BANJUL, THE GAMBIA  —

This Wednesday April 5th, 2023, the Honourable Demba Hydara, Pan-African Council Ambassador to The Gambia and Neighboring West African Countries, welcomed renowned Senegalese-American artist and entrepreneur, Aliou Badara Thiam, widely known as Akon, earlier today in Banjul on his presidential visit to discuss investments in country. His Excellency President Adama Barrow met with the international superstar at State House, to talk about his Akon City projects and investment potential in the region.

Akon’s Impact: Philanthropy and Promotion of Africa to the Diaspora

Akon, the American-Senegalese singer, has been making a significant impact on the African continent through his philanthropy and business ventures. He has been actively involved in various initiatives aimed at improving the lives of people in Africa, including the Akon Lighting Africa project, which aims to provide electricity to millions of people across the continent. Through his company, Akon Lighting Africa, he has installed solar panels in several African countries, providing affordable and sustainable energy solutions to underserved communities.

In addition to his philanthropy work, Akon has also been promoting Africa to the global African diaspora by showcasing the continent’s beauty and potential. He has been advocating for increased investment in Africa, highlighting the continent’s vast resources and untapped potential. Through his music and media appearances, he has been challenging the negative stereotypes often associated with Africa, and instead, highlighting the continent’s rich culture and diversity. Akon’s work in Africa and promotion of the continent to the diaspora has been instrumental in changing the narrative about Africa and inspiring others to invest in the continent’s future.

The Council commends Mr Demba Hydara in his role as a presidential advisor to the Republic of The Gambia, responsible for strategic national development priorities in health and diaspora engagement, as well as the promotion of culture, trade, and investments.

Get access to physical or digital copies of the Afri Diplomat Magazine for your reading pleasure. 

LAGOS, NIGERIA  —

The Pan-African Council is pleased to partner and contribute to the new edition of Afri Diplomat Magazine, covering the latest events, personalities and happenings across the African and diasporic diplomatic landscape.

In the words of the magazine’s Editor-In-Chief, Prince Deji Ajomale-McWord, “the content of this publication will always be about Africa, her diaspora, the rest of the world who operates within her shores and in whose space nations of Africa operate, vis-à-vis international relations. You would be seeing Afri Diplomat Magazine in electronic and print format, for months and years to come. Kindly join us on this journey.”

Physical copies can be found at your nearest international African airport across Nigeria (The Envoy Hotel, Abuja Bolingo Hotel & Suites; Abuja Protocol Lounges: Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport; Muritala Mohammed International Airport), Kenya (Jomo Kenyatta International Airport), South Africa (Airport O.R Tambo International Airport), or at Pan-African Council offices.

Get access to digital copies of the Afri Diplomat Magazine for your reading pleasure. The copies may be downloaded for free here.

The Pan-African Council and its Colombian media chapter AfroEstilo assisted and facilitated interviews for @symeonbrown of @channel4news in the filming of this very important piece of African history in South America on #afrocolombians.

In his own words:

Filming this was emotional as a descendent of slavery. Today there are more black people of African heritage in Latin America than there is in 51/54 countries in Africa. This means if the black Latinx community repatriated to Africa they’d make the 4th most populated black African country.

Despite more enslaved Africans being taken to South America than anywhere else, the conversation on racial equality has been dominated by north American and to a lesser extent Western European voices.

This piece engages with black face, the complexities of African identity amongst Colombia’s 5M African descendants, the legacy of the slave trade and the new activists risking their lives in a country where indigenous and African activists have been readily murdered.

– Symeon Brown

The Pan-African Council summoned PAC Ambassador Chevy Eugene of St. Lucia as its invited delegate to the African Union Commission Diaspora Minerals Forum held at the Radisson Admiral Hotel in Toronto, Canada.

The Forum featured distinguished speakers and panelists from the African Union, the governments of Ethiopia, Uganda, and Central Africa who emphasized the need for greater Diaspora participation in the mining sector.

PAC Ambassador to Brazil, Mr. Rodrigo Faustino, alongside the special advisor to the Government for the Campos Prefecture in Brazil, Mr. Rogerio Siqueira have established a cooperation framework for educational exchange in the sciences and humanities with the Republic of Colombia.

