A Day on Capitol Hill with Young African Leaders, Power Africa, and the Library of Congress

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Africa Policy Breakfast Series, Cote d'Ivoire, Ex-Im Bank, General Electric, Ghana, Heirs Holdings, IVLP, Karen Bass, Liberia Newspapers, Mimi Alemayehou, OPIC, Power Africa, Power Africa focus countries selection criteria, Rwanda, Shaka Ssali, Symbion Power, Togo, Tony Elumelu, YALI

The room was dominated by portraits of old white men, including one holding a poodle.

Yesterday feelings of patriotism stirred in my bosom as I attended the Africa Policy Breakfast Series sponsored by Rep. Karen Bass (D – CA), a two panel Senate hearing on Power Africa, and I then passed a few hours reading Liberian newspapers at the Library of Congress before venturing over to New America and Arizona State.  It still strikes me as pretty cool that I can rub shoulders with prominent dignitaries and attend congressional hearings in person.

‘You Get What You Pay For’: Amb. David Shinn on China – Africa Engagement

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China - Africa, China Africa Trade, Chinese in South Africa, Confucius Institutes, David Shinn, Power Africa, US - China Peoples Friendship Association, Xinhua, YALI

Shinn at Left

Today, I heard Ambassador (Burkina Faso & Ethiopia) David Shinn speak on ‘China’s Engagement with Africa.’  The event was held at the African-American Civil War Museum in the U Street Corridor under the sponsorship of the DC chapter of the US – China Peoples Friendship Association.  I’ve been to a few local events on China – Africa Relations (such this one on opinions and this one on Chinese engagement in South Africa) and I’ve interviewed the local Sino – African doyen (who was in attendance today with a very scruffy beard), but my knowledge of China’s Africa engagement is not very deep.

‘Africans Don’t Need us to Bring Anything…We’re Just the Catalyst’: Bureau of African Affairs Head Speaks at Nigerian Embassy

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Ade Adefuye, Africa Society, Bernadette Paolo, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Embassy of Nigeria in US, Goodluck Jonathan, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Nigeria, Peter Tosh, Power Africa, South Sudan, Trade Africa, US - Africa Summit, YALI

Yesterday, the Africa Society hosted Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, at the Embassy of Nigeria.  The event was originally slated for December, but postponed when the Secretary traveled to the Central African Republic to deal with the crisis there. Although I was fatigued from a new job and illness I ventured out in the evening after work to hear if there would be any interesting observations given the recent suspension of Nigeria’s highly suspected Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi, state criminalization of homosexuality in Nigeria, and the appearance of increasing autocracy from Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.

A Critique of Shari Berenbach of the US African Development Foundation & Her ‘Marginalized Communities’ of Africans

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African Development Foundation, CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development, development in Africa, international development, Power Africa, Shari Berenbach, USADF, YALI, Young African Leaders

Berenbach

Thanks to timely words of an avid Africa in DC reader, I learned of a CSIS event on Africa this afternoon, courtesy of their Project on Prosperity and Development.  I was excited to see the new CSIS office and it was quite impressive, although their conference rooms do not yet have any audio visual capabilities in play.  Shari Berenbach, President of the United States African Development Foundation (ADF), was given a forum to offer a primer on her organization.  Ms. Berenbach came to ADF from USAID and has a strong background in micro-finance.

Africa Policy Breakfast #2: AGOA and Obama in Africa

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Ade Adefuye, AGOA, ECOWAS, Florie Liser, Grant T. Harris, Karen Bass, Microsoft Africa, Power Africa, Somduth Soborun, Stephanie Peters, Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, YALI

As I have previously mentioned, AGOA is not a mechanism for American engagement in Africa that I find particularly compelling.  However, the glowing DC discourse on AGOA is probably indicative of a need for me to brush up on its provisions.

Yesterday I attended my second Africa Policy Breakfast (per my usual disclaimer I departed 30 minutes early), an 8am gathering of DC African power brokers in a very rectangular room in the main Library of Congress building.  I missed the full list of