Vibranium Valley hosts tour of U.S. President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora in Lagos

Yesterday, Members of the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement (PAC-ADE) received a guided tour of the Vibranium Valley tech incubator and met with tech VCs, entrepreneurs, startup founders and other ecosystem players in Lagos. This was part of PAC-ADE’s first trip to the African continent.

According to the U.S. Consulate General office in Lagos, the council’s visit is part of its goal of driving digital transformation and fostering inclusive and equitable economic growth in the digital space. Meetings with government, civil society and private sector players in Nigeria were also scheduled to discuss investments in education, entrepreneurship, health and technology.

Leading the tour, Moyosore Asubiojo shared the story behind the architectural design of the facility such as Isheri conference room, the first VGG office location. She also led the delegation to experience some of the innovative solutions that have been created by the VGG group.

The group also interacted with the founders of some of the startups under the VGG portfolio. The four startups engaged include Max, an EV and logistics company, eFTD Africa, an eco-friendly last-mile delivery company, CredPal, a fintech startup that offers consumer credit and Getequity, an alternative private fund investment company.

Highlighting the importance of the visit, U.S. Consular General, Will Stevens explained that the PAC-ADE visit indicates the U.S. Government’s willingness to explore areas to leverage the network and capacity of its diaspora community to bolster the country’s economic ties with Africa.

“The objective is to help us see how we can do more for the community”, he said.

Mr Stevens noted that one of the upsides of the visit is realising how deeply rooted the council members are and the connections and collaborations that the visit has fostered. He also explained why Lagos is a strategic stop for the delegation:

“The council will visit Lagos and Abuja for engagements with the government representatives, players from the creative industry and other stakeholders. But a stop in Lagos will not be complete without a visit to the tech hubs to see what the players in that sector are doing and how we can do more together.”

The 12-member PAC-ADE was announced by President Biden and Secretary Blinken, in September 2023, to advise on ways to strengthen cultural, social, political, and economic ties between African communities and the African Diaspora.

According to a 2018-2022 American Community Survey, 45.3 million foreign nationals live in the United States, with an estimated 2.1 million coming from sub-Saharan Africa. Last year, Nigeria accounted for $19.5 billion or about 35% of sub-Saharan Africa’s total remittances, according to a World Bank report.

The Advisory Council comprises up to 12 members representing the diversity of the African Diaspora from African American communities around the United States and African immigrant communities across the continent and the Caribbean.

These are individuals who have distinguished themselves in government, sports, creative industries, business, academia, social work, and faith-based activities.

Rev. Dr. Silvester Scott Beaman is serving as the chairman of the council. Other members include Mimi E. Alemayehou, Founder and Managing Partner of Semai Ventures LLC, Rosalind Brewer, Chief Executive Officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Viola Davis, artist, activist, producer, philanthropist, and New York Times best-selling author, Helene D. Gayle, President of Spelman College.

Other members include Patrick Hubert Gaspard, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, C.D. Glin, President of the PepsiCo Foundation, Osagie Imasogie, Chairman of the Investment Bank, Quoin Capital and Quoin Advisors, Almaz Negash, founder of the African Diaspora Network (ADN), Chinenye Joy Ogwumike, a 2-Time WNBA All-Star, Ham Serunjogi, CEO of African fintech giant, Chipper Cash and Kevin Young, Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History.

Read also: Chipper Cash CEO, Ham Serunjogi and 2 Nigerian Americans appointed to Joe Biden’s Advisory Council