ADIS22

African Diaspora Investment Symposium 2022

The Premium Convening of the African Investment Ecosystem in Silicon Valley

Foundations for the Future: Policy and Infrastructure in Africa

Monthly Online Forums January-June 2022
Celebrate Builders of Africa’s Future 2022 ~ June 23, 2022 @ 8:00 AM PST

Lead Funders

Moore Philanthropy logo

ADN celebrates its 7th annual global convening

57+ countries represented

2,158 virtual participants in 2021

5,000 + participants since 2016

100K+ people engaged on social media since 2016

Dear Friends and Colleagues,


African Diaspora Investment Symposium (ADIS) is where the work of ADN comes to life.

 

We invite you to celebrate seven years of ADIS and eleven years of ADN, fostering the ingenuity of the African community at home and abroad, alongside champions from around the world.
Our plan for this year was to bring our global community together to Silicon Valley for in person convening. However, in order to prioritize the health and well-being of our community, the ADIS22 symposium will be a fully virtual symposium, offering the most inclusive platform for our global audience.

 

January-May 2022 will offer virtual panel discussions on healthcare, education, agriculture, renewable energy, and connectivity. Thursday, June 23, from 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM PST will be dedicated to Celebrating Builders of Africa’s Future 2022 Entrepreneurs. See more details below.

 

Join us starting in January to make the African Diaspora Investment Symposium and African Diaspora Network a platform for dialogue, action, co-creation, and most importantly, community-building. Together we can become the conduit for making a difference for ourselves, the continent we come from, and the communities in which we live.

Almaz Negash
Founder and Executive Director
African Diaspora Network

African Diaspora Investment Symposium 2022

African Diaspora Investment Symposium (ADIS22) is the seventh annual global convening that celebrates and champions the entrepreneurial and innovative spirit of Africans, Diasporans, and friends of Africa. Hosted by African Diaspora Network , the symposium inspires participants to be agents of change and active contributors to Africa ’s development. The conference activates the potential of collaboration, drawing over 3,458 participants from around the world over the last six years. Last year’s virtual symposium series brought together 2,158 participants from 57+ countries.

Foundations for the Future: Policy & Infrastructure in Africa

Across the globe, nations are beginning to steer the COVID-19 pandemic that has laid bare systemic shortcomings and longstanding inequities. How does the continent move forward? ADIS22 provides a pathway for strategizing Africa’s era of active epidemic management as we try to recover and maintain the advancements made thus far. With traditional structures upended and challenged in the face of change, there is an opportunity for intentional disruption. What are the regional needs and assets across Africa? How do we transform the landscape of policy and infrastructure to better support the advancement of opportunities and communities? What best practices can be learned from models of infrastructure across countries in Africa? Join us as we explore the role of Africans, diasporans, and friends of Africa in building a stronger foundation for the future of the continent.

Why Attend ADIS?

African Diaspora Investment Symposium is renowned for its inclusive, celebratory atmosphere that facilitates connections and provides access to new ways of thinking.
ADIS22 takes place in a virtual format, bringing together representatives from private, government, corporations, academia, philanthropy, and NGO, with intentional outreach to entrepreneurs and investors.

TESTIMONIALS

The future of healthcare in Africa doesn’t look like what we see today. The COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on the global shortage of healthcare workers at all levels. Across Africa, overburdened healthcare systems are drowning with the demands of the pandemic while attempting to address non-pandemic patients with limited budgets and inefficient systems. Prior to the pandemic, a person between 30 and 70 years old in Africa had a 1 in 5 chance of dying from a major chronic illness, such as cancer, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease. This number is expected to rapidly increase.
At the same time, telehealth technologies developed by Africans to diagnose, treat, and monitor health conditions remotely are leapfrogging traditional systems of healthcare and enabling new, exciting collaborations to deliver quality digitized healthcare services wherever they may be. The transition to telehealth provides an opportunity to transform African healthcare systems. How are existing healthcare providers adapting their services to the COVID environment? What challenges and opportunities are there in accelerating telehealth? What foundations are needed to fully and effectively implement telehealth services?
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the traditional brick-and-mortar model of education, driving African countries to respond in innovative ways. School closures sparked myriad high-tech and low-cost solutions for asynchronous or hybrid approaches that help ensure the safe continuity of learning. This era marks an opportunity to reimagine the future of education in Africa that are safer and healthier school environments, integrate digital technologies, and develop and support educators and administrators.
What technological innovations and initiatives are transforming educational opportunities in Africa? How do we align investment and innovative policies that improve learning outcomes? What lessons can we learn from models such as Ghana’s to overhaul school curriculum to be globally competitive? This session explores opportunities for educational systems transformation across the continent.

