Weekly interest and loan rates |  Consumer affairs  |  Northwest stock contest PR Newswire |  The Microsoft Trial  |  Home values  |  More special projects

Expatriates form group to mentor African tech work

By Rina Chandran
Special to The Seattle Times

	Vijay Vashee
	E-mail this article Print this article Search web archive

Akhtar Badshah and John Sarpong first met because they were both lost. It was October 2000, and they were at the Digital Nations Conference at Harvard University, looking for the discussion on Ghana's digital divide.

They started talking about what had brought them to Boston. Badshah is the executive director of Seattle-based nonprofit Digital Partners Institute. Sarpong is the founder of Connecticut-based information technology and financial-services provider, Africast. They ended up missing the discussion on Ghana.

But not all was lost: Badshah and Sarpong began a collaboration that led to the formation of Digital Partners for Africa (DAPA), of which Sarpong became chairman. DAPA's goal is to link tech entrepreneurs in Africa and the United States to social entrepreneurs and start-ups experimenting with using digital technology for health care, education and economic opportunities for the poor.

The crowning moment came on July 12, when Sarpong addressed the meeting of the U.N. Information and Communications Technologies task force in New York, to announce the launch of the Digital Diaspora Network for Africa (DDNA). The agency's goal is to mobilize expatriate tech innovators and business leaders to create economic opportunities in Africa.

"We all have a very strong affinity to our home countries," said Sarpong, who comes from Ghana, and was formerly an avionics engineer and marketing analyst at Boeing. "The passion is already there — what's lacking is the leadership and organization."

DDNA (http://www.ddn-africa.org/) hopes to fill the gap by linking the expatriates, who will mentor development agencies working in Africa. DDNA will also adopt the model of TiE (The IndUS Entrepreneurs), which has successfully mobilized the Indian high-tech diaspora to invest its skills and resources in India.

"Unless the diaspora community encourages entrepreneurship in its native countries it is hard to get results," said Badshah, a former MIT faculty member who trained as an architect in India.

It is estimated that there are more than 6 million African expatriates in the U.S., although the unofficial figure is close to 10 million. Sarpong said they can have a big impact on Africa's socio-economic development if they are organized.

In addition, they must also have an "emotional spark" that ties them to their homeland, said Vijay Vashee, a Digital Partners Board member who is from Zimbabwe. Vashee recently retired as general manager at Microsoft.

At the U.N.'s Information and Communications Technologies meeting in July, a steering committee was formed to add members, develop the mentoring program, identify projects, raise funds and plan an annual Digital Bridge to Africa meeting. Participants had signed checks for $16,000 and set a goal of raising $100,000.

"The interest and momentum were intoxicating," said Sarpong, who also is the founder of Southline Engineering, a Westport, Conn., aircraft-engineering consulting services. "We have very high hopes."

One project that has already been identified entails setting up computer labs in high schools in Ghana. The goal is to educate 250 students over the next two years.

The program is expected to be funded by Ghanaian expatriates, and will first be launched in Sarpong's alma mater, Prempeh College. "We can set agendas, but the goal is to actually see projects realized," Sarpong said.

Education is a priority because of the acute problem of brain drain, or human capital flight. According to a World Bank study, some 70,000 highly skilled African professionals leave home every year; many of them never return.

Now, there is a chance of reversing the trend by mobilizing the e to generate resources and support for development programs back home. That is a big draw for expats like Njideka Ugwuegbu, who left Nigeria nine years ago.

"I see myself as a stakeholder as I have a direct interest in the sustainable development of Nigeria," said Ugwuegbu, a corporate finance and planning analyst at Microsoft.

Besides being an advisory board member for DDNA, she has led two tech programs for the youth in Nigeria, and is excited by the prospect of "unlocking" technical talent there.

"There are millions of young people who have technical skills but are unable to use them," she said. "We need initiatives that can ensure that technology is accessible and affordable to all."

Despite the enthusiasm and ambition, however, it is not going to be easy: Africa is a big continent, and basic problems such as political instability, differences in regulations, varying education levels and a lack of infrastructure and connectivity can hinder progress.

The other challenge is raising funds: "It's difficult because people's objectives have changed, and there are fewer resources after Sept. 11," Badshah said.

However, there is a heightened interest in Africa today, with the Year of Africa at the U.N., the G8 summit's focus on the continent, and rock star Bono's highly publicized tour there.

While most international organizations are dealing with the threat of AIDS, famine, civil wars or debt-relief, Digital Partners believes that it can also make a valuable contribution.

"We can make a difference by creating sustainable livelihoods and supporting local entrepreneurship," Badshah said.