Project 1

1ST AFRICA NEW LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE FORUM 2013

Official Program

 

1st Africa New Leadership Initiative Forum was meant to highlight the growing importance to strike a balance between discussions of high-level decision-makers, government officials, politicians, entrepreneurs, NGOs, and civil society on issues faced by local actors operating on the ground that can play an effective role to foster development.

Therefore the format of the first edition was designed to meet these expectations by focusing on increasing high-level exchanges between political decision-makers, and expert opinion leaders and encouraging interaction among delegates. To achieve these objectives, three approaches were proposed:


Workshops:


Stakeholders in the field can express their specific problems concerning the proposed themes and will benefit from learning practical methodologies through the intervention of experts.

 The realization of this objective will be achieved through 3 main phases of the workshop;


Plenary sessions:


Panelists' exchange of experiences and possible conflicting points of view with the audience will contribute to defining innovative and novel approaches in which knowledge sharing, commitment, empowerment, and focus leadership prove useful tools to promote development.


The format of the plenary session encourages interactive discussions and enables synergies to emerge between the various institutions represented. This allows us to identify modes of cooperation between participants in order to increase the involvement of new stakeholders, optimize coordination and reinforce the efficiency of actions in progress.


Networking:

This session gives participants the opportunity to benefit from the unique diversity of stakeholders present at the forum by initiating meetings according to predetermined criteria.


The Forum includes a full session uniquely dedicated to networking and face-to-face meetings to encourage direct contact between all delegates with various profiles and backgrounds to increase cooperation and knowledge transfer


Thursday 26 September   


10.00 - 10.20                                         OPENING PRESENTATION



10.20 - 10.40                                          Presentation 1          

Biotechnology in Africa in the 21st Century; impact on growth and development presented by Mr. James A. Ayukekbong, Msc. Molecular Biology: Secretary General of HelpAfrica organization.



10.40 - 11.00                                            Presentation 2     

"Preparing the Youth for the Future and the Future for the Youths", presented by Mr. Nana Yaw Osei-Darkwa-CEO, Youth Icons of Ghana.



11.00 - 12.00                                             Plenary Session 1      


Leadership:

Leadership in Africa in all aspects of society is wanting. How can new African leadership be encouraged and what is needed to be able to achieve this goal?


Women and Girls Empowerment:

The trajectory of women's and girls' empowerment in Africa is still bonded by cultural thinking although there is an improvement. Women are still marginalized in many aspects of African societies. What can be done by governments, NGOs, and individuals to break this stigma in order for women to discover their potential?


Empowering youths to become leaders of tomorrow.

The importance of youths' empowerment to become future leaders is a global reality and is more significant in an African context. More than half of Africa's population is made up of young people between the ages of 20-35. However, this vision is unrealistic in Africa as there is a lack of opportunities for youths due to patronage, inherent political cultures in many African countries, and a lack of an inclusive political system. In these circumstances, why not create an open international forum where African youths meet with political leaders and youths from other continents to exchange leadership skills that can inspire and empower them to grow into future leaders? Therefore, this session will seek to provide clear guidelines on how empowerment, inclusive political systems, and the exchange of knowledge in international forums can empower youths in unstable or restrictive environments to become future leaders.

           Mr. Nana Osei-Darkwa, Director-Youth Icons of Ghana 

         Mr. Joshua Ndip-President, Stockholm Africa Leadership Center/Political Science Student at Stockholm    University

         Mrs. Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu: Ghana National Youth Authority Coordinator

         Mr. Mussie Ephrem: Project Officer, Forum Syd

        

12.00 - 13.00                           Lunch Break             




13.00 - 13.45                               Plenary Session 2      


Democracy and Good governance:

When people are allowed to decide who to be their rulers by participating in elections, they assume some sort of a sense of belonging and responsibility, and commitment. This responsibility and commitment will translate to engagement by both the elected officials and the people on issues of development. Having a sense of awareness of elected officials with respect for the electorates holding them accountable, they translate this awareness into good governance. It is also true that national governments with democracies rarely go to war with each another because the values of democracy bind them together. On the contrary, many countries in Africa purporting to be democracies are frequently having internal and external problems because of bad governance. What can new African leaders learn from this and how can they break away from this stigma?


