About Africatown

Africatown is designed to become an economic development initiative to create jobs, for our youth, in Southwest Philadelphia, increase business ownership among the residents of the community and eliminate poverty in one of the most economically depressed communities in Philadelphia. To accomplish these objectives, Africatown, being developed in the community will become a "Tourist Destination Point " for the global African diaspora and other interested persons. Most of the infrastructure already exist in the southwest community, in which Africatown will be situated. Most important are the nearly 500 businesses owned by immigrants that live and work in the community. To accommodate the thousands of new visitors to southwest, additional infrastructure will be required, and several buildings will be proposed to attract businesses, tourist, and shoppers to patronize the many immigrant businesses on the commercial corridors in Africatown.

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The Innovation & Technology Center

Phila AfricatownThe Innovation & Technology Center

The ACITC will be constructed in Africatown. The Black and Brown community across the city are wholly behind the mainstream population in their education and use of technology, especially Black and Brown youth. The ACITC will operate with the public and private sectors, with state-of-the-art communication, technology and engineering equipment that will access global communication networks from around the world. Professionals will use the ACITC to facilitate trade and access business transactions from around the world, especially Africa and the Caribbean.

 

The ACITC will collaborate with other technology efforts in Philadelphia that seek to eliminate digital divide that is suffered by Black and Brown youth in school every day. Staff at the ACITC will be tasked with developing mentorship programs to expose Black and Brown youth to the latest technology in the workplace. Youth can leave the ACITC with real world experience, ready to enter the workplace. The ACITC will generate revenues from user fees, rentals, and long-term leasing. Co-working spaces, “gig” workers and other concepts have ushered in new types of profitable working arrangements. As the local and global economy changes to accommodate mobile money systems, block chain and the digital economy, the ACITC will link the Black and Brown businesses and others to the international marketplace.