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In honor of Global Diaspora Engagement Week, the African Diaspora Network (ADN) and the U.S. Department of State partnered to host a high-level working lunch in Washington, D.C., on December 13 as a part of the U.S. Africa Leaders Summit. The session, sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, brought together government leaders, African Ministers of Economy and Finance, private sector leaders, and diaspora leaders to discuss the African Diaspora’s contributions to Africa’s growth and development beyond remittances.

To conclude this first day of the summit, the Center for American Progress, Africa-America Institute, African Diaspora Network, and the Africa Center co-hosted a special diaspora reception that called together individuals and organizations long-involved in advancing a thoughtful, strategic U.S. foreign policy toward Africa.

Major U.S. Africa Leaders Summit Outcomes

The Biden-Harris Administration announced its plan to invest at least $55 billion in Africa over the next three years. The administration is working closely with Congress and is setting up a new Special Presidential Representative for U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit Implementation to coordinate these measures.
Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) - has announced new investments of $1.2 billion in Africa, and the Biden administration expects MCC to commit an additional $2.5 billion in Africa in the next three years.

ADN is truly grateful to all our partners, speakers, sponsors, and guests who engaged in these critical discussions on the integral role of African voices in meaningful and sustained U.S. engagement with the continent. We look forward to bringing this robust dialogue back to Silicon Valley for the African Diaspora Investment Symposium from March 22-24, 2023.

Read the Press Release

Beyond Remittances: U.S. High-level Working Lunch

Diasporans represent a powerful constituency in the economic growth of Africa and the U.S. The World Bank records over $80 billion USD sent to and within Africa in 2020. This magnitude of remittances strongly reflects the commitment of Africans in the diaspora to participate in the economic development of their home continent. Diasporans are by far the largest investors in Africa, yet, remittances have limitations. What is the role of the diaspora in scaling up and uplifting communities in Africa?

On December 13, the U.S. Department of State and the African Diaspora Network (ADN) hosted the high-level working lunch on “Beyond Remittances,” leveraging their expertise in building lasting partnerships that will channel diaspora remittances into productive investments in Africa. The session, sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, featured a panel of esteemed speakers and engaged in a robust discourse on innovative means for harnessing remittances to boost economic development and COVID-recovery on the African continent.

The "Beyond Remittances" Panel

Almaz Negash
Founder & Executive Director, African Diaspora Network
Moderator

Leveraging 25 plus years of experience in international trade, business management, and social innovation, Negash is able to build successful partnerships with a variety of stakeholders. In 2010, Almaz founded African Diaspora Network (ADN) to inform and engage Africans in the diaspora and facilitate direct collaboration with social entrepreneurs, innovators, and business leaders to invest and improve the lives of everyone on the continent.

Professor Gibril Faal FRSA, OBE, JP
Director of GK Partners & Visiting Professor in Practice, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

Professor Gibril Faal is the co-founder and director of GK Partners specialising in socially responsible business models, sustainable development and programme implementation. He is a visiting professor in practice at the London School of Economics (LSE), Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa (FLIA). He is also a council member of Carnegie African Diaspora Program and Consultant to the African Union Commission on innovative, development and diaspora finance.

Semhar Araia
Head, Diaspora Policy, Africa, Middle East and Turkey Public Policy Team Meta

With nearly twenty years of experience, Semhar Araia is a recognized practitioner, organizer and advisor on diaspora engagement, African affairs, women’s leadership and international development. Ms. Araia serves as head of Diaspora Public Policy for the Facebook Africa, Middle East and Turkey (AMET) Public Policy team, where she provides guidance on the company’s policy priorities and opportunities for engagement with AMET diaspora stakeholders outside of the region.

Benjamin Fernandes
CEO, Nala

At age 21, Benjamin was the youngest African in history to ever be accepted into Stanford Graduate School of Business. Benjamin is the founder and CEO of NALA, a financial technology company that has entities in 7 countries around the world. NALA is backed by some of the world's leading U.S. technology investors including Y-Combinator, Accel Partners and Bessemer. NALA was the first East African company to be accepted in Y-Combinator.

On December 13, 2022, the ADN team participated in the African and Diaspora Young Leaders Forum in Washington, D.C., as part of the U.S. Africa Leaders Summit.

The primary objective of the African and Diaspora Young Leaders Forum was to amplify the dialogue between U.S. officials and the diaspora in the United States and provide a medium for young African and diaspora leaders to shape innovative solutions to burning issues.

During the Forum, “Amplifying Voices: Building Partnerships That Last,” leaders highlighted the need for a new Sub-Saharan Africa strategy rooted in partnership. This new approach, unveiled by Secretary Blinken as part of the U.S. Strategy Towards Sub-Saharan Africa, recognizes that we cannot address our shared priorities unless we work together. The plan underscores the immense role of the African diaspora and how young people will be very instrumental in shaping and strengthening that partnership.

