Emergent Africa Forum (EAFORUM’22); Creating a confluence of Digital prosperity for the Diaspora and the Continent of Africa
Emergent Africa Forum(EAFORUM ’22) (www.emergentafricaforum.com)
Theme: The Economics of the Emerging Technologies;
>Blockchain>Ai/Ml/IoT/5G>Metaverse>Smart Investment
Global Partner: Brown Venture Group(BVG)
VENUES:
- Minneapolis Community Library, 280 Pohlad Hall Address: 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55401, Phone: (612) 543–8000
2. Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis, Address: 245 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55401, Phone: (612) 895–5700
Minneapolis, MN September 24, 2022 , Africa Chamber of Digital Commerce (ACOFDC) in partnership with the Brown Venture Group (BVG) is set to host the Emergent Africa Forum (EAFORUM’22) Conference in Minneapolis, MN,USA.
Africa Chamber of Digital Commerce (ACOFDC)’s flagship event, Emergent Africa Forum 2022, is scheduled to take place on September 25–28, 2022, as an in-person event. The forum will be the second in the highly acclaimed series and is expected to bring together 500+ attendees from 20+ countries, including investors, startups, students, web3 enthusiasts, developers, corporations, policymakers and regulators.
The event is designed to provide a platform for attendees from all backgrounds, especially the under-represented communities to learn the economics of emerging technologies, network and collaborate. This year’s forum will highlight web3’s continued transformation from hype to mainstream and finally to business-ready.
The EAFORUM’22 will feature dozens of sessions with keynotes, presentations, panels, exhibitions, awards, giveaways and networking sessions hosted by selected industry leaders. In addition, several talks at the forum will explore the rising demand for cryptocurrencies/NFTs and other blockchain-enabled products.
To register for a ticket, visit: https://emergentafricaforum.com/
In total, 40+ speakers are part of the EAFORUM’22 agenda. The discussions to look forward to include: 5G and the future of commerce, Are cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology the next generation of cross-border payments in Africa? and What does the future look like for Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs)?. Participants should also expect to get deep insights into the fundamentals of the metaverse and some of the industry’s challenges, particularly regarding regulation.
The forum will be hosted by Hue Seth, podcaster and presenter of the Hue Seth Show.
“This is one of the most important web3 events to happen in Minnesota, a state that has great potential in terms of diversity, Blockchain, crypto assets and their usage. BVG sees investing in Africa as an extremely important investment strategy.” said the EAFORUM’22’s chairman, Dr Chris Brooks.
EAFORUM is the most inclusive event on web3 and continues to drive the conversation around emerging technologies in the past two years. The forum seeks to accelerate tech investments on the continent of Africa and in diaspora nations, and to address how challenges in doing business on the continent can be tackled to how the next generation of payment processing solutions can be achieved with emerging technologies. The panels of expert speakers are sure to have something for each attendee.
Furthermore, as investors, major tech companies and financial institutions continue making significant investments in blockchain solutions, the EAFORUM is perfectly timed to explore the economics of emerging technologies and how sentiment regarding the technology will be reshaped.
“In the recent past, we’ve seen a lot of experimentation with blockchain technology, but we are now firmly in the stage of deploying enterprise-ready solutions. The EAFORUM will once again bring together top thought-leaders and pioneers in the blockchain industry to explore ways the technology is being used to solve not only payment challenges across borders but digital businesses as a whole. We’re excited to play a role in this maturation and explore how emerging technologies can make doing business in Africa more seamless,” stated Eric Kaigama, President and CEO:ACOFDC.
The event is expected to attract participants from multiple industries and disciplines, such as fintech, software development, telecommunications, banking and venture capital firms. Ultimately, the EAFORUM 2022 will be an incredible opportunity for like-minded individuals who want to learn, share insights and network with each other.
ABOUT THE EAFORUM
The Emergent Africa Forum is a signature event of Africa Chamber of Digital Commerce Inc. (ACOFDC Inc.) a Minnesota non-profit organization; the event is designed to celebrate, inspire and educate entrepreneurs, founders, investors and policy makers in the tech space. The chamber exists to leverage emerging technology to spur development on the continent of Africa and in the diaspora nations. The EAFORUM seeks to strengthen this mission by bringing together professionals, startup entrepreneurs and founders, investors, partners and the public sector in one place every year to showcase innovations, celebrate accomplishments, seal deals with investors and foster a public-private partnership ecosystem.
WHY THE EAFORUM
Africa is in the frontline of emerging economies with the most potential for growth. Many do say that Africa is the next frontier for economic development with huge potentials in investment and finance. EAFORUM exists to shine a spotlight on these opportunities creating the platform through which the broadening community can witness and be part of the economic viability of the continent and Africans in diaspora. Attending the EAFORUM offers you a one-stop shop to learn about investment-ready startups and the opportunity to partner, invest, and tap into the new marketplace created by the African Free Trade Agreement.
