AFRICAN UNION TECHNICAL

WORKSHOP MEETS IN TRINIDAD

Port of Spain --- Prime Minister Patrick Manning

welcomed a group of international experts attending the African Union's

Technical Workshop on the relations between the AU and the Diaspora. Over 50

participants from Africa, Canada, the Netherlands, Brazil, Barbados, Jamaica

and the USA listened intently as Minister Manning expressed his full support

for full integration of Africa and a strong relationship with Trinidad and

Tobago as well as the rest of the Diaspora.

The AU Technical Workshop

focused on the following issues: 1] vision, mission and the strategic plan

of the AU Commission; 2] the definition of the Diaspora; 3] the role of the

Diaspora in reversing the "brain drain"; 4] resource mobilization and

resource support including modalities for the creation of a Diaspora

Investment and Development Fund; 5] the modalities for the development of

scientific and technical networks to channel the repatriation of scientific

knowledge from the Diaspora to Africa; 6] the establishment of a Diaspora

database; and 7] strategies for effective mobilization of the African

Diaspora across the various regions.

After four and a half days of working

group meetings, the workshop participants produced a framework document that

put the relationship between the AU and the Diaspora in context and

establishes precise methods and procedures around a set of explicit

proposals, implications and options including a set of precise

recommendations for attaining suggested outcomes. Malcolm Beech chaired the

working group on Trade and Investment. According to Beech, "the African

Union is very serious about connecting to members of the African Diaspora

for mutually beneficial trade relationships".

The AU workshop was chaired

by Dr. Jinmi Adisa, representing the AU Commission and was held in

collaboration with the Western Hemisphere Diaspora Network (WHADN) and its

Secretariat in the Foundation for Democracy in Africa, Fred Oladeinde,

President.

The African Union's 3rd Ordinary Session of the "Heads of

State" Summit is to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from July 6-8, 2004.

This event will bring together heads of state and governments of the African

Union on issues of importance to Africa. NBL President, W. Ronald Evans is

joining the WHADN delegation going to the summit from July 1-8, 2004. Evans

hopes to "develop significant relationships with African leaders seeking

business relationships with African American business owners