The European branch of GEN (GEN-Europe) is currently assisting in the emergence of GEN-Africa as an independent branch of the global network. GEN-Africa, as a platform for connecting projects and people working on sustainable and equitable livelihoods on the African continent will be officially launched in 2012. Grassroots leaders all over Africa bring an amazing commitment and carry-through to their work due to the depth of connection to their land and people. Much of this strong and courageous work happening on the ground remains largely invisible to the larger public and possible donors and would greatly benefit from the exchange an African network could bring. The prospect of collaboration across many sectors of society seems particularly promising in many African countries, due to the openness of some governments and universities. GEN-Europe and GEN-Africa envision continuing particularly close-knit relationships of exchange into the future.