By 2100, more than one in four people will be African. Africa’s population growth is at the center of the global demographic story, with five of the eight countries projected to drive over half of global growth by 2050—Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Tanzania. At Generation1.ca, we believe in the transformative power of stories—especially those from the margins that move the world forward and connect diasporas across borders. In Canada, South Asian, Chinese, and Black communities currently make up the top three racialized immigrant groups—but by 2040, Black immigrants are projected to surpass Chinese immigrants in number. In the US, Black immigrants are expected to make up nearly 10% of the total population by 2065, marking a significant demographic and cultural shift.
That’s why I am proud to announce the launch of AfroRise 2050: A Generation1.ca Fellowship of Movers and Arrivers— designed to amplify the voices of African-origin immigrants shaping North America’s present and future. In my award-winning work, I’ve shown that future immigration to Canada and the US will increasingly include Africans, even amid broader immigration shifts. As a social enterprise and professional community association, Generation1.ca is rooted in advancing immigrant inclusion through research, data innovation, and equitable career pathways. With so many of our members hailing from African nations, this chapter is not only timely—it’s essential. It gives form and purpose to our shared ambition: to build a more just, connected, and opportunity-rich world by 2050.
Why AfroFutures, Why Now?
African nations like Nigeria, Eritrea, and the Democratic Republic of Congo consistently rank among the top sources of immigrants to Canada—over 22,000 Nigerians became permanent residents in 2022 alone. Meanwhile, the US welcomes more than 100,000 African immigrants annually, with Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Egypt among the leading countries of origin. Several African nations consistently rank among the top ten source countries for newcomers, and in some regions, African-origin immigrants are poised to outpace other groups in growth and cultural impact.
Yet, representation in leadership, data narratives, civic power, and innovation ecosystems continues to lag. AfroFutures is our response. This is a space to connect, elevate, and empower African diaspora voices through storytelling, dialogue, and bold imagination. We are building a fellowship—a movement—rooted in radical community and global futures building.
Introducing AfroRise 2050: A Generation1.ca Fellowship
AfroRise 2050: A Generation1.ca Fellowship of Movers and Arrivers is our bold call to action. We envision this as a recurring storytelling and leadership series—gathering regularly, online and in person—at community hubs, classrooms, and cultural spaces across cities, neighbourhoods and beyond. This chapter is created for African-origin immigrants in North America who are:
- Shaping industries with creativity and resilience
- Innovating across tech, data, arts, education, governance, and entrepreneurship
- Rewriting the narratives too often written about them, instead of by them
- Finding their way around their new continent and country and looking for fellowship
Through this fellowship, we will co-create stories, knowledge, and resources that challenge bias, bridge continents, lived experiences and build futures that honour our members of African diaspora heritage, races, cultures and leadership. If you have roots to Africa and are interested in joining this, please email me at Arundati@generation1.ca.
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