Special Edition: U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit - Video Previews

Assistant Secretary of State Linda Thomas-Greenfield

Several recent video presentations provide a preview of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit that will take place this week in Washington, D.C.

About four dozen African heads of state and government are scheduled to participate in the three-day series of meetings.  Two presidents -- from Liberia and Sierra Leone -- have canceled their plans to attend the summit in order to address the threat of an Ebola epidemic in their countries.

On Thursday, July 31, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, assistant secretary of State for African affairs, spoke at the Atlantic Council of the United States.  In this video, Dr. J. Peter Pham, who leads the African studies program at the ACUS, introduces Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield and later moderates questions posed to her by the audience. The Atlantic Council has a web page dedicated to news about the summit.

In the previous week, on July 22, the United States Institute of Peace hosted three diplomats with extensive experience in African affairs to discuss "U.S. Policy Today for Africa Tomorrow." The participants were Ambassador Princeton Lyman and former assistant secretaries of State for African affairs Johnnie Carson and George Moose. The panel was moderated by Susan Stigant and introduced by Kristin Lord, acting president of USIP.

One week before that, on July 15, the National Endowment for Democracy hosted a panel discussion on "Fostering Democracy, Good Governance, and Human Rights in Africa Through Security Sector Assistance." The participants were Christopher Holshek, Leslie Anne Warner and Daniel Hampton.

On July 31, the White House released a video of remarks by National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice (a former assistant secretary of State for African affairs) offering a preview of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit.

Follow Sub-Saharan Monitor for more news from the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit during the coming days.

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State Department to Host Google+ Hangout on July 15 for Young African Leaders

From the U.S. Department of State in Washington:

In preparation for the July 28-30 Washington Fellows for Young African Leaders Presidential Summit, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Evan Ryan will participate in a Google+ Hangout with Washington Fellows on July 15. The discussion will be moderated by ABC News Digital Correspondent Dana Hughes and will include five young African leaders currently studying at U.S. institutions through the Washington Fellowship.

The Hangout will be broadcast live at 2:00 p.m. EDT on the U.S. Department of State’s YouTube channel and Google+ page. Questions can be submitted in advance on the Google+ page and via Twitter by using #USAfrica. Following the event, video will be available on-demand via the Google+ page. Washington Fellowship participants and young leaders are encouraged to tune in and participate by submitting questions in advance.

The summit will bring together 500 of Africa’s most talented and inspiring young people to Washington, DC. These 500 Washington Fellows, already leaders in their communities in the fields of business, civil society, and public administration, are receiving six weeks of academic coursework and training at 20 of America’s top universities.

The news advisory also recommends that people follow the Twitter handles @StateDept, @StateAfrica, and @ECAatState, and to track the hashtags #USAfrