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Working with diaspora-owned enterprises is part of the revival
of Prosper Africa, an initiative begun by former President
Donald Trump in 2018 that the Biden administration aims to make
the "centerpiece of U.S. economic and commercial engagement with
Africa."
Speaking at the U.S.-Africa Business Summit on Wednesday, U.S.
Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves said the diaspora can
overcome a major impediment to doing business overseas: cultural
gaps.
"America's African diaspora has a tremendous advantage in
African markets relative to their peers, because they understand
the market dynamics and social nuances better than anyone else,"
Graves said.
Prosper Africa will focus on clean energy, health, agribusiness
and transportation infrastructure. President Joe Biden, who
requested nearly $80 million for the initiative in his budget
proposal in May, aims to focus it on women and equity, with an
expanded role for small- and medium-sized businesses.
For one member of the African diaspora community, past
experience with a similar initiative shows the difficulty of
getting the message out to businesses.
"Information on such programs usually does not get to the people
who need to know about it, because of the way it's
disseminated," said Omega Tawonezi, executive director of
Immigrant Community Services, who works with U.S.-based African
entrepreneurs.
(Reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo; Editing by Mary Milliken and
Grant McCool)
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