The CAP Leadership Institute attended the African Presidential Roundtable 2012 in Johannesburg, South Africa this May. Ambassador Charles Stith, director of the African Presidential Archives and Research Center at Boston University, extended this wonderful opportunity to the Fellows to participate in the Roundtable as official observers. The Roundtable 2012 was a global conversation connecting former African heads of state, diplomats, industry leaders, and international dignitaries in closed-door discussions around the theme of a 21st Century Energy Agenda for Africa.
The issue of energy is one of Africa’s most pressing challenges and the Roundtable presented a rare opportunity to reach key individuals and institutions that can directly impact policy development. Prior to embarking on this trip, Leadership Fellow Alicia Criado outlined some of the energy challenges and opportunities for the African continent in her blog post titled “Flipping The Switch On The Energy Crisis.”
In his article, “A Front Seat to Policymaking in Africa,” Sam Fulwood III, Director of CAP’s Leadership Institute, shared what he and the Fellows learned during their trip to South Africa.
In advance of the Roundtable, the Leadership Institute hosted the former president of Zambia, Rupiah Bwezani Banda, for dinner and a discussion at CAP’s office in Washington, D.C. President Banda was one of 10 former presidents of African nations who made democratic transitions out of office in attendance at the Roundtable.
The above excerpt was originally published in African Presidential Roundtable.
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