Nigeria to host global summit for African diaspora

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), says Nigeria will host the global African diaspora summit in April.

Dabiri-Erewa spoke on Wednesday at a joint press conference ahead of the Global African Diaspora Symposium (GADS).

The summit is expected to hold from April 27 to 28 at the ministry of foreign affairs in Abuja.

Nigeria will be the second African country to host the symposium after Kenya hosted the 2020 edition.

“It is good to know that efforts are being made by Africa to effectively harness the human and economic potentials of its diaspora, for continental, national and even grassroots development,” NAN quoted Dabiri-Erewa as saying.

“This is demonstrated in the areas of diaspora remittances, skills and knowledge transfer plus socio-economic investments.

“This is in consonance with the fifth aspiration of the AU Agenda 2063: “The Africa We Want”, which is Africa with a stronger cultural identity and Pan-African movement.”

The NIDCOM chairperson announced the theme of the summit as ‘Building stronger connections between Africa and the global diaspora’.

“This symposium is designed to address and proffer workable solutions to Africa’s most pressing issues and also strategies and necessary partnerships between important diaspora leaders in business and the professions with leaders, on the African continent, to achieve successful results,” she said.

“It will build bridges between Africa and the diaspora by deepening relations between the AU, OACPS, among others in realising the diaspora as the sixth region of the AU.”

The symposium is expected to focus on science and technology, agriculture, manufacturing and industry, energy, infrastructure development, tourism and culture, green energy and technology, health, information communication technology, education, finance, and economic development, among others.