The Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission NIDCOM, Hon Dr. Abike Dabiri-Erewa said Global African Diaspora Symposium will serve as an interface between Africa and the Diaspora for the sole purpose of maximizing partnership and collaboration.
Dabiri-Erewa stated this on Thursday 27th ,2023 in her speech at the opening ceremony of the second edition of GADS in Conference hall, Presidential villa Abuja
She said GADS is designed to address and proffer workable solutions to Africa’s most pressing issues and offered concrete strategies as well as the needed affiliation between key Diaspora leaders in government, business, the private sector and the professions, with leaders on the African continent, so as to achieve successful results.
Dabiri-Erewa called on relevant stakeholders to come together and give maximum support for the symposium,she enjoined African leaders to shun acts that can jeopardize Africa nations development.
NiDCOM Boss seized the occasion to unveiled a young Nigerian in Diaspora,Oreofe who was at the event as observer.
In her welcome address,Mrs.Ibukun Odusote, Global Chairman,GADS 2023 organising committee, said 2023 GADS is designed to foster new connections for a stronger Global African Diaspora partnership and also to commemorate the International Decade for People of African Descent (IDPAD) which took place in September 2018 in Accra and Cape Coast, Ghana.
“This year’s Symposium and I hope others in the near future, will provide opportunities for Africa to engage with its Diaspora and build upon the first African Diaspora Symposium (ADS-2020), held in Nairobi, Kenya in December 2020, and also the 1stOrganization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Diaspora Forum hosted at the 10th Summit of OACPS Heads of State and Government, held in Luanda, Republic of Angola on the 7th of December, 2022.
“This two-day International event was championed by the African Diaspora Alliance (AfDA). It would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of the following co-organizers: the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) and the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA), both under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, with mandates of engaging with Diaspora for national development, both nationwide and continent-wide respectively.
“The Symposium is designed to address and proffer implementable solutions to Africa’s most pressing issues. It also seeks to create an interface between Africa and its Diaspora for the purpose of maximizing partnership and collaboration”Odusote added.
Also in his goodwill message , the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Zubairu Dada said the symposium was taking place at a promising time.
“The World Bank estimates that by 2040, there will be more than 400 million international migrants with Africans having a larger number. We cannot think about our society, economy, innovations, science and technology breakthroughs without thinking about Africans in the Diaspora.”
In his remarks,the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning of Nigeria, Prince Clem Agba urged Nigeria should learn from South Africa and Rwanda to engage its diaspora for the overall socio economic and cultural development of the country ,stated that the African diaspora was an integral part of the global diaspora community. He therefore commended efforts of the Organisers towards engaging our diaspora community, which he stated would create opportunities for Africans in Diaspora to contribute to the development of the African continent.
