It is common knowledge that Africa’s diaspora is a huge resource for the continent. Here, Yuniya Khan interviews Almaz Negash, CEO and founder of the Africa Diaspora Network to hear just how important the diaspora is, how individuals and organisations in the diaspora are helping to change the narrative and just what impact the diaspora is having on everyday lives in Africa.
With Africa experiencing rapid economic growth and technological advancement, and its cultural dynamism increasinly exposed to the world, the African diaspora is becoming increasingly important. Through investment, knowledge transfer and advocacy, the diaspora is helping to shape a new narrative for Africa – one characterised by innovation, creativity and resilience.
Contributing to this powerful movement is Almaz Negash, the hard-charging founder and CEO of the African Diaspora Network, one of the leading organisations working to support and invest in Africa’s development. With nearly 15 years at the helm, Negash and the organisation have made significant strides in connecting and empowering African diasporas globally.
With a deep commitment to fostering economic and social development, Negash has led initiatives to help bridge the gap between Africa and its diaspora communities, promoting investment, innovation, and collaboration. Her leadership and dedication has turned the organisation into a pivotal platform for dialogue and action, enabling Africans and their descendants to contribute meaningfully to the continent’s progress and global engagement.
In the following conversation, Yuniya Khan talks with Negash about the conception and development of ADN, gets her insights on the role and power of the African diaspora, and the challenges and opportunities facing the continent and the diaspora.
**THE GENESIS: You emigrated from Eritrea to the US. At what point did you first conceptualise the idea for ADN? What sparked the idea?**
In 2007, I was the head of the global leadership and ethics department at Santa Clara University at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. My job was to organise former heads of states to work on HIV/AIDS education, as well as transition to democratic states.
Every time I went to a meeting in Vienna, or Salzburg, or at Stanford University here in Silicon Valley, everybody was speaking about Africa but there were very few Africans at the table. This was confusing for me. Even though they all meant well, there was no African to represent Africa.
In 2010 I became a part of the Skoll Foundation Social Edge program , which was a fantastic online platform bringing together social entrepreneurs from around the world. We had conversations about issues related to water, sanitation, clean stoves, climate change, education, hygiene, etc., basically all the stuff we were dealing with on the continent and in other developing countries.
These social entrepreneurs had big hearts and really wanted to do great work. One entrepreneur, in particular, was working in northern Nigeria providing lighting to communities in the region, which was fantastic. I went to this person and said, “Where are the Africans in this discussion?”
They pointed to me and said, “You’re here.”
I replied, “I’m one, but there are many, many people that need to be here.”
I realized that, in my frustration, I had turned into a nagging, noisy woman. My energy became negative.
At some point, someone pushed back on me and said, “Okay, what are you going to do about all the stuff you’re complaining about?”
I didn’t know the answer to that question, so he said, “I will give you a chance to write a paper, and I will publish it on Social Edge and then see what people say.”
I wrote a paper about the concept of knowledge transfer, based on my belief that, if you want to make a difference in a formerly colonized country, knowledge has to be transferred to the local community. One of the questions I posed in the paper was, “What is the role of the African Diaspora in facilitating knowledge transfer?”
That question sparked something in me, and that spark became the genesis of ADN.
**THE FORMATION: The African Diaspora Investment Symposium (ADIS) became ADN’s flagship program. How did that evolve?**
In August 2010, with the assistance Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro, at the time CEO of the Global Fund for Women and one of the highest positioned African people in Silicon Valley, I gathered 15 African people from around the city to explore the concept taking form in my mind and determine its feasibility. “We’ve been asking people to invite us to the table,” I said. “What would it look like if we invited them to us, instead?” They all loved the concept and gave me the green light to develop it.
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