African Diaspora Marketplace III

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Western Union have launched the third round of the African Diaspora Marketplace (ADM III), an initiative that promotes sustainable economic growth and job creation in Africa by supporting African diaspora entrepreneurs. Launched in 2009 by USAID and Western Union, the African Diaspora Marketplace aims to encourage sustainable economic growth and employment by supporting African diaspora entrepreneurs. ADM entrepreneurs are individuals with demonstrable connections to or experience in Africa, and who have innovative and high impact start-ups or established businesses on the continent.

Since the first round of ADM, the initiative has also been supported by key resource partners, including The George Washington University Center for International Business Education and Research (GW-CIBER). GW-CIBER will continue to provide support and expertise during ADM III.  Additionally, this third round of the initiative will introduce three new resource partners:

• The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA);
• Homestrings Ltd.; and
• Deloitte LLP

MBDA will provide business training and support for potential applicants; Homestrings will provide a platform for awardees to raise follow-on capital; and as an ADM Partner, Deloitte intends to provide up to a maximum of USD 1,000,000 (one million) of in-kind professional technical assistance to either ADM grantees or qualified AWEP members to support the development of the grantees business.

Sponsors

Diaspora Matters

Diaspora Matters believes that through leveraging and networking diaspora communities, brain drain can become brain gain and brain exchange. Their consultants can recommend strategies that will lead to creative and innovative ways of converting what was once considered a national loss into a mutually beneficial national asset.

Ethiopian Airlines

Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopian) is the flag carrier of Ethiopia. During the past sixty-five plus years, Ethiopian has become one of the continent’s leading carriers, unrivalled in Africa for efficiency and operational success, turning profits for almost all the years of its existence.

Operating at the forefront of technology, the airline has also become one of Ethiopia’s major industries and a veritable institution in Africa. It commands a lion’s share of the pan-African network including the daily and double east-west flight across the continent. Ethiopian currently serves 81 international destinations operating the newest and youngest fleets.

I/O Spaces

I/O Spaces aims to be that creative co-working and makerspace for entrepreneurs, bloggers, you-tubers, nerds, designers, developers, geeks, scholars, techies, crafters and start-ups who want a collaborative co-working space environment in Downtown Silver Spring, Maryland.

Information about past awardees can be found here (ADM I Awardees, ADM II Awardees, ADM III Awardees, LDM Awardees)

AFRICAN DIASPORA MARKETPLACE III FACTSHEET

Participating Organization

• Deloitte LLP
• George Washington University Center for International Business and Education Research (GW-CIBER)
• Homestrings, Ltd.
• Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)
• Small Enterprise Assistance Funds (SEAF)
• United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
• Western Union

Resources Available

• Grants (awardees)
• Technical Assistance (grants and training)
• SME workshops and toolkit
• List of Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Centers; please click here
• More information on grants and support; please click here

Implementation

• Proposals must be implemented in one of the following African countries:
  • Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia

Number of Business Awards to be Granted

• Anticipated number of awardees will be determined based on grant pool, technical partners and qualified applicant

Eligibility Criteria and General Restrictions

• For the ADM III Eligibility Criteria, please click here.
• For ADM III General Restrictions, please click here

Anticipated Average Grant Size

• Grant size is highly dependent on businesses selected; awardees will receive grants of up to but not exceeding USD 50, 000 (which must be matched by the grantee), plus technical assistance from Deloitte Consulting

Evaluation Process and Criteria

• Learn more about the ADM III Evaluation process here.

Duration of Support

• Grants, technical support and monitoring will take place during a 12 month period, with technical assistance and monitoring extended for an additional 12 months, subject to a follow-on agreement.