In the conference, Youth from African Diasporas, one of the most driving conversations from the seminar was “Newest Resource from Africa: Students Traveling Overseas”. As presented by Lyric Abdul-Rasheed, Barbara Wankollie, Omuhle Ndhlovu, and with Dr. Jaynemarie Enyonam Angbah, the most prevalent topics discussed were about community in a diaspora, education, and Pan-Africanist philosophy. I was particularly interested in the example of Nigeria and how many students travel overseas to the United States to receive degrees. I also found it interesting that Nigeria advertises this as a new “resource to export”. In a postcolonial operating environment, this can present newly independent African nations with a new resource for their economies.
I think this panel was quite intriguing and offered an excellent supplemental piece of information for the first subject: Comparing both internal and external affairs for the African youth studying abroad as well as locally. Personally, this conversation offers a more solidified method to how developing countries such as Nigeria, Chad, Ivory Coast, and Ghana can grow without the necessity to export natural resources alone.
-Lucas Reid