Democracy, Human Rights and Freedom

There is no country that can fully attain development when democracy, human rights, and freedom are isolated. There is an assumption in Africa that people have rights and are free when they participate in democratic elections, but it is the contrary because voting by itself doesn´t mean you understand why and how to vote or have rights and freedom. About 90% of the electorate in Africa don´t understand the electoral process, so they are not in the right process free to choose their leaders because they are deprived of their right to participate in electoral education. Panelists will share their experiences on possible areas of intervention to help their audience understand the different implications and advantages involved in interlinking the different processes.

         Mr. Nana Yaw Osei-Darkwa-Director-Youth Icons of Ghana

          H.E. Rev. Edith Mutale-Zambian Ambassador to Sweden

          Mr. Geofrey Etyang-Social Democratic Party, Sweden

          Dr. Kobena Hanson-Africa Capacity Building Foundation




13.45 - 14.00                  Coffee Break  


 

14.00 - 15.00                                       Plenary Session 3           

                          

Entrepreneurship:

The most prosperous countries in the world are those that establish, nurture, and protect their entrepreneurial environment. At the 2010 summit of entrepreneurship, President Obama stated in his speech that "Entrepreneurship is vital because, throughout history, the market has been the most powerful force the world has ever known for creating opportunities and lifting people out of poverty". What role should governments in Africa play in order to identify and support Africa's new generation of entrepreneurs and what is needed from the entrepreneurs themselves to meet up with the global entrepreneurial competitiveness?


Investment:

Any country's economic and development competitiveness depends on its investments, both by the government and foreign investors. This can be achieved by the government investing in local infrastructure, supporting and leveling the playing field for foreign direct investment. What is needed for Africa to break this deadlock considering the potential of Africa in terms of endowment with resources and new breeds of African investors coming up every day?

         Mr. Ayuk A. Ayukekbong-Secretary General of HelpAfrica Organization 

          Mr. Patrick Bulundo, First Political Secretary, Zambia Embassy Sweden

          Mr. Claes Torén, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Uganda in Stockholm

          Dr. Kobena Hanson, Africa Capacity Building Foundation Zimbabwe


15.00 - 15.30                                      Networking Session    



Friday 27 September   

10.00 - 10.20                                                Presentation 3       

Securing Africa's greatest Resource. To be presented by Afolabi Giwa. Student of International Marketing at Linnaeus University Sweden.


10.20 - 10.40                                                  Presentation 4


Sustainable forest management for local development, the case of mount Cameroon national park. To be presented by the CEO of The Forgotten Green Heroes, Mrs. Suzanne A. Nvenakeng, York University UK.


10.40 - 11.00                                               Presentation 5          


The Role of Africa Diaspora in promoting development in Africa. To be presented by the President of Cameroon Diaspora, Mr. Alain Roger Pagou.


11.00 - 12.00                                           Plenary Session 6


Science and Technology:

According to the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAAST), agricultural science has focused on boosting production through the development of new technologies. It has achieved enormous yield gains as well as lower costs for large-scale farming. But this success has come at a high environmental cost. Furthermore, it has not solved the social and economic problems of the poor in developing countries, which have generally benefited the least from this boost in production. Today’s world is a place of uneven development, unsustainable use of natural resources, the worsening impact of climate change, and continued poverty and malnutrition. Poor food quality and diets are partly responsible for the increase in chronic diseases like obesity and heart disease. Agriculture is closely linked to these concerns, including the loss of biodiversity, global warming, and water availability.

The question is how Africa fundamentally rethink the role of agricultural knowledge, science, and technology in achieving equitable development and sustainability.

Renewable Energy:

Africa is endowed with an enormous amount of renewable energy such as solar energy, biomass, and natural gas. How can African countries unlock these potentials to benefit development in the continent?

         Mr. Ayuk A. Ayukekbong-Secretary General of HelpAfrica Organization

         Dr. Kobena Hanson-Africa Capacity Building Foundation Zimbabwe

         Mr. Per Skogsberg-Chairman, Swedish Central Africa Chamber of Commerce

         Mr. Nana Yaw Osei-Darkwa, Director, Youth Icons of Ghana


 

12.00 - 13.00                                       LUNCH BREAK



13.00 - 14.00                                         Plenary Session 7      


Education Policy:

Education is the key to any meaningful development and it´s generally viewed as crucial for rapid economic growth, and essential if a government wants to increase the productivity of the poor and provide people with the skills they need to participate fully in the economy and in Society. But it is unfortunate that most African country's Educational policies don´t reflect a balance Educational approach that takes into consideration all Educational sectors in order to make significant progress in terms of national development.

