Mission and Approach

Who We Are

Since 2012, a grassroots team of like-minded African immigrants and non-Africans decided to tackle the problems affecting their communities in the Greater Boston area. Their collaborative efforts resulted in the founding of the African Bridge Network (ABN) in March 2015. Since then, we have expanded our reach to serve the entire state of Massachusetts.

Using a comprehensive integration approach, we bridge these gaps and fulfill our mission through orientation workshops, advocacy, and specialized programs that provide access to resources, mentorship, and professional networking.

We believe that college-educated immigrants don’t have to start building their careers from scratch. We utilize or create career pathways to enable skilled immigrants to re-establish their careers in job positions with viable career advancement pathways.

Informed by our lived experiences, ABN seeks to build a supportive community that values skilled immigrants’ foreign credentials and professional experiences by providing career development resources, a supportive community, professional networking opportunities, and job placement and career advancement opportunities through our employer partnerships.

Our Mission and Vision

The African Bridge Network (ABN) builds a supportive community which values and strengthens the qualifications and experiences of Africans and other skilled immigrants, helping them reach their full career potential.

Vision Statement

We envision a day when the skills of immigrant professionals are highly valued, and they can use their past experiences to build their careers, support their families, and make meaningful contributions to our society.

Learn about the ways in which we directly impact the skilled immigrant population in Massachusetts by viewing our 2023 End of Year Report.

Our Values

The principles of empowerment, collaboration, innovation, empathy, and inclusiveness guide ABN’s work.

Empowerment: We are committed to supporting skilled immigrants in leveraging their past credentials and experiences to build their careers.
Collaboration: We strive to build a network of professionals, employers, government agencies, and community stakeholders who work together to develop meaningful and lasting solutions to immigrant career advancement issues.
Innovation: We adapt our approach to different professional development challenges so that we can meet the changing needs of our clients, volunteers, and stakeholders.
Empathy: We listen to our clients and partners to make sure they feel understood and supported.
Inclusiveness: We encourage our volunteers, partners, and clients to take ownership of our mission and build African Bridge Network into a community where all are welcome.

The Need

Over 63% of the approximately 120,000 African immigrants living in Massachusetts receive no formal support for integration into the Commonwealth (MPI 2019). Relying solely on informal connections, African immigrants fare poorly in many aspects of integration.
Brain waste is a common situation where skilled immigrants find themselves in jobs that underutilize their potential and skills. In Massachusetts, 55,200 foreign-trained professionals and $2 million throughout the country are in this situation (MPI 2019).
State-funded ESOL service providers reported that about one-third of their clients possess advanced degrees. Their frontline staff also report that they are not equipped to handle the career needs of skilled, foreign-trained professionals (Boston Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development Data).
Brain waste comes with a cost. Nationwide, skilled immigrants would have earned an additional $39.4 billion annually to support themselves and their families. This level of earning would translate into an additional $7.2 billion in taxes at the federal level and $3 billion at the state and local levels.
Tapping into this large reservoir of talent and education would serve as a source of productivity and growth. Over half (53%) of future job openings in the Boston region require an associate’s degree or higher, and various studies have shown the increased role immigrants are likely to play in the labor force as the Baby Boom generation moves toward retirement (MIT Report).
Fortunately, brain waste can be prevented with formal workforce training and professional integration programs. It is important to focus on relatively inexpensive training and investment to integrate these skilled immigrants into the labor force (MPI 2021).

Values Propositions

ABN provides value to…

Skilled immigrants who can use their transferable skills and knowledge and find viable pathways and professional networks to re-establish their careers in Massachusetts without necessarily starting from scratch.
Employers interested in building a talented, diverse pipeline of candidates with international work experience.
Employers with a significant foreign-born workforce seeking opportunities to support their career advancement.
Public entities interested in the economic advancement of this immigrant population, especially in their career development.

Get Involved

We believe that supportive community, pathway programs and partnerships with employers are keys to the successful economic integration of skilled immigrants. There are a number of ways to become involved with ABN whether you are interested in our programs as a participant or a supporter. Visit our “Get Involved” page to find out how you can contribute.

Click here to see our calendar of upcoming events.

To learn more about the African Bridge Network and how you can make an impact, please contact Emmanuel Owusu, Executive Director, at info@africanbn.org.

ABN in the News

NBC Boston has recently highlighted ABN’s mission to employ trained immigrants in Massachusetts. Statements were collected from ABN’s Executive Director, Emmanuel Owusu, and former ABN fellow, Ludjie Jean Pierre. Read their story and watch the segment here.