​PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:
​
-
Development of international student exchange programs between Black Americans and the rest of the Black world.
​
-
Creation of new schools in sub-Saharan Africa and the development of a new culturally relevant and empowering curriculum for African students.
​
-
Foreign investment to foster job creation and economic development in sub-Saharan Africa and majority-Black countries in the Caribbean.​​
STRATEGIC FOCUS
​
The Black Achievement Fund is not only concerned about the condition of Black people in America, we are concerned about the condition of Black people all over the world. To this end, we created the International Affairs Department to foster lasting educational, social, economic, and cultural exchanges between Black Americans, Black Africans, and the rest of the African Diaspora, which includes Black people all over the world.
​
The Strategic Focus of the International Affairs Department is to form a bridge between African cultures through international exchange and study abroad programs, and to stimulate economic empowerment through knowledge sharing, foreign investment and trade. To achieve these objectives, the department will focus on building state-of-the-art schools in sub-Saharan Africa and working with African leaders and educators to develop a modern curriculum that incorporates industrial training that will provide the skills necessary to foster and support strategic economic development initiatives. In conjunction with building schools and developing a modern curriculum, the International Affairs Department will partner with African countries on implementing mutually beneficial economic development projects.
YEAR 1 BUDGET
$25 Million
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
International Student Exchange Program
We have a lot to learn from our African brothers and sisters on the African continent and throughout the African Diaspora and vice versa. Therefore, the BAF will create international exchange and study abroad programs to share knowledge, foster understanding, and develop commercial links between Black Americans and those living throughout the African Diaspora.
​
Our international exchange and study abroad programs will be fully funded and open to high school and college students as well as individuals BAF members 18+ seeking such an educational opportunity. Our programs will be project-based, forcing students to solve a real world community problem through theoretical reasoning and applied knowledge. Students will also study African history from the origins of humanity in Africa 200,000 years ago, not from the period of enslavement or colonialism.
Financial Aid to Build New Schools
According UNESCO, the sub-Saharan region of Africa​ "has the highest rates of education exclusion. Over one-fifth of children between the ages of about 6 and 11 are out of school, followed by one-third of youth between the ages of about 12 and 14. According to UIS data, almost 60% of youth between the ages of about 15 and 17 are not in school." Furthermore, many schools lack basic resources such as "access to electricity, potable water and modern textbooks, and seven out of ten countries fac[e] an acute shortage of teachers."
​
The BAF will provide financial aid to build new schools in sub-Saharan Africa that will educate a new generation of African youth to become empowered, productive citizens. Additionally, it will work with African leaders and educators to develop a modern, culturally relevant curriculum that incorporates industrial training that will provide the necessary skills for community building and economic development.
Economic Development
According to a 2018 UNDP Africa study, sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest rate of foreign investment than any other region in the world.​ "For instance, sub-Saharan Africa’s share of global net FDI between 2010 and 2016 stood at 1.87%, compared to 30.34% for Europe, 26.45% for East Asia and Pacific, 17.334% for North Africa and 13.25% for Latin America and the Caribbean," the study notes. Yet, "during 2006-2011, the region experienced the highest rate of return on FDI (11.4%) compared to 9.1% in Asia or 8.9% in Latin America and the Caribbean. The world’s average was 7.1%." What this says is that sub-Saharan Africa generates the highest rates of return on foreign investment, yet it receives the least amount of foreign investment capital, which hinders economic growth and development.
​
Through the International Affairs Department, the BAF will provide strategic foreign investment in sub-Saharan African countries to spur mutual economic growth.