Furthermore, with growing unemployment on the continent of Africa, combined with the devastating effect of COVID-19 and considering the recent announcement of the Africa Free Trade Agreement and the growing production of tech startups on the continent, a perfect storm is being formed and the EAFORUM has come into existence just in time to serve as a catalyst for change and development.
WHY ATTEND
1. Great opportunity to get informed about the exciting things happening on the continent of Africa and in the diaspora.
2. Opportunity to network with resourceful dignitaries from the continent. Opportunity to interact one-on-one with these officials.
3. Opportunity to attract investment, form partnerships and develop valuable connections through networking with experts, investors, and captains of the industry.
DOERs AWARD (CELEBRATING EXTRAORDINARY DOERS)
Doers award is an award instituted by the ACOFDC to recognize and celebrate extraordinary doers (both in the private and public sectors) for their contribution to humanity both on the continent of Africa and in the diaspora nations.
INAUGURAL DOERs AWARDEEs FOR 2022;
1. Prof. Isa Ali (Pantami)
Minister of Communications and Digital Economy
Federal Republic of Nigeria.
2. Abdul Samad Rabiu
Founder and Chairman, BUA Group
Foundation: Abdul Samad Rabiu Initiative
Website: https://asrafrica.org/
3. Prof. Sylvanus T. Ayeni, Author/Neurosurgeon, USA
Foundation: Pan African Children Advocacy Watch
Website: https://www.pacaw.org
4. Prof. Kelly Mua Kingsley
Prima Finance and investments LLC,
Yaoundé, Cameroon.
5. Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa
Chairman/CEO
Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM)
Website: https://nidcom.gov.ng/
6. Chief Sunday Akin Dare
Honourable Minister, Ministry of Youth and Sports Development,
Federal Republic of Nigeria.
7. Masai Ujiri
President Toronto Raptors and Founder: Giants of Africa
Website: https://giantsofafrica.org/
8. Navroop Sahdev
Founder/CEO; The Digital Economist
Website: https://www.thedigitaleconomist.com/
UNVEILING OF THE ACOFDC INITIATIVES
The chamber will at the EAFORUM’22 unveil the following initiatives:
- THE DIASPORA DIGITAL BANK
(Blockchain powered)
Technical Partnership — BlockApps.net
It is no news that the diaspora community is a 70 billion dollars remittance power house. The Chamber will at the EAFORUM’22 unveil it’s plans to establish a Diaspora Digital bank that seeks to raise over 100 million dollars to fund economic infrastructure in the rural industrial zones. The ACOFDC believes in development where the rural communities are empowered and local infrastructure systemized to create revenue streams that benefit the local communities. A healthy rural Africa translates into a healthy and prosperous Africa.
2. RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCING PLATFORM
As part of our IP Vault, the Africa Chamber of Digital Commerce will be launching the Rural Infrastructure Financing Platform f/ppp powered by the Blockchain technology. Most rural parts of Africa remain largely a cash economy and as such have been excluded from the mainstream financial sector. This platform will not only upscale financial inclusion, enhance stability and capability of rural communities in the sub-regions of the continent, it will also create opportunities for other financial service providers to innovate towards designing financial services and products that are customer-centric such as micro credits, savings and insurance.
3. THE GLOBAL REMOTE JOB MOBILIZATION INITIATIVE (SPECIAL PROJECTS/GRJMI/)
(Blockchain Powered)
Technical Partner — DITTOFI
It is no hidden secret that African economies are bleeding jobs in every sector accelerated by the Covid19 pandemic. To help mitigate this challenge, the ACOFDC will unveil and highlight its Special Project on Remote Job Mobilization Initiative (GRJMI), powered by the No-Code/Low-Code technology platform. This special project aims to train and certify 3.5 million Africans on the No-code/Low-code programing application that will give them the capability to perform as full stack developers within the programing and software development tech sector
RECENT INVESTMENTS IN AFRICA
1. Sendwave-$500M
2. Paystack-$200M
3. Flutterwave-$170M
NB: Fintech startups raised 24.9% of the total African VC funding. E-commerce, health tech, logistics and energy startups followed, respectively.
INVESTMENT INTO STARTUPS IN MINNESOTA-HOST CITY
In the past two (2) years, investments into startups in Minnesota have been over $3 BN.
“The US is home to more investors involved in deals in Africa than Africa itself: 133. US-based investors are however significantly less active than Africa-based investors: 87% of them have so far only participated in one deal.’’— The Big Deal
Showcasing:
Startups on the continent: Opportunity to bring on a world stage the ingenuity of Africa, unearthing some of the finest germs of startups with exciting products for the world
Startups in diaspora: With recent multi-million dollars investments going into startups owned by Africans in diaspora, illuminating on these latest trends shed more light into the potential that lies within these communities thereby attracting investments and growth.
