ADN Leadership Welcomes New Board Members
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A Message from Mr. Twum Djin, African Diaspora Network, Board Chair,
I would like you to join me in welcoming our newest board members: Duncan Goldie-Scot, Agnieszka Winkler, and Ndeye Makalou. We are delighted to have them as part of our growing network of Africans and friends of Africa. They are joining our board at an important point in ADN's trajectory, where their insight and wisdom will have major impact.The board just completed an engaging retreat in which we reaffirmed our commitment and alignment to the vision and mission of ADN. We are all excited to begin working with our new directors.
I would also like to give special thanks to our retreat guest speakers: Kingsley Aikins and Martin Russell. Their expertise on Diaspora Engagement and Philanthropy was integral to our dialogue.
Finally, it is with a heavy heart that I announce the departures of Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro, Hugh Molotsi, and Prof. Liesl Riddle from the ADN board. They each contributed tremendously to ADN’s growth. We will be eternally grateful to have worked with them. They will all continue to serve our organization in their advisory capacity as Board Emeritus.
I look forward to seeing everyone at the 5th African Diaspora Investment Symposium in January.
Thank you,
Twum Djin, CTO Goodwater Capital
African Diaspora Network, Chairman
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ADN Leadership Welcomes New Board Members
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African Diaspora Network is delighted to announce and welcome our three new board members: Duncan Goldie-Scot, Ndeye Makalou, and Agnieska Winkler. We are excited to have your expertise, energy, and leadership guiding ADN in its next phase.
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Duncan Goldie-Scot, Chairman, Musoni Kenya Ltd.
Duncan Goldie-Scot has been investing in startups companies in Africa for more than ten years and pioneered the use of mobile payments in micro finance institutions (MFIs). He co-founded the first 100% cashless MFI, created a company to create credit profiles using mobile data, and helped create a technical platform that is now used by MFIs across Africa.
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Ndeye Makalou, Commercial Director, Roche
Ndeye Makalou is a highly motivated, courageous global transformational leader with 20+years’ experience in the biopharma industry, with expertise in project management, quality control, clinical and commercial operations in developed and emerging markets. Makalou uses her expertise in effectively leading complex programs from late-stage discovery to commercialization and my skills in building and managing effective multidisciplinary teams.
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Agnieska Winkler, Founder, Winkler Group
Advertising has a profound impact on how people understand life, the world and themselves, especially in regard to their values and their ways of choosing and behaving. Very few have demonstrated an ability to navigate the significance of advertising and technology as she has. As founder of Winkler Advertising and then of the Winkler Group, Agnieszka has both directed marketing and advertising for companies such as Sony and Hewlett-Packard and taught companies to maximize their marketing potential.
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L to R: Board members Agnieska Winkler, Ndeye Makalou, Joshua Ghaim, Almaz Negash, Twum Djin, and Duncan Goldie-Scot at ADN 2019 autumn retreat
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Registration Now Open for African Diaspora Investment Symposium 2020
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ADIS 2020: Defining an Investment Framework for Africa
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The excitement for ADIS2020 is building! We look forward to seeing you in January. Register today! Early bird registration will be open until December 31.
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African Diaspora Investment Symposium 2020 (ADIS2020) is the fifth annual global convening of leaders, innovators, investors, and entrepreneurs who seek to uplift the African continent by building bridges among Africans, Diasporans, and friends of Africa. Located in Silicon Valley, the innovation and entrepreneurial capital of the world, the conference aims to inspire and empower participants to be agents of change and active contributors to Africa’s development.
The flagship event, held annually in Santa Clara County, California, USA, convenes entrepreneurially-minded, Africa-focused high-level leaders and professionals from across the world for insightful dialogue around investment and innovation in Africa and partnership and mentorship opportunities. The symposium activates the potential of partnership, drawing over 1000 participants from Africa, Europe, Canada, and the United States over its past four editions.
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As part of ADIS2020, Builders of Africa's Future offers “Innovation through Collective Collaboration,” a mentoring program for entrepreneurs, students, and professionals in the Diaspora and Africa, conducted in partnership with eBay Foundation. With expertise from executives and mentors in Silicon Valley, this program strengthens ADN’s capacity to mentor fellows selected among the 2020 Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) awardees. The 2020 BAFs will benefit from mentorship from eBay and an all-day workshop at the Miller Center for Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University. .
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ADN Hosts 2nd Annual Washington D.C. Event
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2019 D.C. Event: Partnerships and Policies for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Investment.
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On September 17, African Diaspora Network hosted its second annual convening in Washington, D.C. in partnership with International Organization for Migration (IOM), USAID, and the Wilson Center. Held at the Symantec headquarters, “Partnerships and Policies for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Investment” drew a full house of attendees comprised of entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and representatives of the public and private sectors. The convening addressed issues imperative to the diaspora and the communities in which we live, with the goal of driving critical conversations on how strategic private-public partnerships can be leveraged to support relevant stakeholders toward a common vision of achieving self-reliance and prosperity in Africa for all.
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D.C. Engagement Next Steps
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1. Prosper Africa - ADN will continue to engage our community on the new USA Trade and Investment Policy by working together with USAID and through ongoing public and private convening.
2. Sustaining Diaspora-led organizations - This issue came from diverse members of the Diaspora; we will continue the discussion with our fellow diapsorans from Middle East. We will discuss ways we can leverage and share resources.
