Brain Gain : The African Diaspora: Catalysts for Change

The African diaspora, comprising approximately one-third of African professionals, plays a pivotal role in the continent's economic development. While many diaspora members contemplate returning, their decision is often influenced by factors such as economic opportunities, societal conditions, and consistent policy reforms. African governments are striving to prioritize balanced policy discussions, research, & open dialogue to address the challenges & opportunities facing the continent, engaging with the diaspora, local investors, & foreign stakeholders.

The Ethiopian diaspora, along with those of Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, & others, has demonstrated a remarkable capacity to positively influence economic development, social progress, & mindset change in their respective home countries. Their collective remittances into the African continent exceed $50 billion, showcasing their enduring commitment even during times of unrest and limited incentives.

The changing environment in Ethiopia and Africa as a whole requires a unique mix of determination, courage, passion, objectivity, and emotional intelligence to navigate the complexities of the emerging market. In the early 1990s, the country and the continent faced a shortage of skilled local talent in every sector of the economy. Historical factors and misrepresentation have led to skepticism, distrust, fear of adaptability, self-doubt, and a sense of powerlessness in the face of how the world has colonised, devalued, and misrepresented the most ancient and significant continent in the world. Despite the lack of formal business case studies to demonstrate the uniqueness of Africa and its 54 independent countries, I believe that Africa's potential to create a sustainable and inclusive future for itself is growing.

The Ethiopian diaspora, numbering over two million globally, contributes over three billion dollars annually to the Ethiopia's economy through remittances & investments. Despite challenges like restrictive business policies,  & limited access to capital, many diaspora members remain committed to returning & contributing to their homeland in whatever means. However, fostering stronger connections between the diaspora, local society, & opening its policy to global contribution has been a long-term process, hindered by limited supportive incentives, barriers to entry, and at times a hostile business environment, as well as political unrest.

Furthermore, second- and third-generation Africans living abroad, with dual citizenship have made countries like America their homes, but have remained active ambassadors of their African heritage. They contribute to their communities through involvement in the private sector, the establishment of churches, community centers, & a diverse selection of African shops & restaurants. Many also hold influential positions within academic institutions, & engage in geo-political discussions globally.

A growing number of African returnees are committed to supporting economic development in their respective African countries, fostering a progressive & inclusive society. Most professionals aim to provide innovative, inclusive, and sustainable solutions through policy reform, mindset shifts, and lifestyle changes. However, many of us, particularly professional women, face significant challenges in Africa. While 20% of us choose to stay, adapt, & build our strategic muscles, nearly 80% leave within +10yrs, due to family obligations, loss of assets, the uncertainties of an emerging market, lack of safety, bureaucratic business processes, & unforeseen circumstances, contributing to brain drain.

Driving positive economic changes requires effective policy reforms, capacity building, safety, security, trust, and a shift in mindset. While not everyone needs to return to Africa, especially in today's digital economy, contributions can be made through digital marketing, mobile money payments, e-commerce, offshoring, and remote work. After +15yrs of lobbying by the diaspora & foreign investors, online access to government services is gradually being recognized as an efficient method to grow the digital economy of Ethiopia.

After establishing my brand as a successful executive before coming to Ethiopia, I was fully aware of the challenges & risks associated with investing my time, resources, & capacity in an unpredictable emerging market. Despite my successful career trajectory, & potential for accumulating more wealth in the financial career in the wealthiest region in the world, I made the decision to pursue a more impactful & sustainable path toward economic, social & innovative development in Africa. I felt ready to go on an adventure of a lifetime! My parents were getting old, and I felt passionate about my calling, purpose & service. My goal was to broaden my understanding of the realities of Africa & specifically Ethiopia, learn from real-world experiences, & serve at whatever capacity to build impactful, structured, local, & sustainable solutions, as well as be part of the global network of conscious & responsible community.