What kind of educational policies do African countries need to meet the challenges of the 21st century and what are the best possible solutions?

Schools:

In the early 80s, primary education was of high quality, both in terms of infrastructure, staffing, and primary school graduates. From the mid-90s the quality of infrastructure, staffing, and primary school graduates reduced drastically because of less trained teachers and a lack of conducive classrooms for children to learn in. There is a lot of primary and secondary school drop out currently in many African countries because of a dilapidating schooling system and this has increased the rate of crime, and youth-transmitted diseases because of a lack of basic primary education. The exchange of ideas and best practices in different countries and from experts in primary education policy will give participants a better understanding of how to improve on school systems in Africa.

         Mr. Ayuk A. Ayukekbong-A Ph.D. student at Gothenburg University/Secretary General of HelpAfrica Organization

     Mr. Nana Yaw Osei-Darkwa-Director, Youth Icons of Ghana

      Mr. George Mubanga-First Secretary, Press; Zambia Embassy Stockholm

         Mr. Joshua Ndip, President-HelpAfrica Organization/Political Science Student at Stockholm University

        

14.00 - 15.00                                                   Plenary Session 8                        

  

Infant Industries:

For any country to meet the pace of development, it needs to be able to create job opportunities, generate sources of revenue for general development, and shift away from dependency on imports of goods and services. This is a setback in many African countries because proper policies are not put in place, and those that are in place, are not well implemented.

What kinds of commitments are needed to put Africa on the path of development that is needed to meet up with the global pace?

International Cooperation:

86% of the world´s population lives in the developing world, and Africa is one of those with the highest population. Today, the world is faced with tremendous challenges such as peace and security, terrorism, human trafficking, climate change, humanitarian aid, migration and refugees, trade, and economic development that require cooperation from all around the world. How can African countries benefit from International cooperation?

Rural Development:

Development cannot be achieved when part of the society still needs basic facilities such as roads, schools, clean drinking water, healthcare, and access to microfinance opportunities. In Africa, the majority of the people are local farmers who live in rural areas and most of these areas are totally cut off from basic facilities. What kind of debates and policies are necessary to spur development in rural communities in Africa?

         Nana Yaw Osei-Darkwa-Director, Youth Icons of Ghana

         Dr. Kobena Hanson-Africa Capacity Building Foundation Zimbabwe

         Mr. Patrick Bulundo-First Political Secretary, Zambia Embassy Sweden

      Mr. Mussie Ephrem-Forum Syd, Stockholm Sweden

         Mr. Geofrey Etyang-Social Democratic Party-Sweden


15.00 - 15.30 Coffee Break


15.15 - 16.00                                             Plenary Session 9        


Corruption:

The amount of money that is siphoned from African countries by government officials, individuals, and companies to foreign financial institutions through corrupt practices is enough to build African countries with modern infrastructures, schools, and industries and support small businesses. How can African countries meet up with the challenges of corruption given that part of the cause of corruption is encouraged by western financial institutions accepting billions of dollars from African government officials, and also how can corruption be controlled internally in African countries?

Water and Sanitation

The United Nations estimates that Sub-Saharan Africa alone loses 40 billion hours per year collecting water; that's the same as a whole year's worth of labor by the entire workforce in France. Nearly a billion, 884 million people do not have access to clean and safe water. 37% of those people live in Sub-Saharan Africa (WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation. "Progress on Sanitation and Drinking Water 2010). In developing countries, as much as 80% of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions. According to the World Health Organization, for every $1 invested in water and sanitation, there is an economic return of between $3 and $34.

What policies and strategies are required in Africa in the areas of water and sanitation to improve the quality and accessibility of water?

Moderator.

         Open Session



Saturday 28 September


10.00 - 12.00                                             


Developing Commitments                    


Africa New Leadership Initiative Forum is more than just an event. It is a growing community of leaders who don´t just discuss African challenges-they take real, concrete steps in solving them. Throughout the year, and as a prerequisite of attending the forums, participants, and organizations develop their own COMMITMENTS TO ACTION: a specific plan of action that addresses pressing challenges in communities in Africa. Commitments range from empowering women and girls, human rights, democracy, poverty reduction, and promoting the rule of law to promoting environmental awareness.

Participants will have the opportunity during this session to come up with concrete commitments that will make a change in their communities. These commitments are assessed, evaluated, and presented to the forum every year.


CLOSING OF THE EVENT