AAI Convenes African Diplomats to Bridge Africa and the USA

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.

Created by AAI in the Spring of 2019 and endorsed by the African Diplomatic Corps here in Washington, D.C., the African Diplomatic Orientation & Engagement Program is designed to equip new and current Ambassadors with the tools to secure their ongoing success. The unique program convenes African Ambassadors where they can learn from each other and sectoral experts on maximizing their impact as international representatives to the United States.

Kofi Appenteng, President of AAI, and Her Excellency Hilda Suka-Mafudze, the African Union’s Ambassador to the United States, offered opening remarks.

Reflecting on the gathering afterward, Ambassador Suka-Mafudze stated: “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.”

An article that appeared in Politico, African Countries Are Failing to Make a Dent in Washington’s Diplomatic Scene, just days before the program, further underscored the importance of the program. According to the article, “African diplomats say they’d like to be more prominent in the U.S. capital, but that, above all, they lack the resources.”

Several African Ambassadors noted the program offered opportunity to discuss their barriers to success.

“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,” said H.E. Jeff Dowana, the Republic of Liberia’s Ambassador to the USA”

Stated H.E. Robie Kakonge, the Republic of Uganda’s Ambassador to the USA, “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.”

In addition, Dr. Witney Schneidman, who participated in the U.S. Investments Across Africa panel, offered, “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.”

To date, AAI has hosted four gatherings: two in-person and two via Zoom. No other group has brought together Members of the African Diplomatic Corps as has AAI. Returning to in-person and in partnership with CAP, this year’s African Diplomatic Orientation and Engagement Program provided a tremendous opportunity for engagement and mutual learning among African Diplomats, the Diaspora, and U.S. leadership.

AAI will continue hosting this program and targeted sector-oriented sessions. In addition, AAI will also resume quarterly Conversations on Africa on Capitol Hill this Fall.

After welcome remarks, the “off the record” 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.

Hon. Patrick H. Gaspard, President and CEO of CAP and the former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa offered closing remarks.