Illuminate investment opportunities:
Seasoned speakers will illuminate on the key areas ripe for investment within the continent and in the diaspora community
Highlighting partnerships opportunities:
Dignitaries and diplomatic officials will speak during the event highlighting the possibilities of numerous PPP opportunities that exist within their countries. Startups showcasing exemplifies part of these opportunities available for partnership and investment facilitated by the public sector to ensure stability and sustainability
SIGNATURE EVENTS AT EAFORUM
1. Women In Tech.
2. Fireside chat with a dignitaries from the continent and the diaspora.
3. Keynote speakers.
4. Showcasing startups on the continent and diaspora.
5. Unveiling ACOFDC Initiatives.
Since 2021, EAFORUM has been bringing together some of the top thought leaders from across the globe. Over 200 delegates and 50 speakers representing more than 20 countries have attended the previous event, hailing from both the public and private sectors. EAFORUM’22 2022 will take place on September 25–28, 2022.
For more information, visit the event’s website at https://emergentafricaforum.com/
The EAFORUM’22 speakers includes:
- Dr. Chris Brooks
Managing Partner: Brown Venture Group
2. Roland Da Silva
MD: Strategy ARX Advisory <UK>
3. Brooks Clifford
CEO: Bidwell Investment Group
4.Katherine Johnson
Chief People & Legal Officer, Storj
5. Erin Horne Mckinney
National Executive Director, Howard University and PNC National Center for Entrepreneurship at Howard University
6. Vincent Reed
CEO: Eknox Tech
7. Matthew Bowen
Technology attorney & entrepreneur
8. Jordan Strudwick
Web3 Strategy Manager: Zimbali Networks
9. Lowell Fortune
Co-founder/CTO: Eknox Tech
10. Micheal Ude
Founder and CEO of Fan Fair
11. Brandon Ferdig
Director of Communications: Minnesota Blockchain Initiative
12. Sandi Bitenc
CEO of 3air
13. Armand Gaetan NGUETI
Founder/CEO: Universal Broadband & Technology Services — International Corp. (UBTS).
14. Dr. Paul Campbell
Managing Partner: Brown Venture Group: Managing Partner
15. David Palmer
Vodafone Business Blockchain Lead. UK
16. Tammy Francis, Ph.D
Founder/CEO: Catalyst 4 Change Global, LLC.
17. Lisa Esberger
President/founder. Verdethos
18. Navroop Sahdev
CEO; The Digital Economist
19. Prof. Kelly Kingsley Mua
Director for Finance Operations for Cameroon
20. Joshua Hawley
Managing Director, US Capital Global, UAE
21. Ike Nnamani
President & CEO, Medallion Communications
22. Anthony Adeleke
President/CEO: Minded Moves Technologies
23. Oyedeji Oluwoye
Cofounder/CTO, Canza Finance
24. Rafael Mojden
Director, MN Blockchain Initiative
25. Neela Mollgaard
Executive Director, Launch Minnesota
26. Parv Aggrawal
VP Partnerships, Wadzpay
27. Jazz Hampton, Esq.
CEO: Turn Signl
28. Thompson Aderonkomi
Founder: Nice Healthcare
29. Shelisa Demuth
Executive Director: BETA, Twin Cities Start Up Week, Tech MN
30. Eric Osuorah
CEO: AFOMA|SELLITIC
31. Micheal Jackson
Founder/CEO: Black Tech Talent
32. Anthony Adeleke
CEO: Minded Moves Technologies)
33. Odiakosa Obazeh
CEO: Shores Impact
34. Misky Abshir
CEO: Noma Capital
34. Clement
Engineer: Storj.io
35. Salman Elmi
Managing Partner: Noma Capital
36. Asia Mohamed
Managing Partner: Noma Capital
37.Cylton Collymore
Founder/CEO: Zimbali Networks
38. Hue Seth
Presenter: Hue Seth Show
EAFORUM’22 Organizing Committee:
- Dr. Chris Brooks (BVG)|Chairman
- Dr. Badewa Williams (NDIS)|Co-chair
- Misky Abshir (Noma Capital)| Co-chair
- Qomoo Atomsa(Webellen)| Co-chair
- Eric Kaigama (ACOFDC)|Member
- Jiraji Kelvin Tersoo (ACOFDC)|Member
- Hue Seth (Hue Seth Show)|Member
- Lara Dreier (BVG)| Member
- Odiakosa Obazeh (Shores Impact)|Member
- Lisa Esberger (MN Blockchain Initiative)|Member
- Anthony Adeleke (Minded Moves Technologies)|Member
Prepared by
Kelvin Tersoo Jiraji
Head of Communications, Africa Chamber of Digital Commerce (ACOFDC Inc.)
Email: kelvin@acofdcinc.org
Phone: +234 703 565 2264
