18/05/2026
Today, the Director of Auc cido Amb. Amr Aljowaily عمرو الجويلى had the pleasure of addressing the 10th Advisory Board Meeting of .africa and reflecting on how engagement can evolve from goodwill and into a structured pillar of Africa’s architecture under .
He emphasized that the African Union considers the not as external stakeholders, but as strategic accelerators of continental development through three interrelated forms of capital:
• Financial_Capital — mobilizing investments and productive remittance flows�
• Human_Capital — leveraging expertise, innovation, and skills transfer�
• Diplomatic_Capital — strengthening partnerships and global advocacy for Africa
Amb. Amr Aljowaily also highlighted the continued relevance of the legacy projects of the 2012 , including:
* the Skills Database of African Professionals in the Diaspora,
* the African Diaspora Volunteer Corps,
* the African Diaspora Finance Corporation,
* the Development Marketplace for the Diaspora,
* and the African Remittances Institute.
As we prepare for the 15th anniversary of the Summit in 2027, this is an opportune moment to revive, reinforce, and operationalize these initiatives through stronger partnerships between the African Union, Member States, development partners, and diaspora-focused platforms such as WIDU.africa.
We particularly welcome the evolution of WIDU from catalytic support toward more sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems, market integration, and follow-on finance approaches that can strengthen local value creation across the continent.
CIDO looks forward to deeper collaboration on:�✔️ reviving the Diaspora Focal Points Network,�✔️ harmonizing diaspora engagement strategies,�✔️ strengthening institutional memory through diaspora studies initiatives, and�✔️ scaling diaspora-driven development from project-level success to continental impact.
The African diaspora is not only part of Africa’s history. It is part of Africa’s solutions and Africa’s future.
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Amr Aljowaily عمرو الجويلى Amr Aljowaily
Gates Foundation Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) European Commission