Schedule, Speeches, Papers and Remarks
Monday, June 2, 2008
Priming Investors in Africa
9:00 - 5:00 Summit Exhibits (AICC)
10:00- 11:30 Plenary
Africa in the Global Economy Simba Hall, AICC
Africa’s percentage of world production continues to represent about 1.5%, despite remarkable economic growth in several countries. Nevertheless, investment by nations such as China and India has heightened international competition for the potentially lucrative African market. This roundtable will discuss existing challenges that limit Africa’s role in the evolving global economy and suggest ways to overcome those obstacles and maximize economic growth potential.
Introduction: Ambassador Andrew Young, GoodWorks International, Atlanta, GA, USA
Moderator: Dr. Bernard Anderson, Wharton School of Business, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Panelists: H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria, Abeokuta, Nigeria
H.E. P.J. Patterson, former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica
Amb. Harold Doley, Jr., Doley Securities, New Orleans, LA, USA
Mr. Peter Robertson, Chevron Corporation, San Ramon, CA, USA
Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rainbow/Operation PUSH, Chicago, IL, USA
11:30- 1:00 Forums
AGOA Investment Opportunities: Assessing East African Markets
Mbayuwayu Hall, AICC
Non-oil US imports from Africa under AGOA nearly doubled last year, especially for value-added products. Still, broadening of benefits under AGOA has been hampered by issues such as effective lack of diversification of AGOA exports to the US and high transportation costs. This workshop will examine some of the leading success stories of African non-oil-based exports to the U.S. and discuss the way forward for ensuring further successes.
Moderator: Mr. Gregory Simpkins, Leon H. Sullivan Foundation, Washington, DC, USA
Panelists: Hon. Flori Liser, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Washington, DC, USA
Mr. J.L. Ekra, African Export-Import Bank, Cairo, Egypt
Mr. Ronald Langston, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, DC, USA
Ms. Cornelia Wilson Hunter, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC, USA
Corporate Social Responsibility, Global Sullivan Principles, and Development in Africa
Tausi Room, AICC
A special report in African Business magazine earlier this year labeled corporate social responsibility “the first principle of survival” for businesses operating internationally This workshop will examine the growing importance of corporate social responsibility, business and government accountability and transparency in commercial transactions to doing business in Africa and promoting African socio-economic development.
Moderator: Mr. Travis Williams, OIC of America, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Panelists: Mr. Mamadou Beye, Chevron, Johannesburg, South Africa
Hon. Joseph Warioba, East African Court of Justice, Arusha, Tanzania
Mr. Kola Badejo, UN Global Compact Office, New York, NY, USA
Mr. Rod Gillum, General Motors, Detroit, MI, USA
Investment in Agriculture Twiga Room, AICC
Approximately 70% of Africa’s workforce is engaged in agriculture, but it remains largely subsistence agriculture with insufficient investment in commercial production and agro-processing. That leaves African agricultural products at the mercy of current sanitary/ phyto-sanitary regulations, resulting in a limited number of fresh fruits and vegetables from Africa qualifying for export to the United States. This workshop will examine the possibilities for value-added agriculture in African countries, and the development of economies of scale for products targeted at the United States and other export markets.
Moderator: Hon. Peter Mahmoud Msolla, Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives,
Dodoma, Tanzania
Panelists: Ms. Jeannine Scott, Africare, Atlanta, GA, USA
Ms. Patricia Sheikh, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC, USA
Ms. Josephine, Mkunda, Eastern Africa Farmers Federation, Arusha, Tanzania
Mr. Ogwal Mosses, East African Business Council, Arusha, Tanzania
1:00 - 2:00 Lunch AICC
2:00 - 3:30 Special Forum
US Government Role in Enhancing Business, Trade & Investment in Africa
Mbayuwayu Hall, AICC
According to the most recent report on the African Growth and Opportunity Act, the U.S. government has spent more than $394 million on trade capacity building to enhance African exports under this U.S. trade process. Moreover, President’s Africa Private Sector Initiative will mobilize up to $1 billion in investment funds for Africa. And OPIC will support the creation of new private equity funds with up to $800 million of additional investment in Africa. Agencies involves, including the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the U.S. Trade and Development Administration, the African Development Foundation and the U.S. Agency for International Development will discuss their respective roles in facilitating or providing trade technical assistance to African countries.
Moderator: Ms. Vernice Guthrie, Leon H. Sullivan Foundation, Washington, DC, USA
Panelists: Hon. Ward Brehm, African Development Foundation, Washington, DC, USA
Hon. John Simon, Oversees Private Investment Corporation, Washington, DC, USA
Hon. Flori Liser, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Washington, DC, USA
Mr. Matthew K. McLean, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Washington, DC, USA
Mr. Franklin Moore, Deputy Assistant Administrator of the USAID, Washington, DC, USA
Mr. Douglas Shuster, U.S. Trade and Development Agency, Johannesburg, South Africa
3:30 - 5:00 Special Forum
The Role of Youth in Africa’s Future Simba Hall, AICC
The world average of youth unemployment is 14.4%; in Africa youth unemployment stands at 21%. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), youth (defined by the ILO as 15-24 years old) represent 130 million of the world’s 550 million working poor. Nevertheless, youth are the basis of Africa’s and the world’s hope for the future. This roundtable will bring together African and American youth entrepreneurs, worldwide entertainers and activists to discuss their experiences in overcoming the obstacles facing youth and to identify ways to enhance the productivity of youth and maximize Africa’s growth potential in the global economy.
Moderator: Mr. Frank Ski, V-103 Atlanta/Frank Ski Kids Foundation, Atlanta, GA, USA
Panelists: Ms. Claire Nelson, Institute of Caribbean Studies, Washington, DC, USA
Mr. Kelenna Azubuike, Golden State Warriors (NBA) player, Oakland, CA, USA
Mr. T. J. Holmes, CNN, Atlanta, GA, USA
7:30 - 9:00 Sullivan Summit VIII Opening Reception AICC
Mistress of Ceremonies: Ms. Hope Masters, Leon H. Sullivan Foundation
Remarks: Ambassador Andrew Young, Leon H. Sullivan Foundation, Washington, DC, USA
Mr. Dieloff Mare, Vodacom Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Mr. Peter J. Robertson. Chevron Corporation, San Ramon, CA, USA
His Excellency Mark Green, U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Hon. Dirk Kempthorne, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Washington, DC, USA
His Excellency Jakaya Kikwete, President of the Republic of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Leon H. Sullivan Summit Minutes
Monday, June 2, 2008
Plenary (Simba Hall, AICC) – Africa in the Global Economy
Introduction: Ambassador Andrew Young (Leon H. Sullivan Foundation) – Atlanta, GA, USA
• “We can determine Africa’s role in the global economy.”
• The statistics of Africa in the global economy don’t reflect Africa’s potential.
• African immigrants in America play a critical role in African development.
• The dreams of African prosperity, following from former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere, truly have potential now.
• The impact of possible recession in the West on investment in Africa:
• African oil shows how much it could work the other way, that the world is so affected by Africa.
• Need “poor folks capitalism” – example of Mohammed Yunas’ Grameen Bank in Bangladesh shows how empowering the poor is critical.
• Challenges faced in generating investment:
• Need to remember that tourism is also important – the Atlanta airport example: concept behind it was that if you treat your tourists well (“turn red tape into a red carpet”) they will return to invest (in eight years Atlanta attracted $70 billion in investment).
• Sometimes personal connections are a better tool than macroeconomic policies.
