Building a Bridge named SIDAF

In 2020, at a time when a global pandemic took the world by storm and tested the very spirit of humanity, a group of colleagues joined forces in the name of compassion, in the name of Ghana, in the name of Africa. Looking beyond the dismal statistics, the group of Ghanaian-Americans longed for a healing of Ghana and its people. The dream, however, did not stop there. Pre-organizational meetings focused on building a connection to Ghana from around the world, in uplifting and empowering its people once and for all; however, the group decided their services had the ability to uplift not only Ghana, but all of Africa.  

Hoping to bring awareness to the treasures of Ghana and to draw a bridge between Ghanaians at home and Ghanaians around the world, to Africans within the continent and Africans around the globe, as well as a conscious inclusion of allies worldwide, the group of colleagues formed an organization named SIDAF Inc. The acronym reflects the strength in its mission as priority efforts lie in how to Solve, Incubate, Deploy Africa. SIDAF was created as a charitable, non-profit organization and is expected to make great changes in the continent as it keeps its vision at heart. Since its launch, SIDAF has been dedicated to  

promoting collaboration among individuals in the African diaspora and solving the collective issues and challenges Africans face today. 

Climbing, Crossing and Committing to the Bridge

As an organization with efforts in collaboration, planning and resourcing, SIDAF uses a focused approach which aims to identify needs in communities throughout the continent as the first part of its methodology. Secondly, SIDAF seeks to learn and understand the resources available within the communities so that identified needs are addressed with feasible solutions. SIDAF designs pilot programs for trial and incubation in a developmental phase followed by research, analysis and evaluation reports in order to then deploy successful, sustainable pilot programs at scale. 

SIDAF programs span domains such as Healthcare, Education, Community Capacity and Skills Building, Personal Development, Sanitation, African Cultural Renaissance, Coaching and Mentoring, and Tourism. These programs aim to promote positive perceptions of the interest and ability of Africa and the African diaspora. 

Keeping with a commitment to build a future of greats, SIDAF is committed to mentoring and training young leaders – high school graduates and university students – as they develop their abilities to be successful at project implementation in their areas of interest. SIDAF recognizes that developing a capable pipeline of future visionaries and problem solvers is key to sustaining the vision of a self-propelling Africa.

Separation of Land and People

For every smile that adorns the face of a Ghanaian – whether on the bustling streets of Accra or the relatively hushed roads of Banda Ahenkro – there is a headline in the news prompting one to question how the natives are able to survive, much less share their warmth through a smile. UNICEF reports offer alarming observations of Ghana: 1.2 million households living in extreme poverty with inadequate resources to meet their basic needs; widespread vulnerability to life-threatening illness, disability, unemployment, and loss of assets; unfavorable trends predicted to pass onto future generations of children, hindering learning in school and subsequent future productivity. If ever there was a time when Ghana was in dire need of helping hands, it is now. 

As the people of Ghana struggle to survive extreme conditions, their chief preoccupation lies in survival. The well-known proverbial phrase, “Ghanaians are magicians,” is often spoken in awe, highlighting the incomprehensible way in which Ghanaians are able to survive on more than what they earn. Nonetheless, the struggle continues. The question then becomes, how can a people focused on finding their next meal or securing steady income, a people focused on saving their every pesewa – how can they be expected to pull their country out from the deficits that have come to define them when they struggle to do this for themselves? 

The answer lies in a bridge – the bridge between Ghana and its diaspora.

The People of SIDAF

SIDAF volunteers are passionate about collaboration and understand its generation-impacting power. Students and professional members of various fields and trades donate their time and resources to help unleash Africa’s full potential. 

SIDAF accomplishes planning, resourcing and monitoring through its collaborative, web-based Office365 platform.  With this platform, Collaborators, Resource Persons and Registered SIDAF volunteers work together in a fulfilling endeavor that affects change and has a long-lasting positive impact, certain to be seen and felt by many generations to come.  

Through its collaborative platform and volunteer programs, SIDAF plans, resources and monitors projects such as the Elmina Freedom Beach Promenade Program (EFBPP), which is organized and led by SIDAF’s sister organization, the Foundation for Remembrance and Economic Emancipation, (F.R.E.E.!). and Designed to transform 1.6 miles of coastline into a clean, protected, site of commemoration, celebration, and camaraderie, EFBPP honors the global historical significance of the unassuming fishing town of Elmina, Ghana.  

Organizations such as F.R.E.E! leverage the collaborative resource pool and environment that SIDAF provides to implement and execute plans on a local level. Through awareness projects such as the EFBPP, SIDAF plays a critical role in ensuring that the desired program outcomes and goals of F.R.E.E. are realized. 

SIDAF is an organization built by real people looking to make real changes. We are SIDAF. We are here to inspire and empower Africans on the continent to be self-reliant by harnessing under-utilized local resources, human and naturally-abundant. We leverage the benefits of collaboration and data-based decision making to improve the lives of Africans, through effective and sustainable socio-cultural and economic solutions. Through collaboration, we transform. We are SIDAF. We are all SIDAF.