When the Diaspora Showed Up in D.C.: The Handshake Summit & Awards
This article was drafted by Chaste Christopher Inegbedion
While the suits at the World Bank and IMF were crunching numbers a few blocks away, something different was happening at Open Gov Hub this spring. No marble lobbies. No security badges. Just founders, diplomats, journalists, and community builders from across the African diaspora — in a room, in person, making things happen.
The Handshake Summit & Awards, born out of the CSW70 gathering at the United Nations and organized by Open Gov Hub, BudgIT, Semaform Foundation, and ConcordeApp, planted its flag in Washington D.C. during the Spring Meetings season. The timing was intentional. While global institutions debated frameworks, this crowd was building relationships.
The theme? The Offline Survival Kit: Building and Monetizing Impactful Communities. In plain language: put down the phone and actually connect.
BudgIT founder Oluseun Onigbinde opened with the kind of straight talk the diaspora rarely hears from a stage. He called out the hollow pattern of Africa-America relations — big declarations, little follow-through — and challenged the room to build systems where, as he put it, "every handshake comes with a receipt." Transparency, accountability, and measurable outcomes. Not applause lines. Receipts.
Then came the suya. Literally. The "Hot Suya" Green Carpet Studio had guests answering spicy questions on global risk while snacking on West African suya and zobo drink. Equal parts interview session and pepper soup energy.
The main panel, Beyond the Hype, kept that same honesty. Speaker after speaker pushed back against the conference circuit's love of optics over outcomes. The line that cut deepest came from mental health coach Lola Oguntade, who later led a grounding wellness session for the room: "You cannot negotiate from an empty cup." For a crowd that hustles across time zones, industries, and continents, that was less a wellness tip and more a survival reminder.
The awards ceremony crowned the Super Seven — a cross-continental lineup including Fortune senior writer Sheryl Estrada, digital transformation leader Oswald Guobadia, Afroglobal Radio founder Stephen Oguntoyinbo, MIPAD co-founder Tope Esan, ServiceNow AI leader and Tribes Kitchen founder Kome Igbogidi, equity advocate Dr. Oluseun D. Ojo, and Lola Oguntade herself. Presenting alongside Onigbinde, African Union advisor Babatunde Rosanwo framed what the honorees represented simply: "Partnerships that produce results, not just resolutions."
The evening ended not with a keynote but a circle. Every honoree, panelist, and guest reached out and shook hands with someone across a different sector, generation, or continent. A Lagos entrepreneur and a D.C. policy advisor. A New York journalist and an Abuja miner. No microphones. No cameras rolling.
That moment said everything the brochure couldn't.
The Handshake Summit returns in July 2026 — this time in New York, riding the energy of the UN High Level Political Forum (HLPF). Think post-Cannes Lions creative heat, community builders, nonprofit professionals, and UN delegates all in one room, gathered around a theme that says exactly what it means: Old Money Moves. D.C. was the handshake. New York is the deal.
Follow the journey at concordeapp.com or find Chaste Inegbedion on LinkedIn.
For more highlights and future events, visit the website, or stay connected to Chaste Inegbedion on Linkedin. For media inquiries or sponsorship opportunities, please contact hello@concordeapp.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chastechrisinegbedion/
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See how the event went on Youtube and also on Instagram.
https://youtu.be/EmlsjvFTBYs?si=t3CG36bQLc3B56Tz | https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXRgGIDxbss/?igsh=cmR2NWF2dGJvdDhl | Link to NewsCentral TV Report | https://youtu.be/M68-9TmjC7A?si=UNomqYTEGPjQlWXi
Photo Credit: Kojo Kissi
https://www.bellanaija.com/2026/04/chasteinegbedion-thehandshakesummitawards-csw70th/