Moderator: Dr. Bernard Anderson (Wharton School of Business) – Philadelphia, PA, USA
• Sub-Saharan Africa: % of world population and % of world economic activity don’t match.
• Integrating Africa into the global economy is positive in that it brings Africa to the world, but can threaten local markets.
• Five objectives of this plenary:
• Examine trends in African economies in the world,
• Look at the role of changing local and international policies,
• Assess the future of global performance,
• Build models for successful trade and development and
• Recommend ways to bring sub-Saharan Africa into the global economy.
• Empowering local individuals is critical to investment and the local stimulation of the economy through the Sullivan Summits is a great example.
Panelists:
His Excellency Olusegun Obasanjo (former President of Nigeria) – Abeokuta, Nigeria
• The belief that Africa can play a significant part in the world economy requires a look into the past so that the history of African economics can be recognized.
• The view of Africa as a single country is highly misleading, each of the 54 nations must be recognized on a national, sub-regional and continental level.
• Afro-pessimists writing off 600 million people is a mistake that we must never accept.
• “Democracy is not a destination, it is a journey” – but Africa is on its way, and a reduction in national conflict shows this.
• Success in Botswana, Uganda and Nigeria are good examples.
• Nigeria’s economic growth under the Obasanjo Administration shows the potential, especially in areas of foreign direct investment (FDI).
• Fighting corruption is a vital element.
• The impact of possible recession in the West on investment in Africa:
• If the situation had occurred 20 years ago, there would be panic, but it is now a different situation because Africa can look elsewhere (integration into the global economy) by investing in nations like Malaysia and China.
• Africa will keep old friends, but must make new ones.
His Excellency P.J. Patterson (former Prime Minister of Jamaica) – Kingston, Jamaica
• The roots of Caribbean people is in Africa, and this is an important consideration.
• “As long as you are a black man [or woman], you are an African” – Peter Tosh
• Nyerere is a figure that truly furthered the push to unite Africans in economic efforts.
• Africa is not inherently poor; Africa’s colonial history and slave trade must be considered.
• Issues of trade, energy, climate change, worldwide financial crisis and food shortage pose significant threats to Africa and have set Africa back in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
• Sub-Saharan Africa: One tenth of world population but one sixtieth of production.
• Foreign Direct Investment flows to Africa represent only 2% of world FDI flows.
• The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) needs to be driven by Africans, but needs the support of the world as a whole.
• “The African Diaspora must become meaningfully engaged” in Africa’s development. The oceans should no longer separate the African Diaspora.
• Four areas of focus needed:
• Health – Need to remove destructive endemic diseases.
• Infrastructure – Requires more than financial capital.
• Food – Sub-Saharan Africa needs to confront the issues of environmental degradation from climate change, assess viable practices and take up a green revolution.
• Knowledge – Advancing industries requires knowledge more than capital in today’s global age.
• Human resources are important to push Africa into today’s global economy.
• The impact of possible recession in the West on investment in African nations:
• “When America catches a cold, the developing world catches pneumonia”.
• But, it is true that things have truly changed in that new giants (i.e. China, India, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Brazil and South Africa) are beginning to emerge in the face of US and European recession.
• However, there is a limit to demand in developed countries and things have almost become saturated, we now must look towards the developing world.
• Don’t have exports be a way to export the problems of the developed world upon the developing world.
Ambassador Harold Doley, Jr. (Doley Securities) – New Orleans, LA, USA
• The most important capital that can be talked about is human capital.
• The resources that Africa has are plentiful – but they are largely untapped.
• The flow of investment capital needs to be enabled by international recognition.
• The international ratings of African economies are high (e.g. African Development Bank rating of Botswana) and African stock markets have succeeded (e.g. Ghana, Kenya).
• Investment in Africa will allow for greater world prosperity.
• Human capital – look towards the historically Black colleges in America.
• The world is going through a great transition, but it offers a great opportunity.
• The impact of possible recession in the West on investment in Africa:
• In regard to human capital, leadership is an essential component.
• The Community Reinvestment Act passed by the US Congress shows how change often begins with the leaders and leaders must be responsible in their actions to benefit people rather than just large companies.
• It is the responsibility of leaders to get money to the people who deserve investment.
• Challenges faced in generating investment:
• The ADB example: The need to access capital markets and allow for nations to get ratings that will allow investment.
• Beginning to see more optimism in investing in Africa.
Peter Robertson (Chevron), San Ramon, CA, USA
• Africa’s current involvement in the world is already great.
• To achieve progress in all areas requires much more than financial capital; it requires commitment, ingenuity, innovation and partnership.
• Chevron’s involvement in the Global Fund initiative shows how corporations can truly be involved in issues such as endemic diseases in Africa.
• Sullivan Summits are a key to push progress forward and evaluation of change after each Summit is important.
• Challenges faced in generating investment:
• If “human energy” is taken advantage of great strides can be made.
• It is usually the small companies that are the key to investment.
Reverend Jesse Jackson (Rainbow/PUSH), Chicago, IL, USA
• Leon Sullivan was a “doer” and thus pushed effective change.
• Key issue: how to overcome structural inequality.
• “All of us are free, but none of us are equal.”
• “Global capital transcends boundaries,” which can be both positive and negative (e.g. recent sub-prime foreclosures).
• Four states of struggle:
• Ending slavery,
• Ending the Jim Crow laws,
• Obtaining the right to vote and
• Achieving access to private sector capital (this is the current stage).
• Africa needs its own Marshall Plan in order to rise up and take advantage of its abundance of natural resources.
• Need reciprocal trade and investment that is mutually beneficial.
• Africa has untapped capital – needs “to be seen through a door, not a keyhole.”
• Change is a difficult struggle that needs to be both reflected in laws and in culture.
• In one century, Africa has gone from having two free countries, to each and every country being free – “going forwards by hope, not backwards by fear.”
• Challenges faced in generating investment:
• Access is key, especially providing the structure that allows for progress to be made.
• Back to the idea of the Marshall plan: roads, bridges and other such infrastructure were critical, not just financial injections. Loans and debt relief are important.
Leon H. Sullivan Summit Minutes
Monday, June 2, 2008
Forum (Mbayuwayu Room, AICC) – AGOA Investment Opportunities: Assessing East African Markets
Start time: 12:00pm
Moderator: Mr. Gregory Simpkins (Leon H. Sullivan Foundation) – Washington, DC, USA
• AGOA (the African Growth and Opportunities Act) has been a success by any measure in that it has greatly expanded U.S.-Africa trade.
• A number of factors, however, have contributed to AGOA imports into the U.S. consisting of mostly petroleum.
• With the expiration of the Multi-Fiber Agreement in 2005, limitations on Chinese exports disappeared, and China and other Asians nations now dominate the textile and apparel trade worldwide.
• There were missing ingredients to U.S.-Africa trade that have yet to be addressed, especially as regards agriculture trade.
• AGOA will more broadly succeed only when small and medium enterprises in America and in African countries begin to do business with one another.
Panelists:
Hon. Flori Liser (Office of the U.S. Trade Representative) – Washington, DC, USA
• AGOA was a law passed in 2000 to encourage export diversification in Africa.
• Trade is superior to aid in eliminating poverty.
• AGOA was established on the principle that export diversification is essential to economic growth, and the US can help economic growth by making 6,300 products from Africa accessible to the $1 trillion U.S. market.
• AGOA eliminates tariffs and reduces duties on several products, hoping to encourage Africans to process their own raw materials and reap the higher profits.
