‘Why outcome of U.S. poll won’t affect relations with Africa’ 

Amid uncertainties over foreign policy shift in America’s engagement with Africa as a fall-out of November’s presidential election in the United States, the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement (PAC-ADE) has allayed fears over the outcome, assuring that extant economic, social and cultural ties would not be affected.

Speaking yesterday at the opening of this year’s African Diaspora Investment Symposium (ADIS24), organised by the African Diaspora Network (ADN) at Silicon Valley, California, Executive Director of PAC-ADE, Deniece Laurent-Mantey, restated that diplomatic relations and engagement with Africa had been institutionalised.

Explaining why stakeholders on the continent should not nurse fears, Laurent-Mantey added that PAC-ADE, an offshoot of the 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit, had been institutionalised in the United States Department of State.

On exploring the impact of PAC-ADE, a council member and president of PepsiCo Foundation, C.D. Glin, charged to come up with practical initiatives that can benefit Africa in the areas of education, trade and investment, technology and critical knowledge transfer to bridge the skills gap on the continent.

The CEO of ADN and member of PAC-ADE, Almaz Negash, regretted the negative stories emanating from Africa.