I had a vision & remained steadfast in my pursuit of fostering sustainable & impactful economic development in Ethiopia, while maintaining a nomadic nature. I focused on understanding the social complexity, business ecosystem, & the volatile changes in power & government policy in Africa, as well as the significance of the social fabric. Through hard work, & being in the right place at the right time, I was headhunted for the opportunity of a lifetime. I became the youngest chief operating officer of a startup international commercial bank that was a woman, led by a global and local group of dynamic, successful investors that were were visionary local & international expertes. Which included partners of Fortune 500 international Management companies; Founders & owners of financial technology services providers globally; successful New York Investment bankers, carefully selected marketing experts with a global network & exposure; as well as hand picking highly qualified bankers locally & globally; introducing human resource policy respectable of Ethiopias labour law but inclusive of international inclusive banking & equal opportunity hiring & growth guidelines. Our collective vision, & success was in building capacity by having inhouse training, fostering the inception of the digital economy, opening the Ethiopian capital market, incorporating credit policy to provide access to finance from the unbanked, having a corporate social responsibility policy for employees, the society we serve & encouraging MSME, as well as being an agile bank startup to be part of introducing Financial Technology to lobby the jumpstart of the digital economy in the Ethiopian banking industry. 

After I joined Zemen bank, we got our banking license, hired all senior staff, made sure all policies were in place, trained inhouse our +50 employees, as well as making a mark in being the first bank owned by a diverse group of 2800 shareholders, and inaugurated in a year of formation, breaking even without loss within 2yrs, which is unheard of in the global banking & financial industry. These two years while also taking care of my father before he passed away, as well as travelling around Africa, Europe & America taking a year sabbatical gave me an immense awareness of where and how I can serve.

It takes a lot of courage and dedication to work on impactful and sustainable projects in a complex society like Africa, especially Ethiopia. We had successfully created innovative, inclusive, and sustainable policies, while launching a successful marketing campaign that enabled the international bank to make its mark in the Ethiopian Banking Industry as disruptors. The inhouse server, senior local staff & international consultants in the Finacial Technology department at Zemen bank at the startup were the most qualified, innovative, & visionaries that introduced digital financial economy to Ethiopia. It was an eye opening life change as I knew my Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats of where I can serve in the new global frontier in Africa. 

I created deldeyoch to document my process, carefully selecting projects, years of research, hard work, and building my network, I identified a common issue across various sectors, including private, government, academic, financial institutions, NGOs, & foreign investors. Most were outdated institutions, unhealthy structures, lacking visionaries, inefficient, and lacked innovative, & transparent policies, leadership, & availability of capacity, to reform, as well as make access to capacity & capital more regionally distributed.

In my journey, I realised commercial banking was outdated, the digital economy with financial technology services is the way forward to level the playing field for Africa. I have been able to participate in grassroots initiatives in a meaningful, sustainable, innovative, impactful & mindful way. This has improved my agility, awareness, global network, humanistic approach, innovative troubleshooting bottlenecks, flexibility, introspection, becoming an expert in structuring operational processes, & incorporating policies as well as executive coaching in my projects, to support the Entrepreneur ecosystem in Ethiopia.

It dawned on me that while America's economy thrived on small, medium, and startups to create a middle class, it was impossible to access finance, build capacity, and have the legal framework for the youth to have the tools to succeed as entrepreneurs. I invested in myself, travelled around Africa & Ethiopia, and found my niche. I chose to be part of projects that develop impactful & sustainable entrepreneur ecosystems for MSMEs and startups. I wanted to be part of building capacity and work with different organizations to create processes, & structures. I attended forums, workshops, and high-level conferences while travelling globally. I wanted to understand the history, complexities, & stakeholders involved in the African business ecosystem & how I can be part of the change I seeked.

Through my journey, I established my digital company, deldeyoch, which means "bridges" in Amharic, an Ethiopian language. I discovered my niche in building capacity through workshops, and mentorship programs, promoting inclusivity, ethical business practices, drafting policies, and structuring operating processes in a hands-on approach. I actively sought out and pitched project ideas, invested my resources in various positions within international and local institutions, and participated in startups at different stages of growth, coaching senior staff. My goal was to establish a professional approach to structuring operating processes and organizational frameworks that foster growth, transparency, and inclusivity. This path led me to build my brand as part of the entrepreneurial supportive business ecosystem, as well as do a SWOT analysis on myself as to the limitations of my skills, tools & expertise.

