Alfred Osei: Investing in Hope, Building Africa’s Future

New York, October 2025 — At the One Court Africa Reception, hosted during UNGA 2025 by the NBPA Foundation, World Shoe, and OAFLAD (Organization of African First Ladies for Development), one theme echoed throughout the evening: partnerships. Among the distinguished voices in attendance was Alfred Osei, an international development specialist and investment advisor to The Voice of Africa (TVOA). With a career spanning global institutions and grassroots projects, Osei spoke with conviction about why initiatives like World Shoe are not just important but essential to Africa’s future.

From Global Development to African Innovation

Alfred Osei’s professional journey has taken him across continents. With years of service at USAID, one of the world’s foremost agencies for international development, he has led initiatives that supported vulnerable communities, improved health systems, strengthened education access, and created pathways for sustainable livelihoods.

That background makes his support for World Shoe both natural and strategic.

“World Shoe is playing a vital role in our communities, especially in Africa,” Osei told Monica Guy, UN Lead Correspondent for TVOA. “Having worked with USAID supporting people in need across the world, I see the alignment clearly. Supporting grassroots efforts — children going to school, kids with no shoes on their feet — this is the type of social program I couldn’t help but support.”

First-Hand Impressions: A Factory of Dignity in Ghana

Earlier this year, Osei traveled to Akosombo, Ghana, to see the World Shoe factory in action. What he encountered left a deep impression.

“It was a very beautiful facility where these shoes are being made, and I was super impressed. What struck me most was not just the shoes themselves, but the employment opportunities being created,” he recalled.

Running on three shifts daily, the Akosombo factory currently employs nearly 200 people. For Osei, this is more than manufacturing — it is dignity at work, scaled through innovation.

“It’s phenomenal. It’s one thing to hear about it, but another to see it. I couldn’t help but be part of it.”

Why World Shoe Matters

As an investment advisor and development strategist, Osei sees World Shoe as a blueprint for Africa’s future — not a stopgap or charity, but a sustainable solution led by Africans for Africans.

“This is innovation and impact in the same package,” he explained. “Shoes that fight disease, that help children attend school, that are made in Africa — by Africans — while creating jobs. This is what sustainable development looks like.”

Partnerships That Scale Impact

The One Court Africa Reception was also a landmark fundraising moment.

Special thanks to NBA players Ochai Agbaji with the Toronto Raptors, founder of the Young Agbaji Foundation, and Sion James with the Charlotte Hornets, founder of the Sion James Foundation, for the generous gift of $30,000 that will be matched by the NBPA. Combined with the NBPA Foundation’s $20,000 contribution, the total raised reached $80,000, dedicated to providing World Shoes to youth across the continent through the Wash and Wear initiatives planned in partnership with OAFLAD.

For Osei, this is precisely the kind of partnership that accelerates change: players using their platforms, African innovators driving solutions, and First Ladies ensuring scale and policy alignment.

“When you bring First Ladies, athletes, and social entrepreneurs together, you create something powerful,” he reflected. “The voices of women, the influence of sports, and the drive of innovation — it’s a combination Africa and the world need.”

A Future of Impact

As the evening closed, Alfred Osei’s words resonated like a challenge and a call to action: “World Shoe is not just about footwear. It’s about opportunity, dignity, and innovation. These are the kinds of initiatives that will define Africa’s next chapter — and I am proud to be part of that journey.”

For Osei, partnerships are not an accessory to development — they are the very engine of transformation. And in backing World Shoe alongside the NBPA Foundation, NBA players, and OAFLAD, he is helping to write a new chapter for Africa: one where innovation meets impact, and hope is no longer deferred but delivered.