive. Members who only take are gently asked to give too.
• Honesty. We don’t puff up titles, fake credentials, or recycle other people’s work as our own. We’re plain about what we know and what we don’t.
• Among ourselves first. We try to create opportunity within the diaspora before we extend it outward.

03What we ask of every member

• Use your real name. The Forum is built on trust between humans, not anonymous handles.
• Read before you reply, especially in slow channels. Try to add signal, not noise.
• If you make an ask, tell us what you’ve already tried. If you give, give freely — without strings.
• Disclose conflicts of interest. If you’re recommending a service you sell, say so. If you stand to gain from a referral, say so.
• Keep what is said in the “You Are Not Alone” channel inside that channel. Always.
• If you screenshot, ask. If you quote a member publicly, ask first.
• If a partner brand interacts with you through AGF, treat them as a peer — not a free service.

04What is not OK

The following are grounds for warning, suspension, or permanent removal from the Forum:

• Harassment, threats, sexual misconduct, slurs, or targeted insults — including in DMs.
• Discrimination based on country of origin, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, disability, age, or socio-economic background.
• Breaking confidence on something a member shared in a private channel.
• Pretending to be someone else, using a fake company, or misrepresenting credentials, qualifications or affiliations.
• Spamming, multi-level-marketing pitches, undisclosed paid promotion, or cold sales messages disguised as peer outreach.
• Sharing AGF members’ contact details with anyone outside the Forum without permission.
• Recording or transcribing live talks, salons, or 1:1 calls without explicit consent from everyone in the room.
• Any conduct that violates the law of the country you are in or the country a member you are interacting with is in.

05The “You Are Not Alone” channel

This channel exists specifically for members to share what they are going through — work, life, identity, loss, mental health, family, immigration stress. It has stricter rules than the rest of the Forum:

• Nothing leaves this room. Not screenshots, not paraphrases to friends, not anonymised summaries to journalists.
• No sales, no advice unless asked. Listening is the default. Solving is opt-in.
• No guests, ever. Even nominated potential members do not get a window into this channel until they are full members.
• If something is shared that suggests immediate danger — to themselves or someone else — moderators may break confidence to seek help, and will tell the member they did so.

06How we handle problems

If a member breaks the Code of Conduct, or you experience or witness something that doesn’t feel right:

• Talk to us. Email admin@africaglobalforum.com or message Samuel directly on LinkedIn. We read every report personally and write back within 48 hours.
• What happens next. Depending on severity: a private word, a documented warning, temporary suspension from a specific channel, or removal from the Forum entirely. We do not announce removals publicly.
• Confidentiality of reporters. We never share who reported what without that person’s explicit consent.
• Appeals. If you are removed and believe it was unfair, you can appeal once in writing. A second member of AGF leadership will review independently.

07What we promise back

This is not a one-way contract. In return we promise:

• To read every application personally and write back within two weeks.
• To moderate without favourites — the same rules apply to founders, members and partners.
• To never sell your data, your email, your message history, or your relationships.
• To keep the Forum a place where members give as well as take — and to be honest with you if that culture starts to drift.
• To keep our research free, signed, and corrected when wrong.

The Forum is built on trust. This Code of Conduct is how we earn it from each other.