22 May 2008
Leon H. Sullivan Summit VIII Billed as “Summit of a Lifetime”
Biennial event will explore four key themes in U.S.-Africa relationship
Washington -- The Leon H. Sullivan Foundation’s June 2-6 summit in the cities of Arusha and Zanzibar in Tanzania will explore a wide range of themes -- including investment, infrastructure, tourism and the environment -- as part of an ever closer U.S.-Africa partnership, according to the foundation’s vice president for policy and program development.
Gregory B. Simpkins previewed the foundation’s upcoming eighth summit in Africa for America.gov in a recent interview. He said Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete -- the summit’s host -- is billing the event as “The Summit of a Lifetime” because everyone involved wants to ensure that the summit achieves substantive results.
“We have redoubled our efforts to create outcomes going into the summit so … we will have not only recommendations but, in some cases, programming that can be initiated to address some of the issues that are raised,” Simpkins said.
The first day will feature a workshop on the Global Sullivan Principles, named for the summit’s late founder, the Reverend Leon Sullivan. “We are in the process of formulating our planning on making the Global Sullivan Principles the preeminent corporate social responsibility program on the continent of Africa,” Simpkins said.
The Sullivan Principles originated in 1977 when Sullivan, a Baptist minister, issued a code of conduct in an attempt to end discrimination against black workers in South Africa oppressed by the nation's policy of apartheid. This initiative helped focus the attention of the international business community on the issue of racial injustice in South Africa by promoting criteria for socially responsible investment practices. In early 1999, Sullivan broadened the principles and launched a global campaign for the worldwide acceptance of his credo.
SUMMIT AGENDA
The summit will address a broad range of topics, all tied to enhancing the continent’s economic development. In addition, a separate two-day workshop on science and technology cooperation will be held in advance of the summit. (See “U.S.-African Science Partnership Could Lead to Greater Development.”)
There will be a workshop on the ever burgeoning U.S.-Africa trade ties as a result of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), Simpkins said.
“We feel AGOA has been a success, but it could be more successful because it does not now include much agriculture,” Simpkins said. “Since 70 percent of Africa’s work force is involved in agriculture, obviously that is something that needs to be addressed.”
The diversification and the development of products eligible under the AGOA program -- other than oil, which makes up almost 90 percent of AGOA trade -- is something that must be discussed, he said. “We really need to look at other areas where the Africans might have a comparative advantage” and compete internationally under AGOA, he added.
Also on Day One, top U.S. officials will explain what the United States is doing to stimulate U.S.-Africa trade, Simpkins said. A youth forum exploring what is being done to prepare Africa’s youth for the future will close out the first day.
The agenda for the second day includes a presentation from General Electric on the generation, transmission and distribution of electric power across Africa -- a critical building block essential to Africa’s development. The session will also offer input from the World Bank -- which just hosted a huge power generation conference in West Africa -- and a range of African regional groups such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), he said.
Workshops also will explore key topics such as alternative energy and sustainable infrastructure. Additionally, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will offer a workshop on using innovative and cooperative electric power programs known as “power pools” as a way to strengthen regional energy networks.
A separate workshop will address health care systems, Simpkins said. “No matter how much medicine we provide, the heath care systems in too many countries have just fallen apart. We need to take a look at ways to blend the private and public systems” for optimum benefit.
Africa’s education network and the degeneration of many of Africa’s universities also will be addressed, according to Simpkins, and the day will end with a workshop on the African Diaspora.
Day Three will focus on tourism, an industry that is growing faster in Africa than in any other region of the world. One workshop will explore the Caribbean model for tourism, in which small islands manage their own unique tourism niche without directly competing with each other.
The Sullivan Foundation hopes to hold a separate tourism conference in 2009 on the Caribbean model, Simpkins said, “bringing African officials into the Caribbean to learn what lessons they can take with them back home to apply.”
The summit’s final day will focus on the environment, with a presentation by the famed environmentalist and primatologist Jane Goodall. Representatives from conservation organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund will discuss biodiversity, climate change and effective management of natural resources.
The biennial Leon Sullivan Summit has been attended by two U.S. presidents -- Bill Clinton and George W. Bush -- and serves as a venue for bolstering the U.S.-Africa partnership, Simpkins said.
“A lot of things are done there … that make it a real summit. We have some of our business leaders from Chevron, General Motors and Coca-Cola meeting with major companies from Africa: Vodacom, IPP Media, … the Africa Business Roundtable and New Partnership for Africa’s Development [NEPAD] Business Council and East Africa Business Council.”
The U.S.-Africa business relationship is expanding more and more each year, Simpkins said, citing as proof a trade mission from Prince George’s County, Maryland -- a suburb of Washington -- that will be at the summit to explore business opportunities to benefit both Americans and Africans.
