NPC Newsmaker Program: Africa: The Next Growth Frontier

International Celebrity Akon Convenes Leaders to Rebuild and Rethink The African Continent

News provided by

Jul 31, 2014, 05:01 ET

WASHINGTON, July 31, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- During President Obama's first-ever U.S.-Africa Summit, Akon, a five-time Grammy nominated artist and philanthropist, will convene the first annual "Africa: New Partnership Models for Growth Conference," August 7, 2014. Featuring African Heads of State, including those from Guinea, Kenya, Congo, and Ghana, this international conference will give the next generation of African leaders from all sectors of activity a platform and opportunity to directly exchange with African decision-makers, business leaders, civil society representatives, opinion leaders, athletes, artists, and celebrities.

Akon will discuss the results of this event at a National Press Club Newsmaker on Thursday, August 7^th, 2014 at 3:00 p.m. in the club's Zenger Room, National Press Building, 529 14^th St. NW, Washington, D.C.

The objectives of the Africa: New Partnership Models for Growth Conference are to:

Debrief with African Heads of State on their experience of the challenges of building a different Africa and on the takeaways they will have gathered from the US-Africa Summit with President Obama;
Provide young African leaders with a chance to showcase to their elders how they are increasingly finding their own voice, redefining themselves and rallying around a call to unity and action, bringing global partnerships, and delivering innovative and inclusive solutions to Africa's fast-track development.

The conference builds on Akon's role in founding Akon Lighting Africa, focused on bringing electricity to 1 million rural African households in over 20 countries by the end of 2014. Akon Lighting Africa uses an innovative, scalable, cost-effective, and replicable solar energy model, which is designed to provide green energy solutions and create youth employment.

Like all NPC Newsmaker events, this news conference is open to club member and credentialed media, free of charge. No advance registration is required.

Contact:
Steven Olikara, Newsmakers Event Host
262-894-3584, [email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080917/NPCLOGO

SOURCE National Press Club