The Africa-America Institute, a U.S.-based organization that for the past 60 years has provided advanced education and professional training in the United States for Africans, is unveiling a new strategic vision and direction for its programming and engagement with alumni.
The AAI will unveil the new vision and direction at its 60th anniversary celebration in New York City in September, during the opening week of the United Nations General Assembly. Under the theme, “Unlocking Africa’s Greatest Asset for 60 Years,” the milestone year also will be marked by the launch of AAI’s Career Expo: Inaugural Talent Summit on Sept. 21, at Hunter College, New York City. The Career Expo will be followed on Sept. 25 by the 60th Anniversary Awards Gala at the Hilton New York.
“In celebration of our sixtieth anniversary, we are pleased to host anniversary activities that highlight AAI’s ongoing commitment to bolstering Africa’s human capacity for development,” said Amini Kajunju, AAI’s president and CEO, the first African-born individual to hold that position. “As AAI moves into a new era, the anniversary celebration will launch the new strategic vision and direction for AAI’s programming and engagement with more than 23,000 alumni.”
AAI’s annual Awards Gala is one of New York City’s largest and most prestigious events celebrating African achievement. The institute was founded in 1953 in Washington, D.C., by African-Americans Horace Mann Bond Ph.D., then president of Lincoln University, and William Leo Hansberry, a Howard University professor of African history, to support African students in their pursuit of higher education in the United States. Today, more than 23,000 individuals from 54 African countries have benefited from AAI’s higher education scholarship and professional training programs. AAI alumni are leaders in Africa’s public, non-profit, and private sectors.
At the Anniversary Gala, AAI will present the African Union with the first AAI Institutional Legacy Award, in recognition of the two organizations’ intertwining histories since their respective creation. AAI will pay tribute to the success of the Organization of African Unity, predecessor organization to the AU, in liberating African countries from colonial rule, and in fostering development, peace and security on the continent for 50 years. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma M.D., the first female chair of the African Union Commission, will accept the award on behalf of the African Union.
Tony Elumelu, entrepreneur, philanthropist, chairman of Heirs Holdings Ltd., and founder of Tony O. Elumelu Foundation, will receive the 2013 AAI Leadership Award in Business and Philanthropy Award. Kandeh K. Yumkella Ph.D., newly appointed Special Representative of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and CEO of Sustainable Energy for All Initiative, will receive the 2013 AAI Distinguished Alumnus Award. A native of Sierra Leone, Yumkella previously served as director-general of the United Nations Industrialization Development Organization (UNIDO).
Chevron will receive the 2013 AAI Corporate Award for its investment in Africa.
The Gala program will feature an exclusive “Conversation on Africa’s Past, Present and Future” with African heads of state. Jakaya Kikwete, president of Tanzania, and John Dramani Mahama, president of Ghana, are confirmed participants. Still to confirm their participation at press time, are Hailemariam Desalegn, prime minister of Ethiopia and chair of the African Union; Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba, president of Namibia; Goodluck Jonathan, president of Nigeria; and Jacob Zuma, president of South Africa.
The Talent Summit continues AAI’s mission to strengthen human capital in Africa. Leading industry experts will address attendees on talent management and recruitment of African professionals in the Diaspora, with a view toward advancing a successful career at leading Africa-focused organizations and companies that operate both in the U.S and Africa.
Attendees also will learn from African expatriates and repatriates about work and home life in Africa, receive tips to make the transition a success, and gain insight into the changing landscape of African business. They will also receive a firsthand account of international and regional hiring needs from global companies and national policymakers, including candidate qualifications.
