Rethinking Collaboration in African Diaspora Communities:Lessons for Collective Growth

Across the African diaspora, conversations about empowerment, visibility, and integration are

becoming increasingly prominent. Yet one critical factor often remains underexplored: the quality

of collaboration within our own communities.

Illustrative image. Credit: creative commons

History reminds us that collective effort has always been central to African progress. As Kwame

Nkrumah famously stated, “If we are to create the Africa we want, unity is our greatest strength.”

While his words were directed at continental liberation, they remain strikingly relevant for African communities navigating life in the diaspora today.

In many host countries, migrant communities from Asia and the Indian subcontinent have

demonstrated how collaboration can translate into long-term stability. Through pooled resources,

intergenerational businesses, shared property ownership, and structured mentorship, they have

created systems that outlive individuals. Their success is not accidental; it is built on intentional

cooperation and trust-based networks.

African diaspora communities, by contrast, often operate in fragmented ways. Despite abundant

talent, innovation, and resilience, collaboration can sometimes give way to unhealthy competition.

Knowledge may be guarded rather than shared, visibility pursued individually rather than

collectively, and leadership viewed as a zero-sum space. These patterns are rarely driven by ill

intent. More often, they stem from lived experiences of scarcity, exclusion, migration trauma, and

the pressure to succeed in systems that were not designed with us in mind.

However, the cost of weak collaboration is significant. It limits economic growth, keeps businesses

small and isolated, weakens community organisations, and reduces opportunities for younger

generations seeking guidance and role models. When communities fail to build together, progress

becomes slow and vulnerable.

This is not a question of capacity. African diaspora communities possess the skills, creativity, and

cultural capital needed to thrive. What is required is a deliberate shift from individual survival to

collective sustainability. Collaboration must move beyond rhetoric and become structured through clear roles, mutual respect, transparent leadership, and shared economic and social goals.

At African Media Association Malta, collaboration is understood as both a value and a practice.

Through media literacy, dialogue, storytelling, and community engagement, the organisation works to create spaces where African voices are not only heard but strengthened through cooperation. These spaces are essential for nurturing trust, encouraging learning, and promoting collective problem-solving.

Rethinking collaboration does not mean ignoring the real structural barriers African migrants face. Rather, it means recognising that unity is a tool of empowerment. When individuals rise and

intentionally create pathways for others, communities grow stronger and more resilient.

The future of African diaspora communities will not be shaped by isolated success stories alone. It

will be defined by our ability to build systems, share responsibility, and invest in one another.

Collaboration is not a loss of identity or recognition it is the foundation of lasting impact.

About the Author

Racheal Ikulagba writes as a community-led impact project manager focused on capacity building,

leadership, and sustainable change.