Word from the President – Fall 2013
Dear Friends,
AAI was incredibly privileged to host two major events in late-September in celebration of our 60th anniversary.
We were excited to welcome more than 100 African professionals to our first annual Career Expo: Inaugural Talent Summit on September 21 at Hunter College where summit attendees got the inside scoop from top industry experts on launching a career in Africa or at leading Africa-focused organizations in the U.S. In three panel discussions, African expatriates and repatriates gave refreshingly frank advice about work and home life in Africa, firsthand accounts of international and regional hiring needs, and insight into the rapidly changing landscape of African business. Armed with the knowledge gained from the summit, attendees left energized to brush up their CV and to plan their career transition.
This year’s 60th Anniversary Awards Dinner Gala, held on September 25 at the Hilton New York, exceeded our expectations as nearly 500 guests gathered to celebrate African achievement and support AAI’s mission to strengthen Africa’s human capacity for the next 60 years. The 2013 honorees were the African Union in recognition of its 50th anniversary; Nigerian Financier and Philanthropist Tony O. Elumelu; Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella, newly-appointed Special Representative of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and CEO of Sustainable Energy for All; and Chevron.
As the African continent and AAI move towards the future, the gala featured an exclusive, unscripted conversation on Africa’s past, present and future, moderated by Ben Dotsei Malor, Executive Producer of UN Radio, with H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia and Chair of the African Union; H.E. Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of Namibia; The Honorable Hanna Tetteh, Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration; and The Honorable Bernard Membe, Tanzania’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The Conversation offered inspiration and hope for Africa’s future.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been one year since I took the helm of AAI! We’ve had a very productive year. Please take a look at our recently-released evaluation study of the Transformational Leadership Program (TLP). The study findings revealed that the TLP program is making a significant impact in Africa and is developing leaders who are innovators in their field. To download the abridged version of the full report, please click here.
We hope you will stay engaged with AAI as we launch a major effort to quadruple TLP’s impact and provide Africa’s next generation with opportunities to strengthen their talents and skills to make a difference in their communities.
Get connected to AAI! To sign up for the AAI email list, please email aainy@aaionline.org. For more information on The Africa-America Institute, please visit www.aaionline.org. Be sure to become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
All the best,
Amini Kajunju, President and CEO of The Africa-America Institute
