GLOBAL AFRICAN DIASPORA

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It took 13 Months of planning, a team of passionate and dedicated global planning committees from 5 international time zones and three languages to design and pull off a very successful GADS23 program with complex technical infrastructure, high-level immigration and security protocol, travel logistics, catering and accommodation, venue changes, diplomatic schedules, media campaigns, fantastic cultural and musical performances and a tight budget within a small window of opportunity.

Members of the African diaspora occupy a third space between their ancestral homes and their adopted countries of residence. As members of the African diaspora, we are unelected ambassadors, building links and mediating peace and mutual respect through trade and investment, political engagements, environmental sustainability, cultural and educational exchange, business investment and technological collaboration.?

Over 30 million Africans live outside the continent of Africa. The number excludes members of African descent whose forebears were forcefully taken away from the shores of Africa through slavery. In many parts of the world, the African diaspora is making valuable contributions to science and technology, education and trade, investment and manufacturing.

Gone are the days when Africa was ignorantly seen through a pediatric lens and positioning or measured through a deficit of knowledge defined by poverty, instability and hunger. Today’s Africa holds a significant key to the sustainability of a world besieged by an ageing population and limited natural and human capital to drive an ever-growing digital ecosystem. GADS23 highlighted these enormous potentials and the role members of the African diaspora play in facilitating collaborations between the continent and their countries of residence.?

?It is against this backdrop that the Global African Diaspora Symposium (GADS) Abuja 2023 was organized by the African Diaspora Alliance (AfDA) with the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) in conjunction with the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), and the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA), both of the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The event took place at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, Nigeria, with online participation. The theme was “Building Stronger Connections between Africa and the Global Diaspora”.

The Symposium attracted over 400 physical participants and more than 2000 online participants from over sixty (63) countries. Participants included Heads of state, diplomats, international organizations, Diaspora groups, business leaders, policymakers, educational leaders, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, investment bank executives, etc.

I feel proud and privileged to work with such a diverse team of passionate professionals from various parts of the world to host such a momentous event. I must thank our Global Organizing Committee Chair, Mrs Ibukun Odusote, who shepherded the team through such a complex process. The event could probably not have been held without the ‘magic’ performed by the Hon. Dr Abike Dabiri-Erewa, OON, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), who secured funds for the event.?

Working with Thandekile Mbvundula, a Strategic MIS and ICT Consultant, Sefia?Okeoghenemaro,?Director of the Diaspora Affairs Department, Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA), and Aya Kasasa of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), to put the programs together, with support from several working groups (budget, media, security, protocol, catering, transportation, venue, accommodation, web and technical design), was the best dream team anyone could ask for.?

Thank you, everybody. It is now time to start working on implementing recommendations from the communique before the next GADS25.