Despite the value of my formal education & experience in a developing world, I still needed to fully prepare myself for the unique challenges of the African continent, specifically the Ethiopian business ecosystem. Through my experiences with various projects, I developed skills such as innovation, adaptability, and a diverse network within Ethiopia and Africa. I also recognized the importance of mentors, coaching, & the need for stakeholder engagement, as well as diplomacy, as well as a lot of spiritualty, passion and endurance. 

Embarking on a journey driven by passion, service, and purpose demands deep introspection and critical self-assessment. It requires awareness, information, capital, and the agility to navigate successes, failures, challenges, financial losses, and redirections. This process fosters growth not only as individuals but also as organizations, societies, and ultimately, as humanity.

An Annual self-assessment enables me to identify my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats(SWOT), & risk mitigation as a critical personal evolution, to grow & serve. As an authentic empowered woman serving in a male-dominated patriarchal society, as well as a matriarchy that supports outdated institutions that has barriers to entry for women. I chose to be my authentic self, aware, private, & purposeful while serving in an ancient nation, society, religion, culture, & social fabric. My aim as deldeyoch(bridges) is to understand "what happened to us", so as I can serve in bridging the past to the present, and be part of reimaging Africa towards global influence.

I have come to understand why marriage, having children, and being part of traditional institutions backed by family are viewed as a means of security and survival in Africa, often protecting the powerful feminine divinity to be distracted. It took a journey of self-discovery, travelling through Africa, & extensive exploration of my humanity, Ethiopia & Africa, to connect with a diverse group of people and comprehend our history, the forces at play, and their implications. I am committed to serving based on factual evidence, data, and real-life situations on the ground by personally selecting specific projects. I have dedicated my time to researching, gaining insight, and understanding the intricate nature of my vision, purpose, and passion.  My mindset has been shifted, I feel ready, aware, mindful & grateful of my growth. It takes a collective effort to reimage Africa from dependency on aid to self-sufficiency through trade & self-sufficiency.

During my travels in Africa, I had the chance to observe the effects of colonization, the struggles of closed societies and economies, and the impact of the West on Africa's socio-economic situation. Engaging in conversations with various stakeholders, startups, and decision-makers, and serving as an advisor on association boards, I gained an understanding of the significance of innovative technology, enhancing the digital economy, and implementing transparency and substantial reforms to foster a more equitable environment.

As the next generation of pioneering African leaders, we are learning from the past to forgive, while embracing a forward-thinking approach for collective progress as humanity. African leaders need to be inclusive, thick-skinned, vigilant, maintain resilience, be sharp, thrive in challenging situations with empathy, foster trust, be private, not take people's fear personally, and drive impactful, built-to-last changes to foster progress. It is not a popularity contest; Africa is a land from which the global world comes. You will not be liked by everyone, as reform takes personal sacrifice.

Our ancestors have taught us that to avoid colonization of our land and minds, we must be vigilant, well-informed, focused, aware, disciplined, detached, in light, & alert. We should detach from emotions, respect nature, seek assistance from allies, work with love & light, and understand that darkness, poverty, & egoic mindset is the enemy. Do not trust anyone but God's timing, never betray your intuition even for your family, be private, and recognize our interconnected nature as humanity to start after failure. If our intention is for progress, health, growth, and the good of the collective, then failure, challenges, detours, and tests are ways to redirect us to fully grasp & examine the realities of our intentions. 

It is a delicate balance to be patient, vigilant, private, resilient, sharp, never giving up, to forgive, & being flexible to rebuild & foster one's support system. We need to know when to let go, trust in love, be wise, seek your passion, & rebuild in times of attack & failure. Africa's time is now!

Despite facing challenges & setbacks, including high barriers to entry, economic instability, & lack of capacity at times, the diaspora's investments and resources have contributed immensely to the Ethiopian digital economy.

Investing in Africa & transitioning from aid to trade requires a long-term commitment. This involves building capacity, providing access to finance, establishing structured ESO networks, an inter-trade currency between African countries, ease of doing business, as well as travel & cultural exchange.

By Dutchess @Deldeyoch, MBA


"Bridging the gap to optimizing the business ecosystem to be inclusive, impactful, digitalized, sustainable & profitable."