• 34 countries are eligible for AGOA.
• Case studies of AGOA successes: Lesotho’s textile and apparel exports, Ugandan organic cotton t-shirts, Tanzanian cotton products.
• Trade Capacity Expansion – the idea of “aid for trade”, in which the US helps African manufacturers meet US specifications. $5 billion in funds have been provided or are available.
Mr. J.L. Ekra (African Export-Import Bank) – Cairo, Egypt
• Recap of incentives provided by AGOA:
o Eliminates tariffs quotas and allows several products to receive tariff concessions… recently extended to 2015.
o Comparison to SE Asian countries, which recognized the potential export development and economic growth, but could launch into higher profit, more stable priced products in international markets. Furthermore, export success allowed them to grow and diversify exports.
• Success factors:
o Travel industry policy making – encouraging trade and low rate loans, allying with firms and government.
o Political Economy of Policy making and the state’s role in encouraging exports: local content management, state-provincial relations, development banking, selective seclusion of sectors, and national firms.
o Dynamics of exporting industries and role of foreign firms must be examined.
o Government should help with research and development, privatization and subcontracting, and create favorable trade conditions.
• Determinants of export success: availability of appropriate trade, project finance, access to modern technology and management, and overseas markets.
o Afrexim facilitates non commodity export production – fostering implementation of regional projects (infrastructure), boosts the technological component, through structured project finance, twinning, and advisory services.
Mr. Ronald Langston (U.S. Department of Commerce) – Washington, DC, USA
• Expand minority business into the US by pairing entrepreneurial organizations.
• African Initiative – peace & security, pursuit of literacy & health.
• Tries to develop business-business relationships, by developing partners between Africa and US partners.
• “We [the U.S.] need you” to work together.
Ms. Cornelia Wilson Hunter (U.S. Department of Transportation) – Washington, DC, USA
• All AGOA benefits of non-oil exports are wiped out by cost of transportation to US. Oversight, accountability and transparency are important elements.
Leon H. Sullivan Summit Minutes
Monday, June 2, 2008
Forum (Tausi Room, AICC) – Corporate Social Responsibility, Global Sullivan Principles, and Development in Africa
Moderator: Travis Williams (Board member of OIC), Philadelphia, PA, USA
• 25% of US, European and Japanese companies consider corporate social responsibility when investing.
• Key objectives of the forum:
o Review successful models
o Assess progress and gaps and
o Put forth recommendations.
Panelists:
Mr. Mamadou Beye (Chevron) – Johannesburg, South Africa
• The interaction of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the Global Sullivan Principles (CSR) is key for developing standards that are applied throughout Africa.
• CSR must not be just an image of a company, but must involve issues that truly affect the people, with issues of health and safety being crucial.
• CSR is becoming more important for financial institutions’ decisions.
• Bribery on behalf of corporations are not only disincentives, but they are illegal and, as asserted by Andrew Young, the red tape needs to become a red carpet.
• Analyses of where investments are going must be implemented and must be expedient in order to subvert bribery.
• Making governments accountable for funds is important, and making such accountability reports public is effective.
• Chevron employees are becoming more international and a leveled playing field is vital.
• In the Niger Delta, training people and using local resources is essential, especially involving the communities rather than just injecting capital.
• Case study: The microfinance Nova Bank in Angola has been successful because Chevron did not put their logo on the bank, so the incentives for people to reimburse the bank increased drastically because of local management.
Hon. Joseph Warioba (East African Court of Justice) – Arusha, Tanzania
• Cash capital is not enough, you need to consider all types of capital.
• You need to be conscious of natural capital so as not to negatively affect the environment.
• CSR on different levels (marketplace, work place and community) needs to be considered in order to be effective. Each different level must be included in the actions in order to make them effective.
• Principles, such as the GSPs, are essential to guiding effective CSR efforts.
• There are unique issues Africa must address:
• The profit motive must be taken into consideration when dealing with incentives.
• Africa doesn’t have a well-settled business culture, so consumer advocacy and transparency is often lacking.
• There is a lack of legal framework to keep corporate governance in check.
• The promotion of products must be honest on a local level and the business of promotion must not undermine corporations’ need to provide the best products.
• Corruption is widespread in Africa, and foreign direct investment must not work within the realm of bribery in order to get things done.
• Issues of so-called governmental “official corruption” is more difficult to deal with and requires corporations to be transparent, accountability and responsibility.
• The disparity between international and local workers is worrisome and CSR issues need to deal with this issue within companies.
Mr. Kola Badejo (UN Global Compact Office) – New York, NY, USA
• Leon Sullivan and Ban Ki-Moon both recognized the need for companies to bridge the goals of corporations and the good of humanity.
• It is recognized that there needs to be an overlap between the profit motive and CSR in the same way that the ideals of the UN must be able to overlap with corporations.
• “There can be no development where there is no peace.”
• There needs to be an appreciation of human and labor rights and also an integration of the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals in corporations’ best practices.
• The private sector must come together in Africa to come to agreed principles and allow both public and private corporations to follow internationally-accepted standards.
• The UN Global Compact aims to achieve a merging of public and private ethical standards to promote best practices and partnerships
Mr. Rod Gillum (General Motors) – Detroit, MI, USA
• The many expectations of a corporation are often not in harmony and must be reconciled if CSRs are to be effective – a “difficult balancing act.”
• Transparency is the key to good corporate governance and in creating effective CSR programs.
• Bribes discourage investment, and Asia’s success shows that only in dealing with corruption can success in investment be achieved.
• The GSPs are a good way of allowing for equality, as the GSPs were signed by 10 nations at the 2006 Sullivan Summit in Nigeria.
Leon H. Sullivan Summit Minutes
Monday, June 2, 2008
Forum (Twiga Room, AICC) – Investment in Agriculture
Moderator: Hon. Peter Mahmoud Msolla (Minister of Agriculture, Food Security, and Cooperatives) – Dodoma, Tanzania
• 70% of Africa’s workforce is in agriculture, and 70% of those are women.
• Value must be added to agricultural products.
• Barriers to global exports must be removed.
Panelists:
Ms. Jeannine Scott (Africare) – Washington, DC, USA
• Women do work but have less access to land, education, credit, etc.
• Problems:
o Lack of access to investment-enabling opportunities
o Limited access to control over productive assets
o High transport and freight costs
• Women’s work is often hidden and taken for granted by policymakers. There is gender inequality.
• Education must become more accessible to women for there to be progress.
Hon. Patricia Sheikh (U.S. Department of Agriculture) – Washington, DC, USA
• We must support two-way trade, USAID capacity development and investment.
• The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) is important.
• The Command Area Development Activities, a US program to enhance land management, cannot benefit without an agreement from Africa.
• Specialty products regulated by the Food and Drug Administration are a good way to enter the global market.
Contributions from Former Nigerian President Obasanjo
• The forums seemed to have an “air of frustration and animosity,” which Obasanjo wished to speak to as a farmer in practice and at heart.
• To be in agribusiness is more profitable than being a farmer.
• Dealing with banks’ high interest rates of 18% would mean that the only profitable famers would be “those that grew cocaine.”
• “We can produce organically because our soul is unpolluted.”
Leon H. Sullivan Summit Minutes
Monday, June 2, 2008
Special Forum (Mbayuwayu Hall, AICC) – US Government Role in Enhancing Business, Trade and Investment in Africa
Moderator: Ms. Vernice Guthrie (Leon H. Sullivan Foundation) – Washington, DC, USA
• NGOs are an essential means by which the informal sector can be empowered.
