The African Diaspora Marketplace, a project jointly sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Western Union, and Ecobank, is inviting submissions of business plans from US-resident members of the African diaspora.

The business plans must explore entrepreneurial solutions to the social problems facing Africa, boost economic opportunity, and create jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa. 10 To 20 of the business plans will be chosen for implementation and will receive grants of between US$50 000 and US$100 000, as well as technical assistance and access to further financing opportunities and market networks.

Proposals must be implemented in one of the Sub-Saharan countries in which USAID has an on-the-ground presence and is able to provide technical assistance. These countries are: Angola, Burundi, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

To participate, candidates must meet the following criteria, among others:
-    Must be a member (or members) of the Sub-Saharan African Diaspora living in the United States as a US citizen or permanent resident;
-    Must have a local partner in the country of implementation; and
-    Grant funding requests should not exceed US$100 000 and should not be less than US$50 000.
The closing date for submissions is July 21st 2009. For more information visit www.diasporamarketplace.org or contact:
Lisa McConnell, Western Union, +27 11 549 3310, lisa.mcconnell@intl.westernunion.com  
Maureen O’Connell, Cone, 617-939-8330, moconnell@coneinc.com 
Gina Jackson, USAID, 202-712-1917, gjackson@usaid.gov
Abou Kone, Ecobank, +228 221 03 03, abokone@ecobank.com