Dabiri-Erewa Urges African Diaspora To Become Bridge Between Africa, Global Opportunities
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The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has called on Africans living abroad to leverage their knowledge, influence, and resources to drive innovation, investment, and sustainable development across the continent.
Speaking at the 2026 Black Engineering Week (BEW) in San Jose, California, themed “Africans in Diaspora as Bridge Builders,” Dabiri-Erewa described members of the African diaspora as the vital link connecting Africa with global opportunities.
Addressing an audience of engineers, technology founders, investors, and industry leaders in Silicon Valley, in a statement, she challenged diaspora professionals to play a more active role in Africa’s transformation.
“You left the continent. But you never really left,” she said, adding, “You live in two worlds and refuse to choose. You connect them. That is engineering at its highest level.”
Rejecting the long-standing narrative of “brain drain,” Dabiri-Erewa argued that Africans abroad represent “brain gain” and “brain circulation,” noting that their expertise is helping to shape technological advancement worldwide while creating new opportunities for Africa.
She identified talent, capital, and credibility as the three major strengths through which Africans in the diaspora are contributing to the continent’s development.
According to her, although Black and African engineers remain underrepresented in Silicon Valley, many are among those building the technologies that will define the future.
She disclosed that NiDCOM is partnering with state governments and diaspora organisations to verify Nigerian talent, promote remote work opportunities and facilitate the recruitment of skilled Nigerians by global companies.
On economic development, Dabiri-Erewa highlighted the immense potential of diaspora remittances, saying funds sent home by Nigerians abroad could become a powerful driver of industrialisation, entrepreneurship, climate technology and venture capital if strategically invested in productive sectors.
She also noted that Nigerians and other Africans occupying leadership positions in global technology companies continue to enhance Africa’s image internationally while inspiring younger generations of innovators across the continent.
The NiDCOM Chairman urged diaspora professionals to intentionally mentor young talents, create jobs and invest in emerging entrepreneurs, while calling on African governments to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks and create an enabling environment that encourages diaspora participation in national development.
She further advocated stronger collaboration between institutions in Silicon Valley and African universities through expanded internship programmes, fellowships, research partnerships and innovation initiatives capable of unlocking opportunities for Africa’s over 1.4 billion people.
According to her, Africa is positioned not only to produce the world’s next billion digital users but also the engineers who will build the technologies of the future.
The conference also featured a Founders Showcase sponsored by Adobe in partnership with San Jose State University and the Black Engineers Network. The programme brought together engineers, investors and innovators for panel discussions, startup pitches and conversations on strengthening Black-led innovation.
President of the Black Engineers Association, Folarin Erogbogbo, said the initiative was designed to accelerate Black-led innovation, culminating in a Founder Demo Showcase and judging competition where selected entrepreneurs pitched their startups before a panel of judges.
On the sidelines of the conference, Dabiri-Erewa also met with the Supervisor of Santa Clara County, who expressed the county’s readiness to explore partnerships with Nigerian cities, particularly in the healthcare sector, as part of efforts to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation between both regions.
