“ You left the continent. But you never really left.”
That, in essence, was the message Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), delivered to a gathering of Engineers, founders, investors, and technology leaders in the heart of Silicon Valley in California, the United States of America as she called on Africans in the diaspora to own their role as the living bridge connecting Africa to global opportunity.
Dabiri-Erewa said this as a special guest at the 2026 Black Engineering Week (BEW) in San Jose, California, United States.
Themed: “Africans in Diaspora as Bridge Builders,” she challenged diaspora professionals to channel their expertise, influence, and resources into innovation, investment, and development on the African continent.
Pushing back on the long-held narrative of brain drain, she described Africans in the diaspora as “brain gain” and “brain circulation”, arguing that their contributions are simultaneously shaping technological advancement across the world and opening new doors of growth for Africa.
She said: “You live in two worlds and refuse to choose.
“You connect them.
“That is engineering at its highest level.”
Dabiri-Erewa identified three areas where the diaspora is already making its weight felt: talent, capital, and credibility.
She noted that while Black and African engineers remain underrepresented in Silicon Valley, they are among those building the technologies defining the future.
She added that NiDCOM is actively working with state governments and diaspora partners on initiatives to verify Nigerian talent, promote remote work opportunities, and make it easier for global companies to recruit skilled professionals from Nigeria.
On the economic front, Dabiri-Erewa pointed to the vast, largely untapped potential of diaspora remittances, saying that funds sent home by Nigerians in the diaspora, if channeled to investment, could become a powerful engine for industrialisation, entrepreneurship, climate technology, and venture capital investment if directed strategically into productive sectors.
She also drew attention to the reputational value of Nigerians and other Africans who occupy leadership positions in global technology companies, noting that their visibility continues to lift Africa’s image and inspire the next generation of innovators across the continent.
She urged diaspora professionals to give back with intention, encouraging them to mentor emerging talent, create employment and invest in young entrepreneurs.
She was equally direct with governments across Africa, calling on them to dismantle bureaucratic barriers and build the enabling environments that make diaspora investment and participation in national development genuinely attractive.
She also called for stronger collaboration between institutions in Silicon Valley and African universities, urging the expansion of internships, fellowships, research partnerships, and innovation programmes capable of unlocking opportunity for over 1.4 billion Africans.
Dabiri-Erewa noted that networks now run on technology, innovation, capital, and people.
Africa, she said, is poised to produce not only the world’s next billion digital users but also the engineers who will build solutions for the future.
The event also featured the Founders Showcase, sponsored by Adobe in partnership with San Jose State University and the Black Engineers Network, bringing together engineers, investors, and innovators for panel discussions, startup pitches, and diaspora-focused conversations.
President of the Black Engineers Association, Folarin Erogbogbo, described it as a platform designed to accelerate Black-led innovation, culminating in a Founder Demo Showcase and Judging Competition where selected founders pitched their startups before a live panel of judges.
On the sidelines of the conference, Dabiri-Erewa held discussions with the Supervisor of Santa Clara County, who expressed the county’s readiness to explore partnerships with Nigerian cities, particularly in healthcare, as part of efforts to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation between both regions.
