Building a community of African diaspora leaders Africa 2.0 Spain & Ashoka
Spain’s geographical location positions it as a key country of destination for African migrants. Figures from 2019 show Spain has approximately a million people coming from Africa residing in Spain. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs recognises the potential of these communities and so has highlighted the role the African diaspora could play as economic, political and social drivers for their countries of origin. In its “Plan Africa”, the Spanish Government observes opportunities to link migration to sustainable development through the potential of the diaspora and brain circulation.
Africa 2.0 Spain and its partner Ashoka share the desire to encourage diaspora changemakers and strive to enhance the leadership role of African diaspora across Spain to drive sustainable development in their countries of origin, as well as in Spain.
In partnership with
Programme of activities
The action uses training sessions, master classes and peer-learning methods to develop leadership skills and build a community of leaders in Spain. The action also seeks to develop the organisational capacity of Africa 2.0 Spain through knowledge transfer activities, peer learning and mentoring, as well as scoping how to create a diaspora investment vehicle.
Africa 2.0 Spain and Ashoka Spain mapped 40 African diaspora leaders in Spain. Of the 40 identified leaders, 14 were selected to participate in the action's community-building programme.
A residential leadership training retreat took place in Madrid bringing together the action partners and selected leaders. The retreat included a masterclass on "Design thinking" and sessions on leadership in Africa, diaspora as a bridge for growth and development, and communications with a focus on new narratives. Sessions were facilitated by EUDiF, Africa 2.0 Spain, Ashoka and guest experts.
A negotiation expert provided the first set of online leadership trainings with a focus on negotiation. This two-part training included the critical elements of a negotiation: interests, Best Alternative to a Negotiation (BATNA), standards of legitimacy, and commitment. Further trainings included a session on "systems change" delivered by an Ashoka fellow and a two part training on diaspora investment.
The final leadership retreat took place in Madrid. Sessions included a masterclass on diaspora leadership and investment, systems change, mentorship and greater insight into the offerings of Africa 2.0 Spain and Ashoka.
A diaspora expert carried out a needs assessment process which included the completion of a survey and a face to face interview with Africa 2.0 Spain.
The outcomes of the assessment process fed into a series of workshops to support the identified gaps. These included: 1. Vision and planning 2. Structure and sustainability 3. Partnerships and relationships.
The expert supporting Africa 2.0 Spain is from the organisation, African Foundation for Development (AFFORD). Peer learning was incorporated throughout the OD workshops as, with over 25 years duration as a diaspora organisation, AFFORD were able to highlight the realities of growing a diaspora organisation.
The information gathered from the assessment combined with the areas covered in the workshops were compiled and shaped into a toolkit. The toolkit functions as a guidance document to assist Africa 2.0 Spain adopt the tools and progress their development.
Africa 2.0 Spain, Ashoka and EUDiF came together for an online validation meeting and workshop to go through the toolkit and handover finalised resources.
An expert from The Social Impact Consultancy (TSIC) carried out a baseline assessment, followed by stakeholder interviews and literature reviews between December 2022 and February 2023. Between February and April 2023, TSIC produced and trained Africa 2.0 on a tailored M&E framework to help the organisation monitor its activities and achieve its ambitions.
A diaspora investment expert supported Africa 2.0 Spain in a long-term goal of institutionalising a diaspora investment system for financial and skills investment. This would support entrepreneurs in the Ashoka network and beyond. The format of such a diaspora investment vehicle was scoped based on desk research and partner needs assessment and led to a briefing document as well as an investment vehicle being created for our partners.
Results
Africa 2.0 Spain completed a baseline and end-line assessment on the level their skills had been enhanced by the development support this action provided.