US President Appoints CEO of Pan-African Fintech, Chipper on Advisory Council for African Diaspora Engagement

Ham Serunjogi, co-founder and CEO of Chipper Cash, alongside 11 other African Americans will serve as a member of the US advisory council on African diaspora engagement.

According to the White House, the Council’s members are exceptional individuals who have proven themselves in government, sports, creative industries, business, academia, social work, and faith-based activities.

Following the appointment, Serunjogi, said: “I look forward to advising President Biden on a range of issues, including how to strengthen relations between Africa and the United States, promoting trade and investment and building educational exchanges, among other issues,”

The 12-member advisory council which was announced on September 26, 2023, will provide invaluable guidance to reinforce cultural, social, political, and economic ties between the U.S. and Africa, and promote trade, investment, and educational exchanges between the United States and Africa until 2025.

Before Joe Biden signed the executive order that led to the council’s establishment, Dana Banks the special assistant to the president and special adviser for the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, said: “African voices are essential to solving global problems. To elevate these voices, one of our primary focuses is to widen our circle of engagement to include African Diaspora communities,”

On December 13, 2022, President Biden eventually signed the executive order directing the Secretary of State to establish an advisory council on African diaspora engagement in the United States.

The White House also said that “the African Diaspora in the United States, a rich and diverse community of African Americans and African immigrants, is foundational to our 21st century partnership with Africa. This community, which includes descendants of enslaved Black Americans, has long advocated for the prosperity of the African continent and its people and strengthened the unique relationship between the United States and Africa”.

Apart from Ugandan, the 11 other members of the Council include Silvester Scott Beaman, who will serve as the Chair, Mimi E. Alemayehou, Almaz Negash, Rosalind Brewer, Viola Davis, Helene D. Gayle, Patrick Hubert Gaspard, C.D. Glin, Osagie Imasogie, Chinenye Joy Ogwumike, and Kevin Young.