Africa Centre Ireland

BACKGROUND 

The Africa Centre Ireland is an African diaspora led Non- Governmental Organisation that facilitates the integration and inclusion of African diaspora in all aspects of life in Ireland and their contribution to sustainable development on the African continent. The organisation’s work in Ireland focuses on three main areas including:

1. Community Participation Programme - that facilitates the African diaspora communities in Ireland to engage in activities aimed at social inclusion and integration through community mobilisation and participation projects.

2. Campaign and Advocacy Programme: facilitates the African diaspora voices informing positive narratives of Africa and Africans in Ireland and at the global level. This includes showcasing African diaspora views on global issues and facilitating dialogue through raising awareness on African issues with their “Africa Also Smiles” educational resources and themes for discussions.

3. Africa Programme on Sustainable Development Activities: are run through our West Africa regional office in The Gambia. The programme facilitates African diaspora experts' engagement in sustainable development through skills transfer (mentoring), partnership with government institutions, the private sector and international agencies for implementing development projects aimed at job creation, investment and trade promotion, health education and prevention, agriculture and sustainable livelihoods, education and environmental protection.

CURRENT PROJECTS

African Diaspora Community Engagement and Participation: This is mainly with our members and diaspora leaders around the country, including youth leaders.

• African Diaspora Engagement Activities: The Africa Centre is working with African diaspora leaders on mental health, racism & discrimination, capacity development for member organisations and entrepreneurship skills development for the growing youth population.
  
• The International Decade for People of African Descent: The Africa Centre is leading the campaign on the recognition of the International Decade for People of African Descent in Ireland. The organisation and its members are advocating for the voice of Africans in Ireland which also includes raising awareness on the challenges and barriers faced by Africans to access, health care, education, housing and employment.
• The Africa Centre Civic Participation project: This project focuses on mobilising the African diaspora living in Ireland to engage and be involved in civic and political participation. It runs voters’ education and mobilisation programmes targeting the African diaspora in Ireland to prepare them for approaching elections.

Campaign and Advocacy Initiatives (Africa Also Smiles  & Africa Tell It Like It I: are campaigns run by the Africa Centre Campain and Advocacy  Programme to educate the public on facts from the African continent on resources, minerals, and its people than the distorted information about the African continent which are not facts.

The Africa Programme: This project aims at providing capacity building, learning opportunities and exchange of expertise between Gambian diaspora experts and various Government Institutions, and individual mentees, which included returnees. It also work with women vetable grows to form cooperatives and have access to he markets and youth entrepreneurship for returned and would be migrants to make life at home in The Gambia.