Africa: US State Department Hosts Summit With Young African Leaders
By Staff Writer
WASHINGTON --- A three-week professional development programme sponsored by the US Government in collaboration with implementing partner, Meridian International Centre, will on June 13, welcome more than 60 young African leaders to the Innovation Summit and Mentoring Partnership with Young African Leaders.
According to sources from the US Department of State, on June 14, Under Secretary of Political Affairs Wendy Sherman opens the programme at the Innovation Summit in Washington, D.C. This programme is part of the President’s Young African Leaders Initiative, the Obama Administration’s long-term programme to engage Africa’s young leaders who are actively promoting positive change in their communities. The President’s Initiative, which began with President Obama’s Forum with Young African Leaders in 2010, has included more than 2,000 US Government-sponsored programmes for young leaders across sub-Saharan Africa in addition to the First Lady’s Young African Women Leaders Forum, held in South Africa in June 2011.
The Innovation Summit will serve as the opening event, bringing together high-profile business leaders, inspirational speakers, and international and local civil society activists. After the two-day event, participants will travel to business internships in Seattle, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Miami, Huntsville, Denver, Chicago, or Cincinnati for the Mentoring Partnership with US companies and nonprofit organizations. The two weeks in US cities will provide a hands-on experience in the American workplace and exposure to cultural aspects of American life. Closing ceremonies will take place in Chicago on June 29 and 30. The Innovation Summit and Mentoring Partnership will stress social and business entrepreneurship as a tool for harnessing Africa’s intellectual capital to create jobs and sustainable, equitable opportunities, and aim to enhance a US – Africa collaboration to promote business innovation, investment, and social responsibility activities in Africa.