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Happy New Year from African Diaspora Network!

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is hard to believe that we are approaching the end of 2019. This incredible decade marks the founding and growth of African Diaspora Network. Just nine years ago, ADN began as an idea fueled by the belief that Africans, Diasporans, and friends of Africa can co-create opportunities and possibilities that uplift the continent and the communities in which we live. We have proven this concept again and again, through the first four African Diaspora Investment Symposiums. We are grateful for your participation, support, and belief in our humble vision and work.

African Diaspora Network is delighted to ring in a new year with you all. We invite you to join us in late January and kickstart your year at African Diaspora Investment Symposium 2020. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we are able to keep tickets at the current rate. Register and get your tickets today for the exclusive opportunity to meet with 40+ leading innovators and entrepreneurs from Africa.

As always,

Thank you,

Almaz Negash
Founder & Executive Director, African Diaspora Network
UN Economic Commission for Africa, HLPM on Migration & Immigration (2017-19)
Executive in Residence, School of Global Innovation & Leadership, SJSU (2018-19)

"ADIS2019 was the first time my husband and I attended this ADN conference and we walked away thrilled! We live in NJ and found it randomly on the MoveMeBack website, but didn't expect to have such a good time. We came in to learn a bit more about the ecosystem of investments and entrepreneurship in Africa. We met wonderful people and actually walked away with practical things: I will be working with Navalayo "Nava" Osembo, co-founder of ENDA, with their marketing campaign for the US. I am also working with Dr. Mathe-Sandrine Mpollo of NaYA foundation on their fundraising efforts. These are in addition to a couple of meaningful connections I made as I am entering the VC/PE world of Africa. For any African diasporans and friends of Africa, it is a great experience to see such a strong community working towards the continuous betterment of Africa." - Lina Kacyem, CPCU | Claim Manager, Travelers Insurance Company

Kickstart Your Year: Top Reasons to Attend African Diaspora Investment Symposium 2020

Set a New Year's resolution: Attend ADIS20! African Diaspora Network is pleased to invite you to our fifth annual signature convening located at the heart of innovation, Silicon Valley. Participate in two days of intentional networking, knowledge-sharing, and celebration with a community of changemakers who seek to define an investment framework for Africa.

Meet 40+ innovators and entrepreneurs from Africa! ADIS2020 is a proven catalyst for convening and collaboration. Bringing together the best and brightest across generations of African ingenuity, ADIS20 is delighted to host five pipelines of rising stars in African innovation and entrepreneurship:

Stanford Seed Transformation Network Members
Mastercard Foundation Scholars
Segal Family Foundation African Visionary Fellows
Harambeans
Builders of Africa's Future Fellows

ADN celebrates diversity and inclusion. Past participants share that one of their favorite features of ADIS is the familial culture and welcoming environment. We invite a wide array of seasoned leaders and experts across various fields who are Diasporans, Africans, and friends of Africa. ADIS has sparked outcomes stemming from intra-Diaspora, intra-Africa, and international collaboration.

Public-private partnerships are integral to the conversation. We offer a platform for cross-sector collaboration, convening representatives of the private and public sectors, government, NGOs, multilateral agencies, and foundations together in Silicon Valley, the hub of entrepreneurship.

Join the ADN community at ADIS2020!

Meet 40+ Entrepreneurs and Innovators from Africa at ADIS20

ADIS20 offers intentional opportunities to interact and meet with the five pipelines of rising stars in entrepreneurship and innovation from Africa. Meet these 40+ leaders in our unique model of participant-driven table top conversations, panel sessions, and breakout sessions wherein we share insights, expertise, and resources to brainstorm critical solutions:

2020 Builders of Africa's Future
Celebrate innovation and impact among early-stage African enterprises. BAF showcases and awards entrepreneurs who are running early-stage for-profit and nonprofit organizations addressing Africa’s unique needs through technology or differentiated business models. The 2020BAF cohort members will receive support, mentorship, and training from eBay and the Miller Center for Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University.

Harambeans
Harambeans are African innovators admitted to the Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance, who have pledged “to work together as one” to unlock the potential of Africa. They are emboldening a generation of African innovators and developing an entrepreneurial ecosystem to transform ideas into scalable solutions across Africa.

Stanford Seed Transformation Network Members
Since September 2018, over 200 business founders/owners from across Africa and India gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, for the Seed Transformation Network Global Summit. Each business leader in attendance completes the Seed Transformation Program, a one-year certificate program delivered by Stanford University through Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Segal Family Foundation African Visionary Fellows
The Segal Family Foundation African Visionary Fellowship offers capacity building designed for and by local visionaries. Fellows receive mentorship, exposure, and the support of a community of like-minded changemakers. .

Mastercard Foundation Scholars
Mastercard Foundation currently works in 29 countries across Africa. With Young Africa Works, they deepen engagement in some countries in partnership with governments and the private sector to better understand their economic aspirations and identify priority sectors for growth. A key part of their strategy is the Scholars Program, which supports students whose talent and promise exceed their financial resources.

A Glimpse at ADIS2020: Session Highlights

Education in Africa

With the expected population boom anticipated to double by 2050, Africa must look to its youth to hone talent and skills for its next generation of leaders and workforce. Education is widely recognized as the great equalizer, and entrepreneurs and innovators are leveraging new means of expanding and enriching education in Africa. Explore the challenges that educational organizations are addressing and how digitization and revolutionizing curriculum have become key steps to unlocking African potential and excellence.

Providing Access to Affordable and Quality Health Care in Africa

Public health care in Africa has faced numerous historical barriers ranging from a lack of funding to poor infrastructure. Across countries, the quality of health care varies vastly, but improvements in services are slowly budding in various regions. What best practices have been implemented to improve public and private health care systems, how does insurance vary per region, and how can treatment become more accessible? This session takes a look at case studies across African nations and what is being done to address challenges in infrastructure, doctors shortages, facilities, and quality of care on the continent.

Agriculture: Africa, the Breadbasket of the World

According to an analysis by McKinsey & Company, Africa’s agricultural footprint amasses 23% of the sub-Saharan region’s GDP, with more than 60% of the population being smallholder farmers. However, the potential of agriculture has yet to be fully tapped. How do we increase productivity through crops and livestock? This session digs into opportunities for growth among various countries across the Continent, accounting for factors such as supply and demand, land expansion, competition, and the role of government, investors, and development partners.

Find our complete session offerings and day-to-day agenda.