Establishing the President's Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States
The order creates a new advisory council within the Department of State to strengthen engagement between the U.S. government and the African Diaspora — including African Americans and African immigrants — and directs the Secretary of State to establish it within 180 days.
Establishes a formal channel for up to 12 community and professional representatives to advise the President on equity, cultural ties, and economic connections linking the United States, Africa, and the global African Diaspora.
What this order does
What it orders
The order directs the Secretary of State to establish the President's Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States within 180 days, housed inside the Department of State. The Council will consist of up to 12 appointed members drawn from African American and African immigrant communities, representing fields such as government, business, academia, sports, and faith-based activities. Members serve two-year, uncompensated terms. The Secretary of State designates the Chair and an Executive Director from senior State Department staff.
The Council's function is to advise the President — through the Secretary of State and then the National Security and Domestic Policy advisers — on topics including equity for African Diaspora communities, cultural and economic ties between the United States and Africa, educational exchange programs, and trade and investment initiatives. The order funds the Council from existing State Department appropriations and requires at least quarterly plenary meetings. It does not create any enforceable legal rights.
Who it affects
The Department of State, which must create and administer the Council; up to 12 appointed representatives from African American and African immigrant communities; and federal agencies whose programs on equity, exchange, and trade with Africa will be subject to the Council's recommendations.
Why it matters
African American and African immigrant communities gain a formal advisory body with a direct line to the President and senior national security and domestic policy officials. Agencies running programs like Prosper Africa and the Young African Leaders Initiative may receive targeted recommendations from community representatives.
What must happen and when
How the order is supposed to work
The Secretary of State bears the full administrative load: establishing the Council within 180 days, appointing members, designating the Chair and an Executive Director, and providing funding from existing appropriations. The Council advises upward through the Secretary of State, then to the National Security Adviser and Domestic Policy Adviser before reaching the President. Meetings must occur at least quarterly. The Federal Advisory Committee Act applies, with presidential functions delegated to the Secretary of State per GSA guidelines.
Actions and deadlines
- Establish the President's Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement within the Department of State
- Appoint up to 12 Advisory Council members representing the African Diaspora
- Designate a Council Chair from among the appointed members
- Designate a senior State Department officer to serve as Executive Director of the Council
- Convene Advisory Council plenary sessions on at least a quarterly basis