December 16, 2022
The U.S. African Development Foundation Makes Diaspora Engagement and Renewable Energy Announcements, Signs SME-focused MOU with the Government of Namibia during the U.S. Africa Leaders Summit
WASHINGTON – The U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) made several announcements at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit President Biden hosted in Washington, D.C.
As part of the December 12, 2022, Innovators Gathering hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and attended by 250 entrepreneurs, investors, influencers, and government leaders, USADF President and CEO (P/CEO) Travis Adkins and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced the three winners of the U.S.-Africa Business Center’s annual African Digital Innovation Competition for African Startups. As the principal sponsor of the Competition, USADF is awarding grant funding totaling $185,000 to each of the top10 finalists who are providing digital solutions in healthcare, trade, agriculture, and other sectors in their communities.
At the December 13 African and Diaspora Young Leaders Forum, Adkins moderated the opening plenary panel titled “Building Coalitions for Global Impact” that set the stage for the Forum and discussed the importance of centering the diaspora and youth in U.S.-Africa relations. The panel included Representative Ilhan Omar, musician Fally Ipupa, Afrochella Festival founder Abdul Karim Abdullah, Tastemakers Africa founder Cheraé Robinson, and The Africa Center CEO Uzodinma Uweala who shared their perspectives on the importance of diaspora engagement with a packed audience.
The White House fact sheet on the African and Diaspora Young Leaders Forum and broader U.S. government commitments on diaspora engagement includes USADF’s inaugural Diaspora Award totaling $100,000 for African diaspora enterprises in the United States to increase trade and investment ties with African-owned and -led enterprises on the continent. It also includes the expansion of the USADF and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Foundation partnership to increase investment and development in Africa. In addition, it includes USADF's new $20 million partnership with the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) through which parties will provide $5,000 investment toolkits to African entrepreneurs and micro-, small- and medium-enterprises (MSMEs) to facilitate job creation and improve revenues and incomes.
Also on December 13, P/CEO Adkins announced three new USADF Off-grid Energy Challenges during the Supporting Conservation, Climate Adaptation, and Just Energy Transition summit event. Through these Challenges, USADF will provide millions in funding directly to African SMEs that demonstrate a sustainable, scalable business model for addressing insufficient energy access in their communities. (See the White House fact sheet.) Since the inception of USADF’s off-grid energy portfolio in 2014, the agency has made close to 150 investments in African energy SMEs that have established 100,000+ energy connections that benefit over 500,000 people.
The following day on December 14 as part of the U.S.-Africa Business Forum, USADF and the Government of Namibia, via the Ministry of Industrialization and Trade, signed a five-year, $10 million co-funding partnership in a ceremony attended by the President of the Republic of Namibia, His Excellency Hage Geingob. The purpose of this partnership is to promote the development of farmer cooperatives, producer associations, and SMEs in rural areas of Namibia and increase their competitiveness in national, regional, and international markets. With a new country program in Namibia, USADF will have 22 official countries of operations, though the agency has awarded grants in more than 40 African countries.
USADF also held bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister of Eswatini, Cleopas Dlamini, and the Lesotho Minister of Trade, Industry, Business Development, and Tourism, Mr. Mokhethi Shelile. P/CEO Adkins also spoke at the U.S.-Mozambique Business Roundtable hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) and a “Leading the Way through Women’s Economic Empowerment” high-level roundtable also hosted by CCA.
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USADF is the U.S. Government’s independent African enterprise development agency. The agency invests in African grassroots and small- and medium-sized businesses, promotes local economic development, and creates pathways to prosperity for underserved communities. Utilizing a community-led development approach, USADF provides seed capital and local project management assistance to early-stage African enterprises and entrepreneurs addressing Africa’s biggest challenges around food insecurity, insufficient energy access, and unemployment, particularly among women and youth. To learn more, please visit www.usadf.gov.