Celebrating the African Diaspora Reception

On December 13, 2022, the Center for American Progress (CAP), Africa-America Institute, African Diaspora Network, and The Africa Center hosted an event to celebrate the African Diaspora and its role in advancing a collaborative U.S.-Africa foreign policy.

The reception called together a wide array of individuals and organizations from the African Diaspora, long involved in advancing a thoughtful and strategic U.S. foreign policy towards Africa.

The event was an important opportunity to highlight the integral role that African voices play in ensuring meaningful and sustained U.S. engagement on behalf of the continent—a critical contribution to successful U.S. foreign policy toward the continent, as recognized in the Biden Administration’s Sub-Saharan Africa Strategy.

Thank you to Anne-Marea Griffin, Senior Fellow, Africa, of the Center for American Progress (CAP) for bringing together ADN, Africa-America Institute, and The Africa Center to share about our work in diaspora engagement!

The African Diaspora Network (ADN) took part in the tenth Global Community of Practice (G-CoP) Dialogue on Development Without Borders: Leveraging the African Diaspora for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development in Africa, held on December 01, 2022. This transformative event was co-hosted by the African Development Bank Group (AfDB Group), the African Union Commission (AUC), International Organization for Migration (IOM), and African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat (AfCFTA Secretariat).

Speaking on Brain Circulation, the Founder and Executive Director of ADN, Almaz Negash emphasized, “There is a need for African governments to create a conducive ecosystem for the diaspora and friends of Africa to invest and do their best to support their communities, irrespective of their countries of origin. At the African Diaspora Network, we strongly believe in the diaspora’s ability to become a force for good for the continent simply because we belong to the continent and the communities in which we live. For the past 12 years, we have been making sure that our voices are heard to change the narrative about Africa and help the diaspora to actualize their full potential and activate their entrepreneurial spirit.”

Meet twelve outstanding entrepreneurs at the January 2023 pitch day of Accelerating Black Leadership and Entrepreneurship (ABLE). ABLE is an enterprise accelerator program by the African Diaspora Network designed to strengthen, energize, and support startups and small businesses led by Black entrepreneurs in the United States.

Join us in person at Santa Clara University in Silicon Valley and virtually on Thursday, January 19, 2023, from 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM PST. Meet an incredible cohort from nationwide, learn firsthand about their work and impact, and identify opportunities to support their ventures.

Investors, venture capitalists, philanthropists, and leaders of foundations and financial institutions are invited to attend. Thank you, and please email Debra Pacio at debra@africandiasporanetwork.org to register.

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Thank you for your Support!

Thank you so much to all of you, individuals and foundations, who gave during Giving Tuesday. We appreciate each and every one of you, and we will provide details in the coming days and weeks.

The opportunity to give is still open – be a part of our community of supporters and share a gift this holiday season.

African Diaspora Network at Support ADN Webpage, https://bit.ly/ADNGiving
Silicon Valley Community Foundation Donor Advised Fund at SVCFDAF https://bit.ly/SVCFDAF
Checks made payable to African Diaspora Network addressed to:

African Diaspora Network
4701 Patrick Henry Drive
Building 25, Mailbox 140
Santa Clara, CA 95054

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Community Announcements

Save the Date for ADIS23!

ADIS23 presents the theme of “Future Ready Africa.”

In the next 25 years, Africa’s population is expected to double across the continent. Projections show that a quarter of the world’s people will be African by 2050 (The Guardian). Africa has an opportunity to drive major transformations that adapt to this drastic demographic shift and build resilience in an era of disruption.

The unforeseeable economic shocks created by the ongoing pandemic, international conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, and challenges in the global economy have sparked innovations in industry, investment, and entrepreneurship across the continent. Now, ten years into Agenda 2063, Africa must plan for a sustainable recovery and reimagine its path forward. What does a future ready Africa look like?

Join us as we explore trending innovations, blueprints for the future, and the interconnectedness of sectors including climate change, healthcare, finance, education, and agriculture. How do we strengthen infrastructure, reinvigorate markets, and create a healthy atmosphere for communities? What seeds must be planted to enable a thriving future for the continent? Be inspired to envision, celebrate, and make an impact upon the future of Africa.

Visit the ADIS23 Website

Thank you ADIS23 Sponsors!

A special thank you to the sponsors of ADIS23, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (lead sponsor), Sanofi, United States African Development Foundation, Invest Barbados, EY, Hugh Stuart Center Charitable Trust, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the Mastercard Foundation Scholars program at UC Berkeley. Ashinaga USA, Africa No Filter, Global Fund for Women, King Baudouin Foundation United States (KBFUS), and eBay.

Interested in becoming an ADIS23 sponsor? Check out our ADIS23 Engagement Opportunities here.

Visit the ADIS23 Sponsors Page

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Invite a friend to subscribe to our newsletter by sending them the link here
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