Welcome to the 10th Anniversary of the African Diaspora Investment Symposium (ADIS25)
On behalf of the African Diaspora Network (ADN), I am honored to welcome you to this momentous occasion, celebrating a decade of collaboration, innovation, and impact through ADIS. We are delighted to host you at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., from May 28-30, 2025. A special thanks to Prof. Liesl Riddle for making this possible.
Over the past ten years, ADN has grown into a global community united by a commitment to advancing Africa’s development and empowering its diaspora. I extend my deepest gratitude to our Board members, sponsors, team, partners, speakers, committee members, and participants whose support has made this journey possible. I look forward to the inspiring conversations, connections, and positive impact that ADIS 2025 will bring.
As we reflect on our journey, it is remarkable how far we’ve come. From the humble beginnings of our first gathering in 2016, with seed funding from the U.S. State Department, friends, and early sponsors, to now hosting a global forum that engages many people from across the world, ADN has remained steadfast in its mission.
ADIS Milestones:
This ten-year milestone is a call to action for the future. As we look ahead, Africa’s potential is immense, and the diaspora has a unique role in unlocking it. This symposium is an opportunity to harness our collective strengths, deepen our collaborations, and explore new strategies to transform the continent.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we can continue to harness the power of our collective efforts to make lasting change on the continent of Africa and the communities where we live.
With deep appreciation,
Almaz Negash
CEO and Founder,
African Diaspora Network
Dear African Diaspora Network Community,
As Chairman of the African Diaspora Network (ADN), I am honored to celebrate a remarkable milestone with all of you—the 10-year anniversary of the African Diaspora Investment Symposium (ADIS25). Over the past decade, ADN has grown into a vibrant platform that amplifies the contributions of the African diaspora, connecting entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers from across the globe.
Our collective impact is a testament to the power of collaboration and shared vision. Through programs like ABLE, BAF, and our signature symposium, ADIS, we have unlocked new opportunities for investment, economic growth, and social change across Africa and the diaspora. This journey has been marked by the dedication of our community, the guidance of our board, and the unwavering commitment of our funders, partners, and supporters.
As we look ahead to ADIS25, we are excited to continue building on this momentum. The symposium will be a landmark event, bringing together leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs to forge new pathways for growth, innovation, and prosperity. I look forward to celebrating this milestone with you and continuing our work to shape the future of Africa and the diaspora.
Thank you for your dedication and support.
Together, we will make the next decade even more impactful.
Warm regards,
Josh Ghaim, Ph.D.
Chairman,
African Diaspora Network
Welcome to the tenth annual African Diaspora Investment Symposium (ADIS). As the ADN Board Planning Committee for our signature conference, we are honored to welcome you to this special occasion: the Ten-Year Anniversary of ADIS.
Over the past decade, ADIS has grown into a pivotal platform for the African diaspora and friends of Africa to come together in advancing innovation, entrepreneurship, and investment in Africa. The role of the board and its planning committee has been crucial in steering this growth, ensuring that each symposium aligns with ADN’s mission to foster dialogue and action that contributes to Africa’s development.
As we celebrate ten years of ADIS, we reflect on the vision and dedication that has brought us here. Each symposium has been the product of collaboration between a wide range of stakeholders — from African entrepreneurs and global investors to thought leaders and community organizers.
This anniversary is a celebration of our shared journey and a testament to what can be achieved through sustained collaboration. We invite you to join us in marking this momentous occasion, participate in rich discussions, and engage with leaders across sectors who are helping to shape the future of Africa.
Warm regards,
ADIS25 Board Planning Committee
Rick is the CTO of Rippleworks, a nonprofit foundation that is relentlessly focused on the needs of social ventures, providing the practical support entrepreneurs and their teams need to improve more lives across the global south. Previously, he had spent his career as a technologist, starting in the early days of Silicon Valley, from research labs to nascent startups.
As a bold and visionary Pharmacist with over 20 years in the BioPharma industry, Ndeye leads global transformation with courage. Her expertise spans program management, quality control, and global supply chain in both developed and emerging markets, emphasizing Health Equity. Passionate about shaping health systems in Africa, she is passionate about influencing policies for equitable healthcare access. A dynamic leader, she inspires individuals to collaborate seamlessly, fostering a team spirit that achieves exceptional outcomes. As a risk-taker and problem solver, she challenges the status quo, develops innovative solutions, and implements decisive actions for impactful results.