February 2022: From E-Learning to Educational Systems Transformation

Feb 23, 2022 8am - 9:15am pst

March 2022: Changing the Landscape of Agriculture in Africa

March 23, 2022 8am - 9:15am pst

According to surveys conducted in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria, and Uganda, in collaboration with the World Bank, the share of households involved in agriculture has increased since the start of the pandemic. 60% of the world’s uncultivated, arable land is in Africa, yet many African countries import food at high costs, depleting their forex reserves. How do we reverse this process to support local agriculture and boost employment? What role can African governments play to set targeted policy initiatives to ensure secure land, tax incentives, work permits, supply chains, and other mechanisms to enable a flourishing agricultural sector? What investment frameworks would help regional farms be more attractive to international private equity investment? This session explores opportunities, funding avenues, and best practices for shaping the future of the agricultural sector in Africa.
Solar and renewable energies are rising as a commercially viable resource across Africa, being cheaper than coal, diesel, or gas. Recognizing that fossil fuel energies tend to be historically concentrated across the developed world, there is a huge opportunity to leapfrog energy infrastructure in Africa through decentralized solar grids that accommodate and optimize for renewables. Despite its potential and cost-effectiveness, the challenge lies in drawing in commercial investment. Governments currently lack the investment template and assurances to attract private equity investment. There is an opportunity to develop crucial infrastructure in Africa without incurring foreign debt.

April 2022: Energizing Investment in the Solar and Renewable Sector

April 27, 2022 8am - 9:15am pst

May 2022: Bridging the Connectivity Gap

Date: May 18, 2022 8am - 9:15am pst

Over the last two years, African Diaspora Network has engaged individuals from over 57 countries, with an increased reach on the continent through our virtual convenings. This month, join us as we bring together our network in celebration of Africa Day for a global community conversation.

With the rise of digital globalization comes the challenge of connectivity. Africa continues to lag behind in infrastructure, including electricity, energy, and transportation, which poses a significant challenge to the continent’s economic development. According to a 2020 report by McKinsey & Company, about 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity and comprise over ⅔ of the global population without power. Moreover, Africa faces an infrastructure paradox – infrastructure investments have been increasing, but not enough money is being spent as 80% of infrastructure projects fail at the feasibility and business-plan stage.

African Diaspora Network hosts the fifth annual Builders of Africa’s Future Awards! Join us for a celebration of innovation and impact in early-stage African enterprises. This session recognizes the rising stars of African entrepreneurship as they build the future of the continent through nonprofit and for-profit businesses addressing key community needs.
The BAF program awards 10 to 15 of Africa’s most promising entrepreneurs with enterprise development training, partnership and mentorship opportunities, and a platform to boost brand visibility and investment potential in Silicon Valley. This virtual showcase of African entrepreneur pitch presentations concludes the seventh annual African Diaspora Investment Symposium. Since 2018, Builders of Africa’s Future has recognized and catalyzed 42 African startups.

AFRICAN DIASPORA INVESTMENT SYMPOSIUM: FOUNDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE: POLICY AND INFRASTRUCTURE IN AFRICA

Celebrate Builders of Africa’s Future 2022 ~ June 23, 2022 @ 8:00 AM PST