Panelists:
Hon. John Simon (Overseas Private Investment Corporation) – Washington, DC, USA
• Africa has so much great potential, in particular in the people and experts from Africa.
• As a US government agency, OPIC tries to encourage and allow for investment in Africa in order to open doorways to the great potential of Africa.
• Mortgage markets need to be established in Africa and precedent shows that they are viable.
• OPIC is mobilizing $4bn of investment in Africa in the coming years.
• Creating businesses is just too difficult for local sellers, from credit access to basics of formalizing a business, and needs to be made easier.
Hon. Flori Liser (Office of U.S. Trade Representative) – Washington, DC, USA
• USTR aims to create trade policy including programs in Africa, such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), passed in 2000.
• The key part of AGOA is in adding value to the resources, improving the manufacturing sector.
• There is progress, but also rooms for further expansion.
• Regarding informal business-owners:
• There is not enough of a formal sector in African economies, and the governments need to work with the international community to increase the formal sector and thus solve the problem of poverty in the informal sector.
• Products coming in must be safe and legal, but also need to be competitive in the national market.
Mr. Matthew K. McLean (Millennium Challenge Corporation) – Washington, DC, USA
• Key things to making foreign aid work:
• Donors must allow for nations to create their own change from the money received.
• The world outside the United States is becoming more sophisticated and must be treated as such.
• The donor-recipient relationship must change.
• Acting like a investor rather than a donor is a key function of MCC
• African nations also recognize that infrastructure is key to progress.
Mr. Franklin Moore (Deputy Assistant Administrator of the USAID) – Washington, DC, USA
• Joint loan guarantees allow for the US government and the African Development Bank (ADB) to work well together.
• There is a need for “bankable projects” in Africa in order for ideas come to life.
• Focus on specific programs in order to make then viable is a crucial role for international organizations.
• Flower-growing throughout Africa is a good case study to show how the industry can benefit the people much more than before.
Mr. Douglas Shuster (U.S. Trade and Development Agency) – Johannesburg, South Africa
• The focus on infrastructure is key, and the focus of foreign agencies has been shifting back to infrastructure.
• Feasibility studies are essential in allowing for companies’ exports to be effective.
• Allowing for the decrease of risk in Foreign Direct Investment is essential in order to have investment come to Africa and is what this agency does.
Mr. Ward Brehm (U.S. African Development Foundation) – Washington, DC, USA
• African resourcefulness and creativity is not lacking, it is just the lack of money.
• Supporting African-owned organizations are critical.
• Four key components of evaluation:
• Evaluate potential of the business,
• Evaluate potential of creating jobs,
• Assess the community impact and
• Assess the replicability of the business throughout Africa.
• It is essential to make local skills marketable on the global level.
• Bringing Africa out of poverty to form a middle class is the key to prosperity.
Leon H. Sullivan Summit Minutes
Monday, June 2, 2008
Special Forum (Simba Room, AICC) – The Role of Youth in Africa’s Future
Moderator: Mr. Frank Ski (V-103 Atlanta/Frank Ski Kids Foundation) – Atlanta, GA, USA
• Need to make connections with children in Africa who don’t have networking opportunities and professionals in America who can enable them.
Panelists:
T.J Holmes (CNN anchor) – Atlanta, GA, USA
• “I learned more in five minutes here than I’ve learned in ten years talking about Africa on CNN.”
• “We fight losing battles in the newsroom everyday because the majority of the people in that newsroom haven’t been to Africa.”
• Personal interaction is key in truly understanding Africa beyond its long-standing abstractions in the West.
Kelenna Azubuike (NBA Player – Golden State Warriors) – Oakland, CA, USA
• Staying in school is critical to achieving long-lasting success as careers in areas such as sports can be affected by unforeseen factors.
Ms. Claire Nelson (Institute for Caribbean Studies) – Washington, DC, USA
• The youth of Africa have a great amount of potential for self-empowerment and must be proactive in seeking change for themselves.
Quotes from students:
• “Why do we only see beauty contests sponsored by local companies and not schools?”
• “Government, please make a better environment for teachers.”
• Many programs to empower African children are only rewarded to a select few, leaving a majority of students in the same place as they began.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Infrastructure for Africa’s Future Needs
9:00 - 5:00 Summit Exhibits (AICC)
9:00 - 10:30 Plenary: Improving Africa’s Power Supply (Simba Hall, AICC)
While Africa has abundant energy sources, it has the world’s lowest rate of access to modern energy. This plenary will include a presentation by General Electric on their proposal for a continent-wide plan for the generation, transmission and distribution of energy in Africa, including alternate sources of power and energy. That plan will be discussed by representatives of international financial institutions involved in the funding of energy and infrastructure projects in Africa.
Moderator: Mr. Mark Digby, General Electric, Capetown, South Africa
Panelists: Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, The World Bank, Washington, D.C., USA
Mr. Juma Mwapachu, Secretary General of the East African Community, Arusha, Tanzania
William Awinador-Kanyirige, Chief of Staff, ECOWAS Commission, Abuja, Nigeria
Mr. Wallace Ford, GoodWorks International, Washington, D.C., USA
10:30 - 12:00 Forums
Africa's Regional Power Pools (Tausi Room, AICC)
The Southern Africa Power Pool became the first international pool established outside the West in 1995, and it has since become a model for regional African power sales. Regional power pools are now being developed in West, East and Central Africa. This workshop will assemble the leaders of each of Sub-Saharan Africa’s four power pools, who will discuss the current development and future plans for their pools, as well as the challenges they face producing and sharing power within and between regions in Africa. In addition, the United States Agency for International Development has sponsored the development of a White Paper and presentation which identifies best practices of select international power pools, describes the history of Sub-Saharan Africa's power pool development and provides recommendations for future activities.
Presenter: Mr. Igor Zakharov, PA Consulting Group, Paris, France
Moderator: Ms. Carolyn Haylock, Office of African & Middle Eastern Affairs, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, D.C., USA
Panelists: Dr. Amadou Diallo, West African Power Pool, Cotonou, Benin
Mr. Bruno Kapandji Kalala, Central African Power Pool, Brazzaville, Congo
Alternative Energy Sources and Rural Power in Africa (Twiga Room, AICC)
Africa has great potential for alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, tidal, geothermal and biomass energy; most alternative sources of energy have not been utilized to the extent they could. The workshop will take a critical look at the prospects of alternative energy sources and avenues to enhance their utilization in African nations, especially in rural areas of the continent which lack adequate supplies of electrical energy.