Kedest Tesfagiorgis leads the Global Partnerships & Grand Challenges team within the Discovery & Translational Sciences group at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Kedest is deeply committed to building collaborative, inclusive, long-term partnerships that address the biggest challenges in health and development. Her career has been rooted in the conviction that, as a global community in pursuit of equity, we go faster and further by working together. Kedest is a non-voting member of the board
Yohannes Assefa is a seasoned international development expert with over 25 years of senior management experience across the United States and Africa. He has served in prominent roles, including Chief of Party, Director, Senior Technical Adviser, and consultant on various donor-funded projects in 18 African countries. Assefa has also imparted his knowledge as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Addis Ababa University Faculty of Law and as an Adjunct Professor of International Business at The George Washington University in Washington, DC. Mr. Assefa is the founder of The Ethiopian Diaspora Business Forum and a member of the African Diaspora Network’s Executive Leadership Council. He also served as a Trustee of the Ethiopian Diaspora Trust Fund from 2019 to 2022. Assefa holds a Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law, a Master of Science in Criminology from Indiana State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Ecology from the University of California, Irvine. He is a member of the New York and Washington DC bar associations.
Magdi M. Amin is the Managing Partner of African Renaissance Ventures, which backs early-stage ventures that use technology to impact climate, human capital development, and economic inclusion. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins SAIS, where he teaches Responsible Digital Development. A Sudanese-American, Magdi was Senior Advisor to the Minister of Finance in the Transitional Government of Sudan, supporting economic reforms to stabilize the economy. Much of Magdi’s career has focused on ethical leadership and responsibly using the power of markets and technology to empower people. He spent two decades with the IFC and the World Bank in Africa, East Asia and MENA. Magdi was Managing Director at Omidyar Network within the Responsible Technology practice from 2018-2020. Magdi sits on several for-profit and non-profit boards. Outside work, his interests are Nubian history, jazz, cycling, and family. Magdi holds degrees from Princeton University and Johns Hopkins University.
Anne-Marea Griffin is an international development specialist who has focused her professional life on African affairs, philanthropy and program management. As Senior Fellow for Africa at the Center for American Progress, she leads in Africa-related priorities that include climate change, democracy and trade and development. Anne most recently served as Senior Director, Diaspora Partnerships at UNICEF USA. Dr. Griffin earned her B.A. from Harvard, M.A. from Northwestern and Doctorate from the University of Bath, U.K. She has lived in Africa for 25 years, the last 9 in South Africa. Anne’s early career began in foreign policy advocacy at TransAfrica, later moving to Capitol Hill with the House Subcommittee on Africa. While in Africa, Anne founded AHEAD, an education NGO. Her other positions included work with major philanthropic institutions such as the Ford Foundation, ELMA Philanthropies, Carnegie Corporation and the MasterCard Foundation. On her return to the U.S., Anne worked with USAID, USADF and Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.
Eskinder Negash is President and CEO of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), an organization founded in 1911 to protect the rights and address the needs of persons in forced or voluntary migration worldwide and support their transition to a dignified life. Mr. Negash is a recognized senior executive leader and brings nearly 40 years of proven non-profit management experience on behalf of refugees and immigrants.
Dr. Liesl Riddle is the Dean of the College of Professional Studies and an Associate Professor of International Business and International Affairs at The George Washington University (GW). She holds a BA and MA in Middle Eastern Studies, a MBA in Marketing/International Business, and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Riddle has written extensively about diasporas and development, international entrepreneurship, and trade and investment promotion. In 1999, Dr. Riddle co-authored the first diaspora-focused article to appear in the top international business journal, The Journal of International Business. Since then, Dr. Riddle has conducted action research on developing diaspora investment ecosystems over 30 countries and six continents around the world as a consultant for international organizations, government agencies, including the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, the US Agency for International Development, and the International Organization for Migration as well as several national governments and private-sector organizations. This research informed several national and international policy interventions, organizational diaspora-engagement strategies, and the launch of several new diaspora-investment platforms, products, and projects. In 2006, she was a founding member of the GW Diaspora Research Program (GW-DRP) and later served as director for several years. GW-DRP not only offers an array of curricular and co-curricular programs related to diaspora roles in development and diplomacy but it also hosts numerous convenings of academics, policy makers, practitioners and students to progress global conversations about diaspora roles in the global economy and society. Under Dr. Riddle’s leadership GW-DRP partnered with the US Department of State and the US Agency for International Development to launch the Global Diaspora Forum and the International Diaspora Engagement Alliance (IDEA). Dr. Riddle also was a co-founder of GW’s Center for International Business Education and Research (GW-CIBER) and served for many years as CIBER’s faculty director for its teaching, research and business/policy outreach programming related to diaspora investment and entrepreneurship. In the classroom, Dr. Riddle taught courses at the undergraduate-, graduate-, and executive-level focused on Migration, Identity & International Business; Globalization; Global Perspectives; International Entrepreneurship; and International Management as well as study abroad courses to explore diaspora investment and entrepreneurship in countries of origin in Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Turkey. In her over 20 years of experience as a teacher, Dr. Riddle received numerous teaching awards, including the prestigious university George Washington Award and the School of Business Teaching Excellence Award.
Attendees
Speakers and Industry Leaders
Countries
Network
Ecosystem Partnerships
