On April 14, 2023, was held the first meeting between the Coordinators of the newly formed Regional Clusters of the Portuguese Diaspora Council.

The project emerged as a response to the needs of Diaspora Counselors around the world and the Council itself. The Regional Clusters bring together Councilors from a given geographic area with the aim of promoting dialogue, interaction and action between them and the rest of the Diaspora, in order to diversify the Council’s activities with regard not only to its activities, but also to the topics covered.

In a first phase, the Diaspora Council is implementing three pilot clusters: the Regional Cluster of Africa; the Regional Cluster of Asia and Oceania; and the Regional Cluster of Eastern Europe. Subsequently, the Council hopes to expand the formation of clusters to the other geographies where it is represented.  

The coordinator appointed to the African Cluster is businessman António de Castro, Director of the African Alliance, residing in South Africa. With an enormous professional background in the financial and banking sectors, the African Cluster Coordinator sees this new Diaspora tool as a «great opportunity to promote Portugal’s interests in Africa» and hopes to collaborate in the new edition of the EurAfrican Forum and, also , promote new dynamic projects for the Portuguese Diaspora in Africa.

The Regional Cluster of Asia and Oceania will be led by João Graça Gomes, Senior R&D Engineer at China Three Gorges Corporation. The Councilor, with a master’s degree in Energy and Environmental Engineering, considers that the Asian and Oceanic Cluster has a lot to contribute in the areas of technological research and digitalization. One of the main objectives will be to create strategic partnerships that allow the creation of hub for dialogue and innovation.

Finally, the East Europe Regional Cluster will be led by the hotel leader, Paulo Ribeiro da Silva, Partner of the Górskie-Resorty group, in Poland. A particularly important cluster in the current geopolitical situation, which the Counselor plans to lead with the collaboration of the various members of the Diaspora in his regional area, in order to streamline, among other activities, meetings of His Excellency. the President of the Republic with prominent business, institutional and cultural figures from the Diaspora residing in Eastern Europe.

It is expected that the project that has just been launched will present concrete results in the next edition of the Summer Meeting, in July, and that it will represent a starting point for a more and better Portuguese Diaspora.