Moderator: Mr. Frank Stewart, American Association of Blacks in Energy, Washington, D.C., USA
Panelists: Mr. Robert Freling, Solar Electric Light Fund, Washington, D.C., USA
Mr. John Simon, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Washington, D.C., USA
H.E Eng. James Kimonyo, Rwandan Ambassador to the United States, Washington, DC
H.E. Idi Nadhoim, Vice President of the Comoros Republic, Moroni, Comoros
Hon. Adam Malima, Tanzania Minister of State for Energy and Minerals, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Sustainable Infrastructure for Africa’s Development (Manyara Room, AICC)
New approaches are needed in planning infrastructure development, including roads, railways, ports, mining, oil development, and power plants. Through options assessment, the best way of delivering required service in a sustainable manner can be determined. For example, instead of building a dam, a more decentralized approach involving renewable energy may be more appropriate, cost effective, and beneficial. This forum will discuss how new initiatives in African countries are taking a new approach to selecting infrastructure development that balances biodiversity conservation priorities. It also will discuss how to finance infrastructure such as eco-lodges and associated facilities so that they are sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Moderator: Mr. Matt McLean, Millennium Challenge Account, Washington, D.C., USA
Panelists: Dr. Hermann Mwageni, World Wildlife Fund, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Mr. Leon Rajaobelina, Conservation International, Antananarivo, Madagascar
Building an African Healthcare Infrastructure (Mbayuwayu Hall, AICC)
According to the International Finance Corporation, investments of up to $30 billion will be required over the next ten years on sub-Saharan African health care systems. According to the IFC, all the critical players – governments, donors, investors, and providers – must cooperate to leverage the private health sector and integrate it effectively with public system so that millions of Africans can gain access to an integrated health care infrastructure. This workshop will examine current efforts and plans to create this health care infrastructure through public-private partnerships.
Moderator: Dr. John Williams, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA
Panelists: Dr. Ayoade Olatunbosun-Alakija, medical consultant, Westlake Village, CA, USA
Dr. Krista Swanson, Infancy International, Delafield, WI, USA
12:00 - 1:00 Lunch (AICC Terrace Level)
1:00 - 2:30 Special Forum: A 21st Century Education System for Africa (Mbayuwayu Hall, AICC)
African universities once taught a generation of post-colonial leaders, including statesmen, professionals and scholars. However, African students are increasingly likely to study abroad and use their skills to advance foreign societies. This workshop is intended to examine the steps necessary to rebuild African educational institutions to prepare their youth to use their training in service to their own countries.
Moderator: Ms. Vivian Lowery Derryck, Academy for Educational Development, Washington, D.C., USA
Panelists: Hon. Kadencia Kabaka, Tanzania Deputy Minister for Education and Vocational Training, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Ms. Mora McLean, Africa America Institute, New York, NY, USA
Mr. Peter Robertson, Chevron Corporation, San Francisco, CA, USA
Mr. Osama Alahdelkaru, Penn State Nanotechnology Dept., State College, PA, USA
2:30 – 4:00 Special Forum: The African Diaspora – Investment, Citizenship and Relationship (Simba Hall, AICC)
As a follow-up to the last Summit’s Declaration on the Diaspora, this forum will discuss the latest developments in efforts to create and sustain linkages between the African Diaspora and the countries in Africa, including projects that have built enduring partnerships and investment in African enterprises by Diasporan businesspersons and investors. Efforts to encourage dual citizenship have increased since the African Union declared the Diaspora the “sixth region of Africa.”
Moderator: Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Chicago, IL, USA
Panelists: Mr. Anthony Archer, Diaspora Project California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA, USA
Ms. Gina Paige, African Ancestry, Washington, D.C., USA
H.E. Cyrille Oguin, Benin Ambassador to the United States, Washington, D.C., USA
Ambassador Dudley Thompson, former Jamaican Foreign Minister, Kingston, Jamica
7:30 – 10:30 An Evening in Tanzania: Dinner, Shopping & Entertainment (Heritage Cultural Centre)
Leon H. Sullivan Summit Minutes
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Plenary (Simba Room, AICC) – Improving Africa’s Power Supply
Moderator: Mr. Mark Digby (General Electric) – Cape Town, South Africa
• Recruiting local talent is essential in order to make local projects truly effective.
• Access to funding is a difficult challenge in Africa as is infrastructure and access to fuel.
• Focus on renewable energy in Africa has great potential, especially through the agribusiness sector (e.g.. GE’s Eco-imagination project).
Panelists:
Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili (World Bank) – Washington, DC, USA
• Inadequate power supply constrains the development of the continent as a whole.
• There has been less progress than anticipated in the past decade.
• Only 25% of people in Africa have access to electricity.
• Issues: lack of power access, low consumption (declining over time).
• GDP growth rates are palpably affected by the lack of access to power.
• Too much money is diverted away from key social service programs into generating emergency power; the opportunity cost of inefficiency is too great.
• Investment requires a well-developed power infrastructure.
• Africa is not the dark continent; there is light in spite of the difficult problems faced.
• Priorities:
• Scaling up regional capacities to help the many economies of scale,
• Improving the effectiveness and governance of utilities,
• Improving access through sector-wide actions,
• Realizing that the private sector is essential and
• Creating a framework to regulate the sector.
Mr. Juma Mwapachu (Secretary General of the East African Community) – Arusha, Tanzania
• Climate change has slowed the growth rate of African nations, particularly in the East African region.
• The energy market has been distorted by price subsidies throughout the world, especially in oil-producing countries.
• Power wastage in rich countries also poses a problem.
• Africa’s energy potential is great, but needs to be harnessed in order to reach the millions without access. Access to finance is the critical issue.
• East African energy – reliance on traditional biomass is still widespread.
• International financial institutions and multi-national corporations – too much time goes into feasibility studies (in the case of the African Development Bank it can take four to five years) but interest in power in Africa is growing.
• Energy supporting infrastructure (i.e. refineries and pipelines) are essential.
Mr. William Awinador-Kanyirige (Chief of Staff of ECOWAS) – Abuja, Nigeria
• It has taken too long, but there is hope for an African renaissance given the opportunities available.
• The integration of public and private sectors is an important action.
Mr. Wallace Ford (GoodWorks International) – Washington, DC, USA
• Energy deficits and needs are great, but so is the potential, in particular renewable energy sources.
• These regional issues require regional solutions. This allows for more mechanisms and routes to financing.
• Debt needs to be considered in the long term and not necessarily considered in a negative light.
• The need for infrastructure development is clear.
Leon H. Sullivan Summit Minutes
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Forum (Simba Room, AICC) – Africa’s Regional Power Pools
Introduction: Mr. Igor Zakharov (PA Consulting Group) – Paris, France
• Objectives: to increase inclusiveness of South African Power Pool and restructure the West African Power Pool
• Africa infrastructure program – $200 million in late-stage project finance.
o Need to look at lessons, needs, funding and cooperation
Panelists:
Mr. Bruno Kapandji Kalala (Central African Power Pool) – Brazzaville, Congo
• Central Africa Power Pool has a history and an established structure.
• Africa has low potential and energy demand as well as a lack of interconnectedness.
• There exists a fair amount of hydro potential (145MW) and hydrocarbons.
• Ground work and infrastructure work is beginning with international support.
Dr. Amadou Diallo (West African Power Pool) – Cotonou, Benin
• WAPP – two zones, A & B, A is more advanced. Interconnections between each zone exist, though WAPP would like a direct contribution from the USA.
Leon H. Sullivan Summit Minutes
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Forum (Twiga Room, AICC) – Alternative Energy and Rural Power in Africa
Moderator: Mr. Frank Stewart (American Association of Blacks in Energy) – Washington, DC, USA
• Regarding research institutions:
o There is much more that has already been done that is not on the market yet, especially in the area of solar and wind, that will make renewable energy even more viable in Africa – continual investment is needed.
o Requires both working with current technology as well as continuing to innovate.
o Importing technology:
• Need the added value within Africa, not overseas where production can happen.
o Oil companies involvement:
• Most of the greatest advancements and innovations have come from oil companies.
Panelists:
H.E. Eng. James Kimonyo (Rwandan Ambassador to the US) – Washington, DC, USA
• Must bring together the people who have the information and those who can make change in order to have the agreements of the scientists and policymakers to come to fruition.
• The government and the private sector must cooperate.
