Press Statement - 22 November 2021
The African diaspora can be a transformative force for the development of their countries of origin, not only through remittances, but also through promotion of trade, investments, research, innovation, and knowledge and technology transfers.
Some African countries are pursuing policies to develop links with Africans abroad, either to encourage them to return or to use their networks, knowledge, and financial capital to foster African development. Guinea-Bissau is not taking advantage of this opportunity by not leveraging its diaspora’s intellectual capital, financial capital, social capital, and cultural capital so much needed for the country’s development. Diasporans present an under-tapped resource for the development of Guinea-Bissau.
It is becoming increasingly urgent to strategically mobilise the so well-prepared, but dispersed, Bissau-Guinean diaspora, made of leaders and professionals excelling in their various fields and making an impact across the world. The socio-economic development agenda of Guinea-Bissau should leverage the vision, contribution and leadership of this new generation of diasporans.
Guiaspora, powered by Djassi Africa, aims to mobilise, connect and activate the new generation of Guinea-Bissau diaspora’s leaders, innovators and visionaries to uplift Guinea-Bissau by fostering development and innovation opportunities in the country. Guiaspora aims to inspire and empower this new generation of Bissau-Guinean diasporans to become agents of change and active contributors to the country’s development and prosperity, leveraging their vision, knowledge, resources and networks. Guiaspora aims to develop a global innovation ecosystem capable of generating and transforming impactful ideas into scalable solutions for Guinea-Bissau. With Guiaspora, Djassi Africa pledges to build bridges among Bissau-Guineans in the country, in the diaspora, and friends of Guinea-Bissau, by incentivising them to work together to unlock the potential of Guinea-Bissau.
The first initiative, Guiaspora Djumbai, was officially launched in Lisbon in early November of this year in the form of a strategic gathering, bringing together leaders from different areas to identify and activate ideas, projects and opportunities to enable the sustainable development of Guinea-Bissau. This ecosystem of diasporan leaders will join forces to create synergies to accelerate and amplify the impact of their initiatives in Guinea-Bissau. Guiaspora Djumbai is an independent, inclusive and non-partisan space with no political affiliation, focused on real solutions and opportunities with the potential of being implemented with this diaspora’s contribution and leadership. Upcoming events are already being planned in different geographies to mobilise and connect more diaspora groups.
Other Guiaspora flagship initiatives are already in the works and will be announced in early 2022.
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About Djassi Africa
Djassi Africa invests in digital-enabled innovation and impact-driven entrepreneurship with the potential to accelerate Africa’s transformation. Djassi Africa’s mission is to empower African innovators and entrepreneurs through world-class capacity building, startup building and development, access to funding, and ecosystem building, with the ultimate goal of enabling Africa’s development and prosperity.
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Djassi Africa: https://www.djassiafrica.com/
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