COMMUNITY BUILDING

AAI & Center for American Progress’s Diplomatic Orientation & Engagement Program

May 21, 2024 in Washington, D.C.

On the afternoon of Tuesday, May 21, 2024, seventy-five Members of the African Diplomatic Corps, African Embassy representatives, Biden-Harris Administration officials, and representatives of the African Diaspora, Washington think tanks and international and domestic media organizations convened for AAI’s African Diplomatic Orientation & Engagement Program. The program, held in partnership with the Center for American Progress (CAP), was hosted at CAP’s Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Kofi Appenteng, President of AAI, and Her Excellency Hilda Suka-Mafudze, the African Union’s Ambassador to the United States, offered opening remarks. After welcome remarks, the program consisted of four-panel discussions with listed panelists and moderators:

I. U.S. Investments Across Africa

Moderator: James Mwangi, Founder, Climate Action Platform Africa

Panelists: Hon. Reta Jo Lewis, President & Chair, Export-Import Bank; Leila Ndiaye, President & CEO, LND Global Network, LLC; and Dr. Witney Schneidman, Esq., President, Schneidman Associates

II. Africa in the Western Media

Moderator: Denise Rolark Barnes, Publisher, The Washington Informer

Panelists: Afua Osei, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Foreign Policy; and Abderrahim Foukara, Washington D.C. Bureau Chief, Al Jazeera

III. Sustaining the Momentum of the U.S. -Africa Leaders’ Summit: Where Are We?

Moderator: Prof. Landry Signé, Senior Fellow, Africa Growth Initiative, Brookings Institution

Panelists: Dr. Monde Muyangwa, Assistant Administrator, Africa Bureau, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); and Hon. Johnnie Carson, Senior Advisor, Africa Center, U.S, Institute for Peace (USIP)

IV. The Role of the African Diaspora: Promoting Connections & Collaborations

Moderator: Anne Griffin, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress (CAP)

Panelists: Almaz Negash, Founder & Executive Director, of African Diaspora Network; Samah Salman, President, of U.S.-Educated Sudanese Association (USESA); Oge Onubogu, Director, Africa Program, The Wilson Center; and Ezrah Aharone, Founding Executive Director, The Center for Global Africa

Each forty-five-minute panel was followed by 15 minutes of questions and answers from African Diplomats in attendance. At the conclusion of the program, a reception followed.

“I thank AAI’s leadership for providing this excellent opportunity to engage diplomatically. It was of great value for African Diplomats to gain insights from the panel discussions, and how Africa is perceived in the Western Media and why.”

H.E. ROBIE KAKONGE

The Republic of Uganda’s Ambassador to the USA

“This was my first African Diplomatic Orientation & Engagement Program. However, I hope it is not my last. In fact, I am already looking forward to the next AAI convening of African Ambassadors and discussions of the important challenges confronting our continent,”

H.E. JEFF DOWANA

The Republic of Liberia’s Ambassador to the USA

“AAI’s support for the African Diplomatic Corps is critical to deepening commercial ties between the U.S. and African nations. The day long partnership with the Center for American Progress (CAP) was a model for the partnership we are working to build with our partners on the continent.”

DR. WITNEY SCHNEIDMAN

CEO, Schneidman & Associates International

“I commend AAI for creating the African Diplomatic Orientation & Engagement Program. It is an important and necessary tool that strengthens my efforts to promote the African Union here in Washington and across the United States.”