• Regarding research institutions:
o Governments really need to promote the pushing forward of progress through research and can no longer ignore the issue.
o Research has come far enough to have implementation, but policymakers haven’t taken the action needed.
o Regarding energy monopolies:
• Africa needs to move away from the paradigm of energy monopolies to truly liberate the possibilities for alternative energies.
o Various parameters needs to be considered, especially in terms of government regulations.
Mr. Robert Freling (Executive Director, Solar Electric Light Fund - SELF) – Washington, DC, USA
• Digital divide threatens to polarize humanity (“information poverty” and “energy poverty”).
• Without energy none of the Millennium Development Goals can be achieved.
• Western world taking energy for granted causes a lack of realization that other parts of the world do not have energy readily.
• Photovoltaic (PV) cells have great potential.
• Solar energy is economically attractive even in its current form.
• Using microcredit has allowed people to afford the upfront funding for solar panels.
• Case study: South Africa, when computers were installed through solar energy the pass rate jumped from 30% to 70%.
• Sectors that solar energy can affect: education, health, agriculture – so many industries depend upon access to energy.
• Energy is a prerequisite to development.
• Regarding sustainability and maintenance:
o Training programs for local people are essential as is capacity building and proper installation.
• Importing technology:
o It is a big problem because shipping and all the costs associated with importing is expensive, but SELF is looking into local production in Africa.
• Financing in Africa:
o Financing is key, and micro-finance has shown great promise, but often international risk guarantee to local banks is needed in order to encourage them to allow small rural villages to withdraw loans.
• A collaboration of different people and different technologies is necessary
H.E. Idi Nadhoim, (Vice President of the Comoros), Moroni, Comoros
• Recently found great sources of geothermal energy sources in the Comoros
Hon. Adam Malima (Tanzania Minister of State for Energy and Minerals), Dodoma, Tanzania
• Solar panel production costs – purchasing power of the people is essential.
Leon H. Sullivan Summit Minutes
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Forum (Tausi Room, AICC) – Sustainable Infrastructure for Africa’s Development
Moderator: Mr. Matthew McLean (Millennium Challenge Corporation) – Washington, DC, USA
• Environmentally sound infrastructure is inconvenient because of the many regulations.
• Regarding proposal selections, one must weed out proposals for appropriate or sustainable ideas.
• Must increase household income and economic rate of return.
• Must create education on transformation capacity of pre-existing infrastructure to governments.
• For a sustainable infrastructure plan to be effective, it must exist in law.
• Must include people who are both involved as well as not involved with the Millennium Development Goals.
Panelists:
Dr. Hermann Mwageni (World Wildlife Fund) – Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
• The focus should be to have environmentally sound infrastructure.
• Environment Infrastructure Assessments are vital tools to determine the impact of infrastructures.
• Upgrades can and will import other sectors as well and put pressure on business to progress.
• Linear infrastructure development projects attract people to live around it (i.e. roads, power lines).
• One must have accountability in construction and maintenance of infrastructure.
Mr. Leon Rajaobelina (Conservation International) – Antananarivo, Madagascar
• The only way to not be the poorest country is to have good infrastructure.
• When environmentally sound, infrastructure is efficient over the long-term.
• One can also use technology to stay environmentally friendly to offset the infrastructure already created.
Leon H. Sullivan Summit Minutes
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Forum (Mbayuwayu Room, AICC) – Building an African Healthcare Infrastructure
Moderator: Dr. John Williams (George Washington University) – Washington, DC, USA
• “Health, social and economic development are linked”.
• Human resource crisis in Africa is the most important issue at the conference and Africa’s health care infrastructure isn’t too complicated.
• A combination of issues in Africa pose “a perfect storm” for African healthcare challenges.
• Africa has the highest rate of disease with the smallest healthcare workforce.
Panelists:
Dr. Ayoade Olatunbosun-Alakija (Medical Consultant) – Westlake Village, CA, USA
• Human capital is the most important capital, without it there is nothing.
• “We cannot discuss tourism, infrastructure and electricity without first discussing healthcare. This problem is essential at this meeting.”
• Health and development are closely interlinked.
• Doctors and nurses are lost to AIDS and working days are lost to illness for all of the workforce.
• Healthcare centers are sporadic with only out-roads connecting people to the cities.
• “Even if we had anti-viral drugs, we couldn’t get them to where they are needed.”
• Over 60% of countries in desperate need to of workers are in sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr. Krista Swanson (Infancy International) – Delafield, WI, USA
• 40% of infants under the age of five die within a month of being sick and 5% die within a week.
• The goal: only 15 out 1000 newborns to die in Africa, which is Important for Africa because infant mortality signifies how well a government runs its country.
• Problems with healthcare: poor access in rural areas, disparity between public and private sectors, lack of education and brain drain (25,000 skilled health professionals leave annually – though small, its effects are far reaching).
• Proposes a nexus of health leaders between nations to conduct research for policy and curriculum to empower international workers and stop the brain drain – called the CORE intervention model.
Leon H. Sullivan Summit Minutes
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Forum (Mbayuwayu Room, AICC) – A 21st Century Education System for Africa
Start time: 1:00pm
Moderator: Ms. Vivian Lowery-Derryck (Academy for Educational Development) – Washington, DC, USA
• We should work to improve access, quality, equity of the education system.
• 6 challenges:
o Shortage of faculty due to the “brain drain”
o Inadequate facilities & infrastructure
o Financial support – higher education needs 25% of educational budget
o Insufficient first rate research
o Deficiencies in leadership and
o Number of schools – capacity.
• Higher education and universities should focus on:
o Instruction
o Research and
o Public Service
Panelists:
Hon. Kadencia Kabaka (Deputy Miniser of Education/Vocational Training) – Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
• Universities must change their curricula and methodology as times change.
• Large constraints on university research (finance).
Mr. Peter Robertson (Chevron) – San Ramon, CA, USA
• Chevron recruits scientists and engineers.
• Develops relationships with companies.
• Vocational training success in Indonesia.
Mrs. Mora McLean (Africa America Institute) – New York, NY, USA
• Education and African governments both often are tied to external investment.
• Think about brain drain differently – study abroad does not lead to permanent loss of talent.
• Stop punishing bright students by not training them.
• Train people for export – people are assets.
• Stop thinking of the U.S. as having all the answers.
Mr. Osama Alahdelkaru (Penn State Nanotechnology) – PA, USA
• Science and technology should be taken seriously.
• Create new universities and strengthen existing ones.
• Exchange programs are useful.
• Partnerships must be developed between public/private universities.
Leon H. Sullivan Summit Minutes
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Special Forum (Simba Room, AICC) – The African Diaspora – Investment, Citizenship and Relationship
Moderator: Jesse Jackson (Rainbow/PUSH) – Chicago, IL, USA
• “Dual citizenship is not dual loyalty.”
• Going to the roots is inherent within the desires of African-Americans seeking “kinship.”
• There still exists a palpable divide that must be bridged.
• “Home is where the person who answers the door can’t say no.”
Panelists:
H.E. Cyrille Orguin (Benin Ambassador to the US) – Washington, DC, USA
• It is all about relationships when it comes to uniting the Diaspora.
• Need to establish mutual trust and understanding.
• Long term cooperation is possible.
• Benin identities are still created by ethnic groups.
• Call for more visits to Africa – “You can’t love someone you don’t know.”
Ms. Gina Paige (African Ancestry) – Washington, DC, USA
• So many connections have been lost since African-Americans came to America from Africa, but DNA still provides a link.
