Invites Freedom Editor For A Conference!!!!!

Participant invitation - "Outlook Africa: Investing in Africa's Growth and Health" - Brussels, April 29-30, 2009

Mr. Pa Nderry M'Bai

Managing Editor / Publisher        

Freedom Newspaper, The Gambia

PARTICIPANT INVITATION

Outlook Africa:

Investing in Africa’s growth and health

 A two-day international summit co-organised by Friends of Europe,

Total, the World Bank and Gallup

Wednesday, April 29 (18.00 – 19.30) and Thursday, April 30 (09.30 – 15.30)

Bibliothèque Solvay, Brussels

With the participation of Louis Michel, EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid

 Dear Mr. M'Bai,

I am writing to invite you to attend a two-day international summit entitled “Outlook Africa: Investing in Africa’s growth and health”, co-organised by Friends of Europe, Total, the World Bank and Gallup with media partner Europe’s World. The summit will be held at the Bibliothèque Solvay in Brussels on Wednesday, April 29 from 18.00 to 19.30 and Thursday, April 30 from 09.30 to 15.30.

 UNDER DISCUSSION:

This international summit will provide a global platform to debate the EU-Africa relations. The summit will bring together senior representatives from the EU, the African Union and international institutions, national governments, industries, social partners, academics and NGO representatives from around the globe. The event will discuss the following issues:

- Can we protect Africa from the economic crisis?

- Fine-tuning EU-Africa trade and investment

- Getting Africa’s infrastructure right

- Report card on overcoming Africa’s healthcare challenges

SPEAKERS, amongst others, INCLUDE:

§         Louis Michel, EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid

§         João Aguiar Machado, European Commission Deputy Director General for Trade and Chief Negotiator for the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs)

§         Paul Baloyi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Development Bank of Southern Africa

§         Alain Champeaux, Senior Vice President for Africa & Middle East, Refining & Marketing, Total

§         Tegegnework Gettu*, Regional Director for Africa and Assistant Secretary General, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

§         Luís Gomes Sambo, Regional Director for Africa, the World Health Organisation (WHO)

§         Pekka Haavisto MP, Finnish Foreign Minister’s Special Envoy for African Horn and Sudan and Former Minister for Development Cooperation, Former EU Special Representative to Sudan

§         Donald Kaberuka*, President of the African Development Bank Group

§         Michel Kazatckhine*, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

§         Jan Kohout, Czech Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs

§         Kassim Kulindwa, Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer in Economics at the Economic Research Bureau of the University of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania and Board Member of  the Centre for Environmental Economics and Policy in Africa (CEEPA)

§         Jacques Marraud des Grottes, Senior Vice President, Exploration & Production in Africa, Total

§         Erastus J. O. Mwencha*, Deputy Chairperson, the African Union Commission

§         Akere Muna, Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of Transparency International (TI) and Founder and Former President of TI in Cameroon

§         Njuguna S. Ndungu*, Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya

§         Vittorio Prodi MEP, Chairman of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with South Africa

§         Kees Storm*, Chairman of the Board of the Health Insurance Fund and Former CEO of AEGON

§         Robert Tortora, Regional Research Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, Gallup

MODERATED BY:

§         Peter Guest, Editor of This is Africa, publication of the Financial Times

§         Giles Merritt, Secretary General of Friends of Europe

§         Anya Sitaram, Founding Director and Executive Producer of Rockhopper TV and Presenter at BBC World News

*to be confirmed

Check our website www.friendsofeurope.org regularly for speaker updates.

REGISTRATION:

Please click here for the preliminary programme and registration form (regular updates can be found on our website www.friendsofeurope.org).

You may return the registration form by fax to +32 (0)2 738 75 97 or by email to registrations@friendsofeurope.org.

If you encounter a problem with the hyperlink, copy and paste this link into your web browser:

http://www.friendsofeurope.org/Portals/6/download/EPS_Africa_2009/FoE_Outlook_Africa_Programme_and_Reg_Form.pdf

Kind regards,

The Friends of Europe Team

Friends of Europe is an independent think tank for EU policy analysis and debate

Bibliothèque Solvay • Parc Léopold • 137 rue Belliard • 1040 Brussels | T: +32 2 738 75 95 | F: +32 2 738 75 97

www.friendsofeurope.org