*By His Excellency Hon. Ebube Ebisike George
As President Tinubu of Nigeria arrives Kenya for the Africa-France Summit which kicks off, it should come as no surprise that Dr. Kimberly Arrington has earned a new role as Senior Global Trade Advisor to the SOAD Ministry of Trade.
Her resume and footprint speak to the capacity to deliver the much needed results as the global economy becomes trumplicatedly riddled with conflicts, tension over critical/rare earth minerals, commodities channels, Oil & Gas supply and infrastructure by the global powers, the rise of neo-imperialism, the stripping away of globalism’s impetus, expanding turf in the AI race on terra firma and space, inclusive of protectionism and the weaponization of tarrifs amongst other deliberate hiccups.
For Africa to achieve her sustainable “Surprise Rise” into the realm of advancement and competitiveness as has become the mantra and visionary edict of Dr. Farzam Kamalabadi of Future Trends, African-American business leaders like Dr. Kimberly Arrington and that community, alongside the broader African Diaspora, and African political leaders who harness the people power must not just innovatively but disruptively steer the complementary assets of energy, workforce, strategy, technology and resilient focus at their collective disposal like China leveraged with its own diaspora in the 1980s-2000s. The leap wasn’t just aid or investment – it was tech transfer, manufacturing relocation, capital markets access, and political trust built over decades which has resulted in China’s superpowerdom today.
Such partnership can work for Africa by:
1. *Capital + Networks: Move beyond aid to growth capital*
China’s leap was funded partly by overseas Chinese capital that understood both sides.
*What the Diaspora brings:*
– Access to US/EU capital markets, private equity, pension funds. African-American funds like Vista Equity, Ariel Investments, and newer vehicles focused on Africa’s growth potentials.-
– Higher risk tolerance for early-stage ventures because of cultural ties.
*How to make it work:*
– *Diaspora bonds with teeth*: Not just fundraising, but bonds tied to specific infrastructure or industrial projects with transparent governance. Ethiopia and Nigeria have tried this with mixed results; the key is independent escrow and project oversight.
– *Co-investment funds*: Diaspora LPs + African DFIs + government co-investing in manufacturing, logistics, and energy. The risk is shared, and political buy-in is locked in.
2. *Tech Transfer + Talent Circulation*
China’s “returnee” model – Chinese who studied/worked abroad then moved back to start firms – this was huge for semiconductors, telecoms, EVs and other industries.
*What to replicate:*
– *Targeted return programmes*: Not generic “come home” campaigns like “Year of the Return” programmes. Focus on engineers, biotech, agritech, fintech which can run subsidiaries or joint ventures. Rwanda’s “Home is Where the Talent Is” and Nigeria’s Diaspora Commission are starting points.
– *Dual-use R&D partnerships*: African universities + US HBCUs + Diaspora firms can collaboratively work on problems like off-grid solar, vaccine cold chain, cold fusion, drought-resistant crops. The IP stays split, but manufacturing happens in Africa. This also brings us to the issue of one of the most touche IPs owned by Eric Masaba, founder of TEXXI and which has earned over $2Trillion and still being infringed on. This patent US20080015923A1on Google patents
(www.ericmasaba.com/patent) will no doubt change the dynamics of mobility and future industries in Africa including Smart city developments and security architecture.
3. *Manufacturing & Supply Chain Relocation*
China moved up the value chain by absorbing labor-intensive manufacturing first. Africa’s advantage is low labor cost, youth demographic, and proximity to EU/US markets under AGOA and AfCFTA, but then there is also the Chinese markets and their economic belt and road strategy which has made global impact in billions of yuan especially for Africa. China had removed tariffs for African goods recently in a new policy shift.
*Practical moves:*
– *Diaspora-led industrial parks*: African-American firms anchor manufacturing in zones with reliable power and logistics, using diaspora procurement networks to sell into US retail.
– *Standards arbitrage*: Diaspora firms help African manufacturers meet FDA, USDA, CE standards, opening export markets. This is where African-American food, cosmetics, and pharma companies can plug in directly.
4. *Political Alignment Without Dependency*
China succeeded partly because its diaspora lobbied for stable US-China trade relations and opposed sanctions that would hurt growth and this same approach is what Africa must take, wherein such strategic lobbying and engagement will be led by Dr. Kimberly Arrington especially since she has leveraged access to SOAD and vehicles like the Africa Energy Fund (AEF) founded by HRM (Eze Aro) Dr. Eberechukwu Oji.
*What to avoid/aim for:*
– *Avoid*: Dr. Kimberly will work to expunge unsustainble models as the Diaspora to lobby for unconditional aid. That model has low ROI.
– *Aim for*: Diaspora advocacy for predictable trade rules, AfCFTA implementation, and protection of property rights for foreign/diaspora investors. The African-American political caucus in Congress has influence here as well.
5. *Sector Focus: Where the Leap Happens*
Don’t spread thin. China focused on 4-5 sectors per decade. For Africa now:
1. *Energy*: Solar, gas-to-power, mini-grids. Diaspora capital + African leaders’ permitting power.
2. *Agri-processing*: Move from exporting raw cocoa/coffee to chocolate, instant coffee. Margins jump 5-10x.
3. *Digital infrastructure*: Data centers, fintech rails, mobile manufacturing. African-American tech firms have the talent and investor links.
4. *Pharma/health*: Local vaccine and generic production. COVID showed the gap; diaspora biotech executives can close it.
The 3 things that make or break it
1. *Trust mechanisms*: African leaders need to guarantee contracts will not be reneged when governments change. Diaspora investors need to show they’re building, not extracting. Joint boards with African, Diaspora, and neutral directors help.
2. *Speed vs. consensus*: China moved fast because decision-making was centralized. African democracies move slower. The workaround is “coalitions of the willing” – 3-4 countries + diaspora firms moving ahead, then scaling.
3. *Narrative shift*: Stop framing it as “helping Africa.” the program has to be framed as building a $3T consumer market and industrial base where the Diaspora has first-mover advantage. That changes the type of capital and talent that shows up.
*Examples already happening*:
– Flutterwave, Andela, Zipline all have Diaspora co-founders and execs bridging US capital with African operations.
– African-American firms like A-Capital are explicitly investing in African manufacturing for US export.
It’s safe to say that Dr. Kimberly Arrington in delivering her expertise the above approach will not replicate China 1:1 in precise terms, afterall Africa is 54 countries, not one, and governance varies. But the pattern is the same: diaspora capital + talent + political access, tied to specific industrial goals.
Conclusively, Dr. Kimberly Arrington has her work cut out for her in this new SOAD role and working with the best minds which can range from Amb. Tyrone Moodley who founded the enterprising Ndeipi ecosystem to James Holmes Jnr. of Global Concessions Network and other international partnerships across her direct business network and finance ecosystem. She is definitely geared to rise up to the challenge to deliver based on her reputation to for churning out results when it matters most, and in this case for Africa’s more than need to pull of a “Surprise Rise” in the current AI race and beyond the shocks of neo-imperialist throes for which the black continent must not be left behind no matter what.