• African Ancestry has the largest heritage database in existence and takes into consideration various anthropological, historical and sociological issues when finding heritage.
• The effect is a new sense of self and connections and a desire to visit and gain citizenship.
Mr. Anthony Archer (Diaspora Project - California State University) – Carson, CA, USA
• Dual citizenship is both good for the Diaspora and guests.
• Symbolic, passive and active citizenships are different levels that can reflect involvement in a nation.
• Can be beneficial for both nations through the following social, economic and political ways:
o Social: Reconciliation, reversal of the brain drain and the transfer of skills.
o Economic: Remittance capability, increase in Diaspora businesses and an increase in Foreign Direct Investment.
o Political: Governments on the continent are given more legitimacy.
Tuesday Papers
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Sustaining African Tourism Growth
8:30 - 5:00 Summit Exhibits (AICC)
8:30 - 9:45 Plenary: Promoting Tourism in Africa (Simba Hall, AICC, Serengeti wing)
Africa last year outpaced all other regions of the world in tourism expansion, reaching 8.1% growth. Often called the “cradle of mankind”, Africa has a wide variety of attractions – from natural wonders such as the Ngorongoro Crater and Victoria Falls to man-made wonders such as the Pyramids at Giza and the Great Zimbabwe to animal reserves such as the Serengeti National Park and Masai Mara Natural Reserve. Moreover, Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal and South Africa are among the most popular destinations for tourists in Africa. This roundtable will discuss how African nations are maximizing their tourism industry.
Moderator: Hon. Shamsa Mwangunga, Tanzania Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Panelists: Ms. Susan McDermott, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C., USA
Ambassador Timothy Clarke, European Union Delegation, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Mr. David Saunders, Venue International Professionals, Washington, D.C., USA
9:45 - 11:15 Forums
Regional Tourism Strategies: The Caribbean Example (Tausi Room, AICC, 7th floor, Ngorongoro wing)
Tourism in the Caribbean has risen over the years despite occasional global economic downturns. Despite 33 destinations among the nations of the Caribbean, these countries have managed to cooperate and avoid destructive competition by cooperating – the average North America tourist, for example, visits more than one Caribbean nation a year. This workshop will examine Caribbean strategies for maximizing tourism opportunities.
Moderator: His Excellency P.J. Patterson, former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica
Speakers: Hon. Aloun N’Dombet Assamba, former Minister of Tourism, Entertainment & Culture, Kingston, Jamaica
Ms. Ruth E. Gardiner, Culinary and Hospitality Management Institute, The College of the Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas
Mr. Hon. Jean Stewart Holder, Chairman of LIAT Airline, St. Michael, Barbados
Eco-Tourism Strategies (Manyara Room, AICC, 3rd floor, Ngorongoro wing)
There is tremendous potential to boost eco-tourism in Africa. However, that potential has not been fully realized as a way of making Africa a favored tourist destination, and reaping the benefits for the environment and income generation that would provide. This breakout session will provide an excellent forum to identify opportunities for expanding Sub-Saharan Africa’s eco-tourism sector to optimize its contribution to economic growth and poverty reduction. This is a particularly opportune time to discuss this topic with government representatives and business leaders, given their priority focus on natural resource management and environmental protection.
Moderator: Mr. Steven Kiruswa, African Wildlife Fund, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Panelists: Mr. Praveen Moman, Volcano Safaris, Kampala, Uganda
Mr. Moses Kanene, African Wildlife Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya
Mr. Chris Weaver, Living in a Finite Environment World Wildlife Fund, Windhoek, Namibia
Investment in the Tourism Sector (Mbayuwayu Hall, AICC, 2nd floor, Serengeti wing)
Africa’s tourism sector increased by 8.1% overall last year and sub-Saharan African tourism grew by a phenomenal 9.4% – rates higher than any other region in the world. Tanzania has become one of the world’s leading eco-tourism destinations, and other strong performers include South Africa, Kenya and Tunisia. This workshop will take a look at the prime available investments in African tourism and prospects for growth in this sector.
Moderator: Hon. Samia Suluhu Hassan, Zanzibar Minister of Tourism, Trade and Investment, Zanzibar, Tanzania
Panelists: Mr. Shingi Munyeza, African Sun Hotels, Harare, Zimbabwe
Mr. Richard Swai, Southern Africa Enterprise Development Fund, Johannesburg, South Africa
Mr. Busera Awol, Ethiopian Airlines, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Mr. Mark Walton, The Africa Channel, New York, NY, USA
11:00 - 12:00 Lunch (AICC)
12:00 - 4:30 Presidential Plenary (Simba Hall, AICC)
7:00 - 8:00 State Reception (Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge)
8:00 - 10:30 State Banquet - Black Tie or National Dress – (Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge)
Leon H. Sullivan Summit Minutes
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Plenary (Simba Room, AICC) – Promoting Tourism in Africa
Moderator: H.E. Shamsa Mwangunga (Tanzania Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism) – Dar es Salaam
• Tanzania will consider how to nationalize tourism industry and how to look at other models.
• Governments should consider preferential incentives for tourism initiatives and infrastructure.
• Governments must take risks to enable investment.
Panelists:
Susan McDermott (US Department of Transportation) – Washington, DC, USA
• There is a need for greater transportation infrastructure is an overwhelming demand.
• Air tourists are known to spend more money.
• Governments must create liberalized economic environments for airlines to compete; must comply with highest international safety and security standards.
• Restrictions on markets between countries limit access.
• Governments must continue improving transportation access.
• There must be open air markets within the continent and to the continent.
• The effectiveness of aviation depends on traveler confidence in safety and security. Thus, there should be compliance with international standards.
• Only three Sub-Saharan African countries have passed U.S. Federal Aviation Administration requirements.
Ambassador Timothy Clarke (European Union Delegation)—Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
• Africa has great potential: how can we help Africa reach that potential?
• In response to suggestion of an African Marshall Plan: Africa has resources, but how they are used is what should be analyzed.
• The dependency syndrome means that every government needs to find its own way with its own resources to create an environment to allow investment.
• Needs political will and not mass mobilization of external resources.
• Tourism is vital, but fickle: sustainable tourism depends on elements such as education, healthcare, a functioning judiciary, and an enabling political environment.
• Everyone can and should make a difference: think about what “I” can do.
David Saunders (Venue International Professionals) – Clinton, MD, USA
• Accessibility: change the impact of the long-haul destination perception of tourists.
• Travel industry must concern itself with first impression and airport arrival.
• Improve image of Africa locally, regionally, on the continent, and then internationally.
• People depend on the media and Tanzania isn’t mentioned in the media
• Need to improve conservation initiatives, reintroduce wildlife, preserve cultural heritage sites.
• Government, tour operators, airlines, etc., need to work together.
• Need unified marketing campaign; use separate North American campaign instead of a generalized one also used for Europeans.
• Since neighbors are competitive, use a regional strategy so people visit more than one country on a single visit.
• Need direct airline access, maximized travel package, and demanded amenities.
• Have enabling infrastructure for retail shopping (i.e. direct flights to Dar es Salaam).
• Economic development is the way to reduce crime and allow the people to benefit from tourism.