3. Jan 23-25, 2020 Fifth African Diaspora Investment Symposium --- we will address some of the issues related to Energy, Agriculture, and Investment at the January convening. |
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Thank You to Our Sponsors, Organizing Partners, and Community Supporters
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Fairland International Market
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Joanne Speciality Fabrics
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ADN Hosts September 19 NYC Dinner
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On September 19, ADN hosted dinner with leaders from the private and public sector to discuss ways in which we can engage the diaspora and friends of Africa. Attendees had the opportunity to speak with ADN leadership on their latest initiatives and collaborations, including ADIS, BAF, and the recent Washington D.C. Impact & Innovation Speaker Series event.
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A special thank you to KBFUS for hosting the NYC dinner as part of the ADN Impact & Innovation Series.
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About the African Diaspora Network Impact and Innovation Series
The African Diaspora Network Impact and Innovation Series brings together Africans, diasporans, and friends of Africa from across sectors ranging from government to business to NGOs to academia in order to strengthen partnerships and advance the development of the African continent. Since our launch of the initiative in 2018, we have scaled up our year-round speaker series to take place at four strategic locations across the U.S.
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ADN is Hiring! Program Coordinator Role Open
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African Diaspora Network seeks a Program Coordinator to handle the day-to-day operations of a growing nonprofit organization that is a go-to resource who can work with our sponsors, members, and partners. This full-time role will work on projects and processes designed to support the implementation of the ADN strategic priorities. The role interfaces with key stakeholders and community partners, including entrepreneurs, investors, innovators, and leaders that are based locally and globally. If you are interested, please send a cover letter and resume to info@africandiasporanetwork.org.
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Community Partners Announcements
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Almaz Negash to speak on the Role of Africans in the Diaspora in Trade & Investment at the 9th Annual Pan African Global Trade and Investment Conference, October 16-17
The Africa-USA Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AfUSA) is pleased to announce that the 9th Annual Pan African Global Trade and Investment Conference will be conducted from October 16 - 17, 2019 at California State University Sacramento in Sacramento, California.
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The 9th Annual Pan African Global Trade and Investment Conference will focus on establishing and expanding the State of California’s multilateral trade, commerce and foreign direct investment programs to increase opportunities for robust and sustainable trade & investment with Africa & the Caribbean.
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The conference will be used to advocate for the proactive engagement of the following programs of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-BIZ) to expand its multilateral trade and investment activities in Africa and the Caribbean:
• Bilateral Foreign Direct Investment - California should promote its Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) program to obtain foreign direct investment from African and the Caribbean while seeking similar viable business investment opportunities for California businesses and entrepreneurs in Africa and the Caribbean.
• International Agreements – GO-BIZ should develop and manage international trade agreements with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and African nations that have recently joined The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and/or have been approved for participation in the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA).
• GO-BIZ should work to establish a Pan African Office of Trade and Investment to promote and facilitate trade and investment between California, Africa, the Caribbean and the Pan African Diaspora.
• The California STEP program should actively help California’s small businesses prepare for engagement in Africa and the Caribbean via international trade development training, trade missions to African and Caribbean nations currently doing business with California and bilateral Africa-Caribbean California Trade Shows.
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Join the Tech2Empower Community Event: Spotlight on Girls' Rights in Nigeria, October 15
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On October 15, join the Tech2Empower Community Event Spotlighting Girls Rights in Nigeria featuring Isha Sesay, journalist and author of the powerful new book Beneath the Tamarind Tree: A Story of Courage, Family and the Lost Schoolgirls of Boko Haram.
In conversation with Brilliant Minds host, Natalia Brzezinski, Isha will share stories about her work as a CNN journalist covering the 2014 Boko Haram abduction of 276 girls from their school in northern, Nigeria. The story made international headlines at the time and sparked the #BringBackOurGirls movement before fading from the public conscience. Their conversation will highlight Isha’s own personal relationship with the girls and the kinship she feels to their story, discuss the critical roles of journalism and social media in bringing a spotlight to injustice in the world, and what still needs to be done. Today, more than five years later, over 100 girls remain missing. Isha hopes her book and these community discussions will bring global attention back to their story and spark action.
The event will take place on October 15th from 6-8pm at the Google Community Space in downtown San Francisco. You can purchase you tickets here . Each ticket is a $35 tax-deductible donation to WAKE, a nonprofit in San Francisco supporting women and girls, locally and globally, with a focus on girls’ education and the rights of women at the heart of all their programs.
This will be an inspiring evening highlighting the urgency around fighting for the rights of women and girls globally, and what can be done to help. |
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Register for Stanford ChangeLabs Masterclass, Mastering Systems Leadership, Oct. 17-18
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ChangeLabs Systems Transformation Masterclass, Mastering Systems Leadership, occurs on October 17-18 at Stanford University. The program seeks leaders across industries who would benefit from learning how to use Systems Leadership to their advantage in managing complex change. Mastering Systems Leadership is a two-day workshop that equips participants with the skills to:
- Respond to shifting external forces and create ecosystems for your team to most effectively achieve system transformation
- Identify hidden opportunities for system change in your industry that will help your organization thrive both financially and through impact
- Identify as a Systems Leader and leverage the tools of systems innovation to achieve transformational change
- Join the Systems Transformation movement and realize the power of using System Acupuncture in your work and even daily life.
This is for avant-garde leaders intent on navigating and driving change in an increasingly complex world.
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Visit our website
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