About ADI
The African Development Institute exists to create the conditions in which Black people in the UK can move from surviving to thriving — drawing on the strength, wisdom and leadership of people of African and Caribbean heritage.
ADI is a values-led developmental organisation. We work across three interconnected areas — membership, leadership development, and organisational partnerships — each rooted in the same set of constitutional values.
What ADI Is — and What It Is Not
ADI Is
- A developmental community, not a networking club
- Values-led, not trend-led
- Rooted in heritage, not nostalgia
- Focused on systemic change, not performative gestures
- Built on trust, earned through integrity
ADI Is Not
- A diversity consultancy selling quick fixes
- A space for performative allyship
- An organisation that waters down its mission for comfort
- A programme that treats Blackness as a problem to solve
- An echo chamber — challenge is part of growth
Our Constitutional Values
These are not aspirational — they are operational. Every decision ADI makes is tested against these seven guardrails.
Ubuntu — I am because we are
Integrity — honest, transparent, and accountable
Excellence — striving for the highest standards in all we do
Rootedness — grounded in African and Caribbean heritage and wisdom
Development — committed to continuous growth
Community — collective effort and mutual responsibility
Justice — working towards equity and systemic change
The Founder
Pam Rowe
Founder & Director, African Development Institute
Pam Rowe is a leadership development practitioner, facilitator, and community builder with decades of experience working at the intersection of personal development, organisational change, and racial equity. She founded ADI from a deep conviction that Black people in the UK deserve developmental spaces that honour their heritage, challenge them to grow, and refuse to compromise on values.
Her work draws on a rich tradition of African-centred thought, systemic leadership practice, and a commitment to creating containers in which transformational work can happen.
Want to know more?
We'd love to hear from you. Whether you have questions about ADI or want to explore how we might work together.