The immigration of Africans to the United States has accelerated since 2000, with the population climbing to over 2 million by 2019. African immigrant diaspora members are prominent in business, the arts, sports, and government, representing a direct connection with the continent with and through which to strengthen U.S.-Africa private sector connectivity. With Executive Order 14089, President Biden established the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement (PAC-ADE), seeking to both recognize the growing importance and influence of the African diaspora in the United States, and to be the natural channel the diaspora provides to strengthening relationships with the countries and people of the African continent. This panel discussion will explore how the African diaspora in the United States – which includes both more recent immigrants from Africa as well as the descendants of enslaved Africans – provides an “X” factor to advance mutually beneficial private sector-led economic growth. As Texas has the largest population of African diaspora members, this is a particularly relevant area to explore