High-Level Agenda12-12:45 pm Registration & Networking Reception1-4 pm Main Event
Access: FREE with Registration. No SXSW Badge is Required. Open to the Public
Event Overview
You are invited to the SXSW Africa House’s Signature Event from 12:00 to 4:00 PM in the Rowling Hall Auditorium. Join us to experience immersive panels, an interactive showcase where you can engage with cutting-edge African innovators, and dynamic speakers who will increase our understanding of sub-Saharan African countries, cultures, governments and business environments.
Panel: The afternoon begins with a conversation about the growing consumer trend in music, tourism and media featuring Abdul Karim Abdullah, CEO of Afrochella, and Iba Thiam, actor known for Alita: Battle Angel, Queen of the South and The Leftovers.
Panel: You will then join a conversation about impactful strategic partnerships between Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni and American Reciprocal Exchange Awardees. Panelists will discuss their experiences during the Mandela Washington Fellowship in the United States, the Reciprocal Exchange experiences in Africa, and launching businesses and programs in Africa. This conversation will emphasize the importance of U.S.-Africa relations.
Expert AfCTA Presentation: Now is a pivotal moment in Africa’s development, especially due to the signing of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the free trade agreement with the largest number of signatories in the world. Our subject-matter expert will share historical information and ways that the African Diaspora may position itself for business opportunities available via the AfCFTA. Currently, trading with AfCFTA is scheduled to commence on July 1, 2020.
African Entrepreneurs Showcase: Throughout the event, you will experience three exciting pitches in an interactive showcase highlighting African entrepreneurs who demonstrate the region's emerging status as a global leader in technology, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
Keynote Presentation: Concluding this content-rich experience is a dynamic keynote speaker who will be announced at a later date. Stay tuned!
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Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders
This event is partially funded by the American Impact Award, a subaward of the Reciprocal Exchange component of the Mandela Washington Fellowship. The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX.
In its seventh year, the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders aims to invest in the new generation of young African leaders who will shape the continent’s future; provide them with practical skills that can help take their current work in the public, private, and non-profit sectors to the next level; and deepen partnerships and connections between the United States and Africa. This June, the Fellowship will bring 700 young African professionals, ages 25-35, to the United States for intensive six-week Leadership Institutes at 27 top American educational institutions. Fellows will also participate in the seventh annual Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit in Washington, D.C., in late July.
After completing the Fellowship, Fellows can apply jointly with American professionals they met during their time in the United States for a small grant provided to the American which will enable them to travel to the Fellow's country to build upon strategic partnerships and professional connections. Through the Reciprocal Exchange component of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Americans and young African leaders form lasting partnerships, expand markets and networks, and increase mutual understanding between the United States and countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Organizers: This event is produced by Impact Anchor.
Want to learn more?
Contact Impact Anchor at events@impactanchor.com.
For more information on the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit https://www.mandelawashingtonfellowship.org/. Contact the Mandela Washington Fellowship Team at MWFellowship@irex.org.
Artist credit: Ancestor’s Watch by Nailah I. Akinyémi-Sankofa