Leon H. Sullivan Summit Minutes
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Forum (Manyara Room, AICC) – Eco-Tourism Strategies
Moderator: Steven Kiruswa (African Wildlife Fund) – Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Panelists:
Mr. Moses Kanene (African Wildlife Foundation) – Nairobi, Kenya
• Ecotourism requires eco-ethics, guidelines and codes of conduct in order to be effective and to be truly defined as ‘ecotourism’
Mr. Chris Weaver (World Wildlife Fund) – Windhoek, Namibia
• A negative view of Africa diverts from tourism possibilities, and corruption among government officials is particularly negative.
• Africa is not taking advantage of ecotourism’s possibilities.
• The Namibian government is a good example of successful tourism incentives.
• Tourism prevents things like poaching because people don’t have to resort to such practices to earn a living.
• Governments should not take control of any of the tourism industry, but should leave it to the private sector.
Mr. Praveen Moman (Volcano Safaris) – Kampala, Uganda
• Great ape ecotourism has taken some recent hits that must be reversed.
• It is the responsibility of the African people to preserve these species for the sake of humanity.
• Capacity building and considering culture are key elements of a successful eco-tourism policy.
• New tourism models are required for post-conflict societies, e.g. creating a global supply chain.
• Partnerships between for-profit and non-profit organizations are essential.
• Some luxuries must be sacrificed in order to truly embody the concept of “ecotourism.”
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Sustainable Resource Management in Africa
9:00 - 5:00 Summit Exhibits (AICC)
10:00 – 11:30 Plenary: Africa’s Environmental Challenge: Sustain and Gain (Simba Hall, AICC)
African nations face challenges from climate change, deforestation, natural resource extraction, loss of biodiversity and a host of other newly emerging and pressing issues. This plenary, involving some of the world’s leading environmentalists, will examine how these challenges can be successfully confronted and overcome in the years ahead. The speakers will introduce topics to be covered in the morning forums and other days of the Summit and highlight the importance of environmental contributions in other Summit themes, including infrastructure, tourism and investment.
Moderator: His Excellency Michael Liwanga Kaingu, Zambia Minister for Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources, Lusaka, Zambia
Panelists: Dr. Jane Goodall, The Jane Goodall Institute, Arlington, VA, USA
Mr. Mohamed Bakarr, Center for Applied Biodiversity Science, Arlington, VA, USA
Mr. Daniele Violetti, United Nations, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Bonn, West Germany
Mr. Eric Mugurusi, Tanzania Vice President’s Office, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
11:30 - 1:00 Forums
Africa’s Adaptation to Climate Change: Predictions and Responses (Simba Hall, AICC)
Climate change presents a global challenge, but especially to Africa. There are predictions that a 2ºC increase in global temperature could lead to the extinction of 30% of the world’s species, and Africa is home to more of those species than any other continent. This workshop will look at the repercussions of climate change in Africa and the importance of developing best practices for mitigating its impact on human life and ecological systems on the continent.
Moderator: Mr. Pancras Ngalason, Jane Goodall Institute, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Panelists: Dr. James Kairo, International Oceans Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
Mr. Herbert K. Acquay, Africa Region Environment & Natural Resources Unit, The World Bank, Washington, D.C., USA
Major Shannon D. Beebe, Senior Africa Analyst U.S. Department of the Army, Washington, D.C., USA
Natural Resource Management’s Role in Security, Development and Regional Collaboration (Mbayuwayu Hall, AICC)
Africa’s natural resources do not conform to national borders and are often harvested illegally, resulting in international and regional conflict, political instability and lost income. This workshop will discuss the manner in which natural resource Management challenges can be addressed through sustainable natural resource management and regional collaboration to reduce forest deforestation and loss of biodiversity. It will also examine how greater value from the natural resource base can be captured to raise standards of living and improve governance and security.
Moderator: Mr. John Flynn, USAID Democratic Republic of Congo Mission, Kinshasa,
DRC
Panelists: Mr. Roger Fotso, Wildlife Conservation Society, Mouanko, Cameroon
Mr. Kaush Arha, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, DC
1:00 - 2:00 Lunch (AICC)
2:00 – 2:45 Tour of Exhibition Area led by Ambassador Andrew Young
3:00 - 4:30 Special Forum: “Separation & Loss…And Africa Grieved” (Simba Hall, AICC)
The Middle passage has become the symbol of the malevolent circumstances that created the African Diaspora. Less well appreciated is the emotional impact of this journey that began, not in the waters, but at the moment Africans were kidnapped from their villages. This roundtable is intended to explore the “mass trauma” and its aftermath.
Moderator: Dr. Clara Whaley Perkins, Psychologist, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Panelists: Ms. Hope Masters, President and CEO, Leon H. Sullivan Foundation, Washington, DC, USA
Hon. P.J. Patterson, former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica
H.E. Cyrille Oguin, Benin Ambassador to the United States, Washington, DC, USA
Dr. Rayshad Holmes, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
8:00 - 10:30 Sullivan Summit VIII Gala and Closing Dinner – Semi Formal or National Dress – (Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge)
Leon H. Sullivan Summit Minutes
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Special Forum (Simba Room, AICC) – Separation & Loss…
And Africa Grieved
Moderator: Dr. Clara Whaley Perkins (Psychologist) – Philadelphia, PA, USA
• The issue at hand is one that is at the roots of the plight of African-Americans and must be dealt with if forward progress is to be made.
• Looking for ways in which to bridge African-Americans and Africans both in Africa and in America, as the Sullivan Foundation does, is an important means of making progress.
Panelists:
Hope Masters (President and CEO of the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation) – Washington, DC, USA
• Dealing with the core issues of the past of individuals in the Diaspora is an essential base upon which the Summit can succeed.
• A separation anxiety exists in the Diaspora.
• The Sullivan Foundation is an excellent example of how both in Africa and America the bridge is being made between the Africa and the Diaspora.
Hon. P.J. Patterson (Former Prime Minister of Jamaica) – Kingston, Jamaica
• The example of Haiti in the past shows how issues of slavery and the history of the Diaspora pervades time and still affects people today.
• The depopulation of Africa can be considered its “cultural bleeding.”
• Embracing African identity and seeing the Diaspora, as Bob Marley did, as the sixth region of Africa is key to making progress.
• Need a vision for the construction of Africa and the pushing forward of mutual 21st century development.
H.E. Cyrille Oguin (Benin Ambassador to the US) – Washington, DC, USA
• Looking at the issue from an African perspective needs to be considered in order to understand that side of the relationship that is trying to be fostered.
• African leaders have a desire to connect with the African-American community on official visits.
• Benin was one of the first African nations to offer a formal apology for partly enabling the slave trade and such diplomatic gestures are key to sparking progress.
Dr. Rayshad Holmes – Washington, DC, USA
• If you don’t know where you’ve come from you can’t know where you are going.
• Barack Obama shows progress in America in overcoming deeply-rooted racism.
• We cannot allow slavery in the past to define our final outcome in the present.
• Defining your own identity that takes into account one’s African roots is the best way of coming to peace with the past, not attempting to fit the stereotypes and what is expected of you.
• Creating your own goals and trying your best to achieve them is the best way to approach embracing an African-American identity.
Hon. Dudley Thompson (former Foreign Minister of Jamaica) – Kingston, Jamaica
• Africa is the motherland.
• Blood is thicker than water – a concept that is at the base of pan-Africanism, which stands primarily for dignity and equality.
• Kwame Nkrumah stood for political freedom which must be fully realized.
• The freedom of Africa must go beyond merely having free elections.
• There must be death to bigotry, and the ideals of justice and equality must prevail.
PAPERS
AGOA African Exports - Flori Liser
Biodiversity Challenges-Roger Fotso
Transportation-Susan Mcdermott