African-American Diaspora Consolidating Connectivity between Africa and United States in Multipolar World

 Over the years, African leaders have been engaging with
their diaspora, especially those excelling in sports, academia, business,
science, technology, engineering and other significant fields that the
continent needs to optimize its diverse potentials and to meet development
priorities. These professionals primarily leverage into various sectors, act as
bridges between the United States and Africa.

As explicitly reiterated at the mid-December African
leaders’ gathering, the overarching message was to focus on “deepening and
expanding the long-term U.S.-Africa partnership and advancing shared
priorities, amplifying African voices to collaboratively meet this era’s
defining challenges.”

Corporate Council on Africa is the leading U.S. business
association focused on connecting business interests between the United States
and Africa. The United States has helped close more than 800 two-way trade and
investment deals across 47 African countries for a total estimated value of
over $18 billion, and the American private sector has closed investment deals
in the continent valued at $8.6 billion since 2021, the White House said.

The United States is not only the undisputed leader of the
free world, but also home to the most dynamic African diaspora. The African
diaspora ranks amongst the most educated immigrant group and is found excelling
and making invaluable contributions in all sectors of life-business, medicine,
healthcare, engineering, transportation and more. The contribution of the
African diaspora is not negligible, we see more of them appointed to senior
government positions by President Biden like Wally Adeyemo, US Deputy Treasury
Secretary, and Dr John Nkengasong Global AIDS Coordinator and Special
Representative for Health Diplomacy.

Beyond engagement with Biden administration, African leaders
express the vision, dynamism and humility to engage with their diaspora. They
are excelling in sports, academia, business, science, technology, engineering
and all those other sectors that the continent needs to beef up to optimize its
potential and meet development priorities. In addition, it is in Africa’s high
interest to embrace them.

With the opening of new trading doors, the creation of the
single market offers more opportunities especially for the African-American
diaspora. The United States investors are already looking for participating in
the African Continental Free Trade Area which was agreed to by the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce and African Union.

It is an opportune time for Black-owned enterprises,
investors, and consumers – and create lasting economic partnerships with their
counterparts in Africa. It has the necessary potential to boost growth, reduce
poverty, and broaden economic inclusion across sub-Saharan Africa.

Since its inception more than two decades ago, the African
Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has offered Africans the opportunity to
engage and establish business networks from Africa to the United States and
vice versa. It has been one surest way working towards an integrated relations,
and in uplifting relations unto a higher appreciable stage.

Speaking at a U.S. Export-Import Bank conference, U.S. Trade
Representative Katherine Tai told the gathering there that they needed more
investment in addition to market access. The duty-free access for nearly 40
African countries has boosted development, fostered more equitable and sustainable
growth in Africa.

The AGOA offered promise as a “stepping stone to
address regional and global challenges,” especially with Africa’s young
and entrepreneurial population. The future is Africa, and engaging with this
continent is the key to prosperity for all of us,” Tai said.

According to World Bank Statistics, remittance inflows to
sub-Saharan Africa soared 14.1 percent to $49 billion in 2021 following an 8.1
percent decline in the previous year due coronavirus pandemic. Beyond
remittances, Africa stands to benefit largely from the input of its diaspora
considered as progressive in the United States.

Welcoming African entrepreneurs, Africa-American and African
leaders for a reception, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United
States was guided by the principle of close overwhelming partnership with
Africa.

“We can’t solve any of the really big challenges we
face if we don’t work together. So it’s about what we can do with African
nations and its people,” Blinken said. “We welcome all other members
of the international community, including the United States, to join us in the
global efforts to help Africa.”

In featuring prominently integrative aspects and cultural
familiarity within the African diaspora, New York Mayor Eric Adams said that
the success of African Americans showed the need for Africans to “walk
differently.”

On disapora came Greg Meeks, the Chairman of the House
Foreign Affairs Committee. The main strategy was rooted in one key word –
partnership – and in recognition of shared priorities and working together.
There were also many African and American youth leaders, students in the United
States and Africa who are tuning in virtually – most spoke vividly on
strengthening the bonds between African countries and the United States.

The strategy recognizes the immense role that the African
diaspora members and young people will play in shaping and strengthening that
partnership. One young leader, who has mobilized climate finance to make the
water sector more resilient in South Africa, is now sharing the lessons that
she learned at a U.S. government agency. Another, fresh off her experience
fighting infectious disease in Malawi, was sharing her insights with nonprofits
and businesses in the United States. 

Others were expanding educational opportunities for
children, conducting environmental research, creating job opportunities for
youth in both African countries and the United States, and demonstrating
exactly why the diaspora is such an unparalleled asset for people on both
continents.  It’s these interconnections,
the back and forth, and the benefits that flow to Africa and the United States
alike that is so incredibly powerful.

The United States practically is committed to ensuring that
young people continue to bring their talents and hard work to the tremendous
benefit of people across the continent and to the benefit of people in the
United States. The Times Higher Education index indicated that approximately
43,000 Africans have currently enrolled into and are studying in American universities.

In addition, Barack Obama started the Young African Leaders
Initiative (YALI) which brings every year a group of young Africans to the
White House. Until today, YALI continues to run various educational and
training programs including short professional courses, conferences and
seminars for Africans. It has a number of other economic development programs,
like the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs program. Now, since its inception in
2019, this program has provided more than 5,400 women throughout Africa with
the training and networks that they need to start and to scale small
businesses.

Late December, additional investments were announced to make
it easier for students to participate in exchange programs from African
countries, to increase trade opportunities for members of the African diaspora,
and to support African entrepreneurs and small businesses. Each of these
investments is guided by one overarching goal: to continue building partnership
in order to better address the shared challenges facing Africa.

The adopted strategy reflects diversity, its influence, and
the ingenuity of its young people. There are also training programs to attract
young African talents to research, tech-innovation and development in the
United States. Those youth are a growing part of the continent’s population –
and also the world’s. Today, more than 60 percent of Africa’s population is
under the age of 25. 

By 2030, two in every five people on this planet will be
African.  These rising generations are
powering dynamic economic growth in their countries and far beyond.  2016 – just a few years ago – African
startups raised $350 million dollars in investment; last year, they raised $5
billion in investment – and that’s a curve that’s going to keep going up and up
and up.

An African-American Yvonne Orji once wrote that,
“Nigeria made me.  America raised
me.”  It is often said that one of
America’s greatest strengths is cultural diversity – there are few greater
testaments to that than the immense contributions of the African diaspora
community.

The United States is investing in the infrastructure that
provides the foundation for African entrepreneurship. That means creating more
pathways for the free flow of ideas, of information, of investment, which in
the 21st century requires one thing: digital connectivity.

Interesting to note that Africa has around twice as many
internet users as the United States, yet the continent has only a fraction of
our data center space.  What does that
mean?  Slower, less reliable connectivity.  That’s why U.S. Development Finance
Corporation is investing $300 million in building data centers across the
continent – because there is the need for networks that can keep up with the
lightening pace of new ideas.

Second, investing in rising enthusiastic leaders. Since
President Barack Obama created the Young African Leaders Initiative, nearly
5,800 trailblazers from every country in sub-Saharan Africa have come to the
United States for academic and leadership training – developing skills, career
guidance, and education relationships that are going to last for a lifetime and
to the benefit of their communities.

Many of the Mandela Washington Fellows are entrepreneurs,
and has until today thousands of graduates. For example, Abel Hailegiorgis from
Ethiopia has a company building bicycles and wheelchairs from bamboo, which is
stronger than steel – sustaining the planet, supporting local farmers and local
manufacturers. The forthcoming years will involve frequent exchanges directed
at contributing substantially to the network of professionals from African
countries.

After the U.S.-Africa leaders summit, the National
Basketball Association (NBA) has signed agreements to open branches and further
expand American sports across Africa. With its African headquarters in
Johannesburg, South Africa in 2010, additional offices are planned in Dakar,
Lagos, Accra, Nairobi and Cairo in 2023. The league is committed to expanding
efforts to make the game of basketball and the NBA more accessible across the
continent.

With the dynamic team headed by Amadou Gallo Fall, sports
diplomacy and the Basketball Africa League will become a strong contender as a
success story for its bridge-building role between the United States and
Africa.

The biggest takeaway is to stage a world-class events in
Africa, have the talents and certainly the fan interest especially now that the
NBA and FIBA coming together to launch the Basketball Africa League. Amadou
Gallo Fall, from a business standpoint, noted to continue drawing world-class partners
who are interested in supporting the league because what they would be doing is
bigger than basketball. The feedback is very tremendous, an indication that the
future is extremely bright.

“The African Diaspora continues expressing high
interest in engaging with the league. We want to be drivers of this positive
social change. For us, basketball has been the catalyst and our work on the
continent has been focused on building the capacity and empowering youth. We
think by engaging with young people and inspiring young people, we are going to
elevate their communities. We have already seen the increasing interest among
the youth across Africa,” he underlined.

Sports and brands promotion are indivisible part of the
game. The National Basketball Association (NBA) Africa and the Basketball
Africa League (BAL) continue to attract world class marketing partners,
including the BAL Foundational Partners Rwanda Development Board (RDB), NIKE,
Jordan Brand, and Wilson, alongside NBA Africa’s recent collaborations with
ESPN Africa, Afrosport, KFC Africa (Pan-Africa), Africell (Angola), Stanbic
Bank (South Sudan), and Maven Developments (Egypt).

Perhaps that’s not all. In September, the U.S. African Development Foundation teamed up with the
Tony Elumelu Foundation to create a new program to provide financing, technical
assistance, and mentorship to emerging young innovators in Africa. He recently
launched another initiative to connect up-and-coming climate entrepreneurs with
American companies.

Third, there is a program for fostering greater engagement
by American companies. The U.S. private sector already invests more than $4 in
Africa for every dollar that the government allocates to the region in foreign
assistance – and it wants to do more. That’s the objective of the Office of
Global Partnerships, which will take a U.S. private sector delegation to Ghana
in February. It’s the goal of the Prosper Africa initiative – which is
marshalling agencies from across the government to help more U.S. companies and
inventors – investors to do business in Africa, and do it in a way that
promotes inclusive growth – growth that’s sustainable for the planet.

Prosper Africa’s institutional investor delegation invests
more than $85 million in an African fund that will provide financing to small
businesses and entrepreneurs.

Through a partnership with Prosper Africa, Pierre’s company
– Yolélé – is distributing fonio and other products made by small farmers in
the region to markets in the United States. In a region where it’s getting harder
to grow crops due to a warming climate, fonio’s deep roots make it virtually
drought-resistant.  Now, in West Africa,
it’s said that “Fonio never embarrasses the cook” which is good news.

 Despite some negative criticisms, African leaders continue
sourcing different kinds of economic assistance and support provided by the
United States. It explicitly shows the United States remains an indispensable
power and will, by and large, play its appreciable role in the emerging the new
world order. It has the structures, mechanism, experience and confidence to
influence the future.

The African diapora leaders are mostly western-oriented,
support the global status quo, admire the incomparable never-failing practical
soft-power of the United States and in turn, maintain long-term geopolitical
interest with the West. Within the context of the geopolitical realities, the
United States and its leadership still have strong sustainable political,
economic and cultural ties with African countries.

President Joe Biden has signed an executive order for the
creation of African Diaspora Advisory Council as part of the presidency.
According reports, the post-summit large-scale projects and programs will be
coordinated, monitored and implemented jointly by the president administration,
the White House, State Dept of African Affairs and the African Diaspora
Advisory Council. It will also engage non-government corporate business
organizations such Africa House and the Corporate Council on Africa.

With emerging challenges and geopolitical changes in the
multipolar world, it is certainly true that U.S.-Africa inter-connectivity has
become more important as it opens new opportunities for building relationships,
and this requires working closely together to deepen and fortify America’s
strategic partnerships with African disapora – partnership that has shaped the
past, is shaping present, and will shape future multi-dimensional relations, in
the interests of sustaining a meaningful stability between Africa and the
United States.