Historic African Diaspora Placement Program (HADIP): Occupational and Cultural Immersion in Africa of African Diaspora Professionals in the United States

1. Introduction

The African Union (AU) Member States are invited to express interest in participating in the “Historic African Diaspora Placement Program (HADIP): Occupational and Cultural Immersion in Africa of African Diaspora Professionals in the United States.” This comprehensive program aims to enhance professional connections and cross-cultural understanding between the African Diaspora and Africa while providing African Diaspora professionals with programmatic opportunities to leverage their skills and expertise to contribute to the sustainable economic growth and development of Africa.

African Diaspora in the United States consists of two broad populations: the contemporary Diaspora and the historic Diaspora. While the contemporary Diaspora are largely voluntary immigrants or descendants of voluntary immigrants, the historic Diaspora are descendants of Africans forcibly taken from Africa during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. HADIP is historic in committing to meet a long-existing pan-African need to meaningfully and sustainably connect the Diaspora, especially in the United States with Africa by offering the unprecedented pan-African programmatic opportunities for both populations of African Diaspora to live in Africa, to authentically experience Africa, and to leverage their skills and expertise to contribute directly to the sustainable development of Africa, as well as to enhancing relationship and understanding between Africa and the Diaspora.

2. Program Overview

The Historic African Diaspora Placement Program (HADIP) is a partnership of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), the African Union Mission to the United States, the International Partnership for Inclusive Education and Development (IPIED), the Directorate of Citizens and Diaspora Organizations of the African Union (CIDO), and the Africa-America Institute (AAI). ACBF serves as the Secretariat for HADIP, and the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) is a technical partner.

The central plank of the Program is to enable the placement of cohorts of diasporaprofessionals in African countries for occupational and cultural immersion, during which they contribute to the development of the host countries and communities, and to the enhancement of professional connections and cultural understanding between Africans and the diaspora. HADIP aligns with the African Union's Agenda 2063 and is committed to addressing human and institutional capacity challenges by leveraging the skills and expertise of African diaspora professionals for Africa’s development.

The program focuses on four specific objectives:

• Identify, recruit, and place diaspora professionals: HADIP aims to identify and recruit African diaspora professionals in the United States interested in experiencing Africa authentically and willing to directly contribute their skills and expertise to the development of Africa.
• Leverage diaspora skills and expertise: The program recognizes the immense potential of diaspora professionals in supporting sustainable economic growth, structural transformation, and overall development in Africa. HADIP will also strategically match talents from the diaspora community with specific development needs, ensuring a targeted and impactful approach to address key challenges. By tapping into the skills and expertise of the African Diaspora, HADIP aims to accelerate development efforts and promote inclusive and sustainable growth and development.
• Build Institutional Capacity: HADIP strongly emphasizes building the institutional capacity of African countries to effectively engage and leverage diaspora professionals for their sustainable development goals. This involves establishing networks, creating supportive frameworks, and implementing mechanisms that maximize the impact of diaspora contributions.
• Develop Cultural and Tourism Programs: Recognizing the importance of cultural and tourism programs in connecting Africa with the diaspora, especially the historic diaspora and the descendants of the contemporary diaspora, HADIP aims to develop initiatives that effectively bridge cultural and historical gaps. The program seeks to promote understanding, appreciation, and collaboration between African countries and the diaspora, healing any lingering historical or contemporary estrangement or alienation, and fostering stronger ties and mutual benefits.

 3. Pilot

HADIP will be implemented in a phased approach, starting with a 3-year pilot phase involving African countries, which would have expressed interest and commitment on the principle of “first come, first served”. The pilot will consist of two tracks: a short-term and a longer-term occupational and cultural immersion. African diaspora in the United States placed in each of the host countries will be provided a return flight ticket, monthly stipend, and life and health insurance coverage. HADIP aims to have facilitated the immersion of 3,000 African Diaspora professionals by the end of the pilot phase. Lessons learned from the pilot will guide the program's expansion to additional countries in subsequent phases.

4. Expression of Interest Submission

AU Member States interested in participating in the HADIP program are requested to submit an expression of interest. Key elements to be included in the expression of interest are:

• Program Alignment: Describe how the participation in HADIP aligns with the country's development aspirations and objectives.
• Capacity for Diaspora Engagement: Describe the institutional capacity and mechanisms in place to effectively engage and utilize diaspora professionals for sustainable development.
• Capacity for Collaboration: Describe the institutional capacity and mechanisms the country can leverage to collaborate with the HADIP program in the selection and support of diaspora professionals to be placed in the country.

5. Timeline

The timelines for the call are as follows:

• Call for Expression of Interest Announcement: 31 October 2023
• Expression of Interest Submission Period: 31 October – 30 November 2023
• Evaluation and Selection Period: 15 December 2023

6. Contact Information

For more information about the Program, please contact:

• African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) – Barassou Diawara b.diawara@acbf- pact.org
• African Union Mission to the United States – Seraphine Manirambona smanirambona@gmail.com
• International Partnership for Inclusive Education and Development (IPIED) – Reginald Nnazor rnnazor@ipied.org
• Directorate of Citizens and Diaspora Organizations of the African Union (CIDO) – Angela Naa Afoley Odai OdaiA@africa-union.org
• Africa-America Institute (AAI) – Ambar Tavarez atavarez@aaionline.org
• The International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) –Nichole Cirillonichole@iave.org

7. Submission

The Expression of Interest submission containing all the Key elements to be included, as outlined under Point 4 in this Call for Expression of Interest document, should be sent electronically to email address, Procurement@acbf-pact.org

Please quote Expression of Interest Process No.: ACBF/REOI/026/23/AU in the subject line. Submissions are to reach ACBF on or before Thursday, 30 November 2023 at 1700 hours
(local Harare time). Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.