Her Excellency Ambassador Arikana Chihombori Quao MD-Founder and President of the African Diaspora Development Institute (ADDI).
Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of ADDI, Her Excellency Arikana Chihombori Quao MD is a medical doctor (having practised medicine for over twenty-five years), founder and owner of medical clinics, diplomat, public speaker, educator and an entrepreneur. She is also an author and her recently published book Africa 101: The Wake-Up Call is a best seller on Amazon.
Prior to this, in her role as Permanent Representative to the African Union Mission in Washington DC (2016-2019), Her Excellency Arikana Chihombori Quao MD worked tirelessly towards fulfilling her mandate which was to undertake, develop and maintain relationships between the African Union and the Executive and Legislative branches of the US Government, the African Diplomatic Corps, the Africans in the Diaspora and the Bretton Woods Institutions. This was specifically in relation to the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and advancing the priority areas of Agenda 2063. Her efforts at mobilizing the Diaspora as people of African descent and not as citizens of any single African country is unprecedented and exemplifies her ability to unify people around a common goal, speaking with one voice as one Africa and one Continent.
Before her appointment as AU Ambassador, H. E. Arikana Chihombori Quao MD contributions to the cause of Africa had earned her many prestigious honors and awards. She has two awards which she cherishes the most. The first one was the Achievement Award which she received in 1996 from the incumbent President at the time, H.E. the late President Nelson Mandela of the Republic of South Africa. On the stage as she received the Award were both President Mandela and President Mugabe of the Republic of Zimbabwe. The second on was the African Woman of Excellence Award which she received in July 2015 during the AU Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. She received this award alongside 15 other prominent African Women including the former President of The Republic of Liberia, Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the former President of The Republic of Malawi, Madam Joyce Banda, Mama Winnie Mandela (Republic of South Africa), Mama Ngina Kenyatta (Republic of Kenya) Mama Asigwe Anyiam (Federal Republic of Nigeria) and Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (Republic of South Africa).
During her 3-year tenure as AU Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Ambassador Arikana Chihombori Quao MD received over one hundred awards and attestations from many organizations including from the African Diaspora within the Americas. She received the 2018 Ambassador of the Year Award from Howard University in Washington DC. She also received numerous recognitions from Members of Congress as well as Governors, Mayors and County Executives from across the United States as well as the Caribbean and South America.
The African Continent is also recognizing the noble contributions that H.E. Ambassador Arikana Chihombori Quao MD is making to the development of Africa as evidenced by the following accolades.
In January 2020, after being featured having “A Profile in Courage”; H.E. Ambassador Arikana Chihombori Quao MD was honored to be named 2019 Person of the Year by The Guardian Newspaper which is the largest Newspaper in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In an article published on June 12 2020 by Eye Gambia, a reputable Gambian newspaper, H.E. Ambassador Arikana Chihombori Quao MD was listed fourth amongst their list of ten most influential Africans for 2019. She was the only female to make this list. Reputation Poll, a leading global reputation-management firm in its July 29th 2020 release of the 2020 list of 100 Most Reputable Africans also features H.E. Ambassador Arikana Chihombori Quao MD as one of the most reputable Africans.
She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and a member of the American Association of Family Physicians as well as the Tennessee Association of Family Physicians.
Her Excellency Arikana Chihombori Quao MD was born and raised in Zimbabwe where she attained her primary and secondary education. She then left Zimbabwe for the United States of America where she obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in General Chemistry, a Master’s Degree in Organic Chemistry as well as a Doctor of Medicine Degree.
Her Excellency Ambassador Arikana Chihombori Quao MD is married to her Ghanaian husband and is a proud mother of five children and a very happy grandmother of five grandchildren.