World Leaders, Blockbuster Idols and Academia Powerhouses to Convene in August for the Ninth Leon H. Sullivan Summit to build partnerships for Africa

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Jul 26, 2012, 03:16 ET

WASHINGTON, July 26, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Global leaders from Africa, Asia, Latin America, powerhouse intellectuals from the most prestigious colleges and universities in the world, NBA players, Emmy Award winning musicians and superstars from Hollywood, Nollywood, and Bollywood, and Grammy Award winning actors from the U.S. and the Caribbean will be gathering for the star-studded 9th Leon H. Sullivan Summit, in the colorful city of Malabo, Equatorial Guinea at the invitation of His Excellency Obiang Nguema-Mbasogo. Beginning on August 20, the Summit will be a worldwide gathering of the African Diaspora under the theme of "Africa Rising."

"Africa is where you will find the greatest opportunities in the entire world," said Mrs. Hope Sullivan Masters, President of the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation. She went on to say, "The Sullivan Summit has always been the place where incalculable opportunities are introduced to the vast reserve of untapped innovative ideas and concepts of Africa. The enthusiastic feedback that we are receiving from all across the world about this Ninth Sullivan Summit is so impassioned and full of energy that the fusions which are about to occur in Malabo will result in a historic new chapter in Africa's renaissance." Hope Masters elaborated further, "when the wealth of Africa is harnessed in a way where the African people will finally benefit from their own land you will have a 'game-changing' situation which will fundamentally change the way the entire world regards Africa. This is the underlying mission of this Summit and the theme this year which is Africa Rising."

With more than 4000 delegates expected to attend, Heads of State from across the world, blockbuster superstars and international musicians, the 9th Leon H. Sullivan Summit will prove to be a ground breaking event for Equatoguineans and all Africans alike.

"We will have a concert with performances by international superstars planned for the entire country and our Summit delegates. The Heads of State will announce a set of Sullivan Resolutions, which will disclose an urgent stratagem to ensure economic empowerment and human development for the nations of Africa. These Sullivan Resolutions will be a clear articulation to the world that the leaders of Africa are fully and completely committed to lead the global dialog on Africa, forged by the leaders of Africa themselves, to ensure the onward development of Africa while ensuring the rights and dignity of African people in the process," said Sullivan-Masters.

The Sullivan Summit has also undertaken a full-scale renovation of a large orphanage in Malabo which will be re-dedicated during the Summit week; and they will be hosting the Inaugural Leon H. Sullivan Exhibition Basketball game featuring athletes from the NBA, the Canadian Basketball League, and well as from various leagues across Europe and Africa in addition to the bilateral and multilateral discussions among world leaders which will take place during the week-long Summit.

Historically the Sullivan Summits have been responsible for enacting significant change on the continent, and the Summits have been the only international forums in which former U.S. Presidents such as President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush have attended while in office.

More information can be found at www.sullivansummit.org or www.thesullivanfoundation.org

SOURCE Leon H. Sullivan Foundation