Arlington, Virginia, May 24, 2024 — America’s Frontier Fund (AFF) announced it will serve as a strategic partner to the Partnership for Digital Access in Africa (PDAA), which was announced today by the White House. In addition to the White House, other partners include the International Trade Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce, the International Finance Corporation at the World Bank, Smart Africa, America’s Frontier Fund, the African Leadership Group, LifeHikes, SpaceX, HMD Global, and Nokia. Additional supporters include former President of Liberia and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and NBA superstar, philanthropist, and entrepreneur Shaquille O'Neal. Gilman Louie, AFF’s Co-Founder and CEO, will serve as one of the four co-chairs of the PDAA.
PDAA was created in response to President Biden's 2022 launch of the Digital Transformation with Africa (DTA) initiative and Vice President Kamala Harris' recent Call to Action. Specifically, it seeks to resolve the disparity in internet access between Africa and the rest of the world. By bringing together private and public sector leaders from Africa, the United States, and other parts of the world, PDAA aims to provide affordable internet access to 1 billion Africans by 2023, lower the cost of internet-enabled devices on the continent, and upskill millions of Africans to increase the utilization of digital technology.
“Connecting 1 billion Africans to the internet by 2030 will require a new kind of tech diplomacy that coordinates government, industry, and philanthropy on an unprecedented scale,” said Louie. “This is just the kind of problem AFF was built for, and we are excited and honored to work with our partners to achieve this bold mission.”
The collaboration with PDAA is part of AFF’s broader effort to develop a robust platform of tech diplomacy forums that can support the national interest in ways that match the growing influence of technology in international affairs.
“AFF envisions a world where technologies serve as a bridge rather than a barrier, where innovations lead to opportunities for all, and where diplomacy and technology work hand in hand to tackle the challenges of our time,” said Jordan Blashek, AFF’s President. “Through PDAA, AFF will be able to foster international relationships, promote peace, and solve global challenges, especially those affecting the ever increasingly important Global South.”
About America’s Frontier Fund
America's Frontier Fund (AFF) is dedicated to rebuilding the foundations of America’s innovation base. Through our nonprofit, we create and fund promising initiatives designed to fill capacity gaps that will not be solved by the government or the market. Through our investment funds, we create long-term commercial value and financial returns by partnering with founders, scientists, research labs, and government agencies to build and scale frontier technologies that strengthen America and its global partners. AFF's core emphasis is on artificial intelligence, advanced communications, advanced manufacturing, synthetic biology, energy, microelectronics, and other crucial, emerging technologies shaping the future.
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Media contact:
Alex El-Fakir
media@americasfrontier.org