As reported by the Brazilian newspaper Folha1, the Brazilian delegation lead the negotiation with Senator Murillo Benitez and Cezar Cabezas for the establishment of the Campos-Colombia project with the interchange of universities and the inclusion of scholarships especially focused on the African Diaspora in both Colombia and Brazil.

The cooperative framework will be followed-up in April, with an official visit from the Colombia delegation to the cities of Campos and Río de Janeiro. For the original Portuguese-language publication, click here.

Charlotte, NC – 1/31/19 – Today, the Africa National Chamber of Commerce (ANCOC) announced its plans to inaugurate during this year’s NBA All Star Weekend, hosted in Charlotte, North Carolina – headquarters for ANCOC. “It will be an opportunity to generate awareness and create opportunities for collaboration across the global diaspora”, said Kimberly Edmonds, Vice President of ANCOC.

The Pan-African Council has partnered in this event for the official launch of the African National Chamber of Commerce in will serve as the organization’s unveiling of their coalescence with The City of Kumasi, Ghana. Guests can expect to synthesize with executives who are mobilizing sports and media entertainment and international business within the Charlotte metropolitan region.

In partnership with the ​Pan-African Council​, ​Three Design Experience​, ​Divinity Affairs​ and OC360​, ANCOC will present an afternoon of quintessential networking opportunities and stellar keynote speakers, all driven to educate and engage the community to implement the Chamber’s vision. Special recognition will be reserved to acknowledge the impact of ​H.R. 1242 -115th bill ‘400 Years of African-American History Commission Act​’​. ​Several pioneering figures are confirmed to be present including, but not limited to, the following:

• Dr. Barfour Adjei-Barwuah, Ambassador Republic of Ghana
• H.E. Arikana Chihombori Quao, Africa Union Ambassador to USA
• Honorable Osei Assibey Antwi, Mayor of Kumasi, Ghana
• Reverend Dr. George Holmes

Event Details:
Date: 15 February 2019
Place: Byron’s South End – 101 W. Worthington Ave, Charlotte NC 28203 Time: 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm

About Africa National Chamber of Commerce
Our mission is to establish a venue for global business, trade and commerce between the USA business community and the continent of Africa and to ensure that business practices adhere to the cultural sensitivities of people with African descent across Diaspora.

ANCOC Contact:
Kimberly Edmonds, Vice President of the Africa National Chamber of Commerce
kimberly@ancoc.org
+1 (704) 241-8447

The Pan-African Council has been invited to consult the African Union at the 2nd Diaspora Focal Points Workshop organized on the back of the Consultative Act of the African Union which declares that it shall “invite and encourage the full participation of the African Diaspora as an important part of our continent, in the building of the African Union”.

This initiative falls in line with the First 10-year Implementation plan of the Agenda 2063 which realizes the full potential of the African Diaspora as key drivers of the Continent’s development as stipulated in the roadmap.

The Pan-African Council is a proud partner of the 3rd Pan-African Global Meeting: “Diplomacy, Commitment and Solidarity” presided by the Honorable African Union Ambassador to United States, Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao and organized by COINDAH @coindah (International Congress of Spanish-Speaking African Diaspora) to be held December 3rd and 4th, 2018 in Colombia — South America.

The Pan-African Council is in attendance at the @mipad100 leadership training hosted at the United Nations Plaza in New York, NY.

In support of the International Decade for People of African Descent, proclaimed by United Nation’s General Assembly resolution 68/237 and to be observed from 2015 to 2024, the Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) identifies high achievers of African descent in public and private sectors from all around the world as a progressive network of relevant actors to join together in the spirit of recognition, justice and development of Africa, it’s people on the continent and across it’s Diaspora.

Pan-African Council leaders have been invited by the Government of the State of Minas Gerais in Brazil (Governo do Estado de Minas Gerais) to speak on the social movements of the African Diaspora.

The state of Minas Gerais maintains strong links to the African continent, as the Brazilian state with the second highest number of people of African descent in the country. The seminar aims to converge ideas and commitments from governmental institutions, corporations, cultural and education institutions alongside civil society to better combat racial discrimination and institutional racism.