Nii Simmonds
Executive Director @ Diaspora Country Index (DCI)
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Joined May 12, 2022
Working (15+ years)
Seeking work
The next generation of competitiveness will be built where industrial strategy, digital transformation, finance, and supply chains meet.
That is where I work.
I am a senior strategist helping governments, development institutions, companies, and emerging-market ecosystems build stronger industrial and digital capabilities. My work focuses on advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, supply chain resilience, capital deployment, and technology sovereignty.
I have worked with and advised organizations across the World Bank Group, African Development Bank, U.S. State Department, European Commission, and private sector. I also created the African Diaspora Private Sector Engagement program at the World Bank’s Trade & Competitiveness Global Practice, supporting work across entrepreneurship development, supplier readiness, innovation ecosystems, and industrial competitiveness.
What makes my approach different is that I do not look at these issues in silos.
Semiconductors are not just about chips. They are about talent, minerals, energy, logistics, manufacturing capacity, finance, and policy coordination. Digital transformation is not just about platforms. It is about whether countries and companies can build durable systems that create jobs, attract capital, and compete globally.
My perspective is shaped by experience across biotech, pharma manufacturing, CPG, financial planning, auditing, venture advisory, and international development. That mix helps me connect boardroom strategy with practical execution — from capital deployment and supplier development to regional competitiveness and Global South partnerships.
I am especially interested in partnerships that help emerging and frontier markets move from being consumers of technology to builders, suppliers, innovators, and strategic partners in the global economy.
If you are working on industrialization, semiconductor ecosystems, digital transformation, supply chain resilience, development finance, or Global South competitiveness, I would be glad to connect.
Hello everyone, I am Nii Simmonds, Founder and Executive Director of the Diaspora Country Index, known as DCI. At DCI, we assess how prepared countries in the Global South are to engage with their diaspora. As Western donor support declines due to shifting geopolitics and the rise of populist agendas, sustainable economic development has become more urgent for the Global South, and we offer the research, analysis, and frameworks needed to support national development. Our approach is grounded in evidence-based research that evaluates how effectively nations are building bonds of trust with their professional diaspora communities.
That element of trust is essential to being engagement-ready. Without it, a country would not be able to mobilize its diaspora, as Ethiopia has done to help finance a hydroelectric dam — to advance industrialization, digital transformation, and AI development.
I look forward to sharing our work with you and to learning from all of you as we move forward.
Great post! LMIC's are entering a lower-aid future. Many donors have reduced or reconsidered overseas development assistance (ODA), leaving governments with less predictable external financing. Countries need new ways to mobilize capital, expertise, networks, and institutional support.
Professional diasporas represent one underexamined resource. Yet diaspora engagement requires more than conferences, remittance campaigns, or government appeals. Effective engagement depends on credible strategies, trusted institutions, reliable data, investment pathways, and clear opportunities for diaspora professionals to contribute.
This raises a measurable question: How ready is a country to engage its diaspora?
Diaspora Country Index (DCI) is developing a framework and evidence-based research to answer this question. We describe the necessary policies, institutions, systems, and trust mechanisms as diaspora readiness infrastructure. Our goal is to help countries move from ad hoc outreach toward sustained and measurable engagement.
Our current research includes two indices. The Diaspora Bond Readiness Index examines the enabling conditions for diaspora investment. The Diaspora Climate Readiness Index assesses national capacity to engage diaspora expertise, networks, and resources in climate action.
These indices do not establish whether diaspora engagement produces greater development impact than other interventions. They identify enabling conditions, compare country readiness, expose data gaps, and support further evaluation.
Cheers,
Nii
What happened at that moment of time, the Asian hate was despicable and deeply troubling. We must call out bigotry of all kinds, even if we think this person is a senior-level official. Oftentimes, we allow certain people to say something and get away with it because they are a well-known figure or they have agency - this is more of a reason to speak up and call out bigotry.