Influential Contemporary African Diaspora Leaders Honored in a New Book



By Dr. Roland Holou, Founder and CEO of DiasporaEngager, www.DiasporaEngager.com

Outstanding African Diaspora Leaders

Outstanding African Diaspora Leaders

Many books have been written about people of African descent, but so far no single volume has highlighted the lives, visions, achievements, policies, and strategies of exceptional contemporary African Diaspora leaders across the globe. To fill the gap, an International Selection Committee composed of some of the top African diaspora Leaders in the Caribbean, Europe, North America, South America, and West Africa was created to nominate and vet recipients of “The Most Influential Contemporary African Diaspora Leaders Honor.” For the first edition of this book, 30 leaders were featured in detail and out of the 50 chapters of this 336 page book, one was devoted to each. Others chapters were devoted to one hundred other nominees whose contribution warranted their inclusion in this book.

 

The stories of these Leaders showcase the diversity, complexity, and richness of the ongoing global African Diaspora engagement efforts. Their experiences of struggle, failure, growth and success will motivate current and future generations of people of African descent to take initiative, provide guidance to those interested in Africa’s development, and promote interest in the growing field of diaspora engagement. The featured leaders are known for their long-lasting achievements. Their bold actions contributed to important historical movements that significantly shaped and transformed the lives and history of people of African descent and removed major roadblocks preventing the prosperity of Africa and its Diaspora. They have brought about enormous and rare progress that would have been impossible without their leadership, including economic and political development of Africa and its Diaspora. To get your copy of the book, please visit www.AfricanDiasporaLeaders.com/order

 

Some of the initiatives featured in the book include the African Union African Diaspora Sixth Region Initiative, Healthcare Reform in Africa, Pan-Africanism, Global Anti-Racism Initiatives, International Decade for People of African Descent, Implementation of the UN Durban Declaration and Programme of Action; the Commission on Reparations, the Hebrew Israelites, the Initiatives of the Central American Black Organization; the World Diaspora Fund For Development; the Projects of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century; the Pan-Afrikan Reparations Coalition in Europe, the Pan-African Holiday Kwanzaa; the Educational Initiatives of Steve Biko Cultural Institute in Brazil, the Initiatives of DiasporaEngager concerning the Map of the Diaspora and their Stakeholders, the Diaspora Directory and the Global Diaspora Social Media Platform; the Initiatives of the African Diaspora in Australia and Asia Pacific; the AU Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus Organization in the USA; the “Taubira Law” Voted by the French Republic to Recognize that the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Slave Trade in the Indian Ocean are a Crime Against Humanity; The Global Movement for Reparatory Justice; the Ratification of the Article 3q of the AU Constitutive Act which “invites and encourages the full participation of the African Diaspora as an important part of Africa; the Economic Development for Black Empowerment in America and Europe; the African Diaspora Contribution to Democracy and Development in Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America; the Initiatives of the Brazilian Association of Black Researchers; the Oprah Effect; the Promotion of the Black Population in Brazil; the Palmares Cultural Foundation in Brazil; the Celebrations of Zumbi dos Palmares in Brazil; the Caribbean Community [CARICOM] Commission on Reparation and Social Justice; the Initiatives of famous Prophet Shepherd Bushiri (Major1, the World’s Sharpest Major Prophet), and many initiatives in the USA, etc. To learn more about the recipients, please visit www.AfricanDiasporaLeaders.com/recipient.

 

Some of the struggles still faced by the African Diaspora and discussed in the book relate to: Afrophobia, civil rights, denial of justice and devaluation of Black lives, education with curricula full of “lies” regarding history and history of scientific discoveries, healthcare problems, high rates of unemployment and imprisonment, housing problems, institutional racism and slavery, lack of access to good education and justice, media which persistently diffuse open racist stereotypes, multiple forms of discrimination, police violence, political and economic marginalization and stigmatization, poverty, racial discrimination, vulnerability to violence, xenophobia and related intolerance and discrimination. The book also addressed some of the strategical mistakes and divisions among the Continental African Diaspora and the Historical African Diaspora.

 

If you are interested in learning the secrets, agendas, strategies and potential of these modern leaders, then this is the book for you. Since influence can at times have negative effects, this book also addresses the destructive actions of certain leaders that are pulling down both Africa and its people. Join the International Diaspora Engagement Social Media Platform today by creating a free account at https://www.DiasporaEngager.com/miniRegister.

 

About the Author

Dr. Roland Holou is a scientist, businessman, and an international consultant in Agriculture/Agribusiness, Biotechnology, Diaspora Engagement, and Africa Development. He is the Founder and CEO of DiasporaEngager, www.DiasporaEngager.com and the architect of the map of Diaspora and their stakeholders (www.DiasporaEngager.com/map). To learn more about him and contact him www.RolandHolou.com.



1

Involvement of the Diaspora in Healthcare Reform in Africa



Without a doubt, Africa is being torn apart by many political problems indeed, but the recent Ebola outbreak was very catastrophic. This sad situation that affected some countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, etc., is calling for action. If the world keeps ignoring the neglected disease in Africa, it will be surprised by the cost of the consequences.

 

Efforts are being made to try to help the afflicted countries to recover from the Ebola devastation. So far, more than $50 million has been raised for the affected countries. The African Union has called all countries to cancel the debt of the countries affected by Ebola. Right now, although we do not hear about Ebola as much and the crisis is fading, we should not think that Ebola is cured and the epidemic will not happen again! Ebola has been going back and forth since many decades. A global strategy is needed to ensure this problem is tackled from all possible angles.

 

Summits and other types of conferences have been done to try to address the Ebola crisis. On February 6, 2015, a historical Forum was held on Africa Healthcare Reform at the African Union Mission in Washington DC. That meeting drew some of the top African professionals and stakeholders operating in the healthcare field in the USA. DiasporaEngager https://www.diasporaengager.com was privileged to be invited at that high level meeting led by Mr Melvin Foote, the founder and president of Constituency for Africa (CFA). The need is to “collaborate and cooperate, not just help” Africa, as mentioned by Dr. Roscoe M. Moore Jr. (retired US Assistant Surgeon General) who is the Interim Chair of CFA and also the Chair of the Africa Healthcare Infrastructure Committee.

 

Africa Healthcare Reform at the African Union Mission in Washington DC

Africa Healthcare Reform at the African Union Mission in Washington DC.

The statistics of the African professionals living in the diaspora are alarming. As of 2015, more than 135,000 doctors and nurses trained in Africa are living in the diaspora. More than 50,000 Nigerian doctors are living in North America alone. It is shocking to know that there are more medical doctors from Benin living in France than doctors living in Benin. The sad thing is that “people don’t listen to Africa and its diaspora, because the Africans don’t have a voice”, said Prof. Allen Herman, founding Dean of the National School of Public Health in South Africa. The minds and the ideas to reform healthcare in Africa are not what lack. One of the problems is that many outsiders of Africa do not want to empower the identity of the Africans, but instead they prefer the Africans to celebrate theirs. However, as pointed out by Dr Julius Garvey (a USA board certified surgeon and son of the legendary pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey Jr.), the African healthcare problem is not just a brain drain issue. Even if all the diaspora healthcare workers return to Africa, it will solve just about 10% of the human resource problem. A paradigm ship is needed, and the colonial healthcare system in Africa needs to be reformed. Africa must design a curriculum so that its healthcare specialists can be trained quickly rather than trying to follow the long medical training period required in western countries. Instead of trying to train “degree nurses”, Africa must train its healthcare personnel to address the need quickly.

Unfortunately, many African leaders are not considering healthcare as a top priority. At the same time, many nonprofits funded by Western countries are dominating the healthcare system in African without really contributing to the true solution. Therefore, it is imperative that the African governments give a priority to healthcare issues in their national medical budget. Additionally, African governments must better regulate their healthcare system so that outsiders do not continue to dictate what needs to be done. To succeed in this effort, religious practices and faith actions must also be considered and fostered. To fully address the issues, efforts must be made regarding:

  • African healthcare system strengthening
  • Healthcare system management
  • Testing centers and traditional medicine
  • Leadership and Behavior changes
  • Training of healthcare workers
  • Healthcare job creation
  • Media education about healthcare
  • Investment programs
  • Reform of healthcare professional traveling requirement
  • Agriculture implication in healthcare
  • Center for Disease Control creation

 

African Diaspora must take the lead to reform Healthcare Infrastructure in Africa. And this reform must be done in partnership with Africa, which needs to take action and not just be waiting for free gifts from some westerners who, oftentimes, do not have Africa’s interest as their main priorities. DiasporaEngager salutes the creation of the Africa Healthcare Infrastructure Committee. To learn more about the African Healthcare Infrastructure Forum & Brainstorm that took place at the African Union Mission in Washington DC on Feb 6, 2015, please visit:

The African Healthcare Infrastructure Forum & Brainstorm (Part 1)

The African Healthcare Infrastructure Forum & Brainstorm (Part 2)

The African Healthcare Infrastructure Forum & Brainstorm (Part 3)

 

Let’s keep in mind that Ebola is just one of the major diseases that are devastating Africa. What can we say about HIV, Malaria, and Tuberculosis? If you want to join us in this effort to engage the global diaspora in the development of their country, please sign up at www.DiasporaEngager.com/miniRegister.

Looking for Healthcare or Medical Opportunities? Find and Engage with them on the International Diaspora Engagement Platform!

Looking for Healthcare or Medical Opportunities? Find and Engage with them on the International Diaspora Engagement Platform!