Azzan Mustafa: The Boy Who Builds Bridges
- SpaceBanana 🌌🍌
- Jun 17
- 3 min read
I haven’t met Azzan Mustafa. But someone I trust has. And when she speaks of him, it’s not in sweeping declarations or rehearsed admiration. It’s gentler than that. Thoughtful. Real. Like she’s recalling someone who doesn’t just do good work, but someone who is good work. Who moves with intention.
From a distance, Azzan already strikes me as one of those people who blurs the lines between career, calling, and community. You’ll find his name tucked into the corners of youth development spaces, quietly anchoring projects that shift real lives—not just timelines or deliverables. He’s based in Dar, studying Accounting and Finance, and yet even that feels like just one thread in a much wider tapestry.
He co-founded Project Dream TZ and serves with Mwanga wa Kesho Initiative, two youth-powered efforts that exist at the intersection of healing, education, and hope. From mental health campaigns to educational workshops, from AI-based research to social media growth strategies—his touch is both technical and tender. And though I haven’t seen it in person, I’ve read the numbers, heard the stories, and followed the digital breadcrumbs. They don’t just point to ambition—they point to care.
Azzan has helped coordinate a walkathon for earthquake relief in Turkey and Syria. They raised over 7 million TZS. Not with fanfare or press, but with presence. Hundreds of young people walking together, moved by a shared belief that even from East Africa, they could make a difference. That’s the kind of organizing that doesn’t just raise money—it raises morale. Raises the bar for what we imagine youth can do.
Maybe that’s what sets him apart. Not just the drive, but the why behind it. Azzan seems to move from a place of responsibility, not performance. His journey isn’t dressed up—it’s documented. Through projects, portfolios, and the kind of self-awareness that feels rare at his age. He’s already been through programs like YALI, McKinsey Forward, and KPMG Career Catalyst—but none of that reads like box-ticking. It reads like someone gathering tools. Preparing for something bigger.
And then there’s his favorite Kiswahili proverb: Kidole kimoja hakivunji chawa—One finger cannot kill a louse. That line says everything you need to know. It’s not just a proverb—it’s a compass. Azzan builds with people, not over them. He doesn’t do things to impress; he does them to include.
There’s something deeply grounding about young people who aren’t in a rush to be seen, but still end up seen anyway. Because of how they show up. Because of what they sow. Azzan is that kind of person. And even from this distance, I’m grateful for what he’s planting—for himself, for his peers, and for the ones still learning to believe they matter.
Some stories don’t need proximity to be true.Some people are already walking their legacy—step by step.
And I think Azzan Mustafa is one of them.
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This article is By Ruth Mwanza Ruth is a Kenyan-based writer. If you'd like to support her work visit her IG page https://www.instagram.com/simplymwanza/ or email ruthbeccam@gmail.com YALI ARCHIVES is a journalism project that documents stories of positive impact led by African youth all across the continent
Founded by Tana Kioko, (space banana :) with an intention to change global perspectives of youth and African leadership alike. If you'd like to support Tana's work, visit her Patreon patreon.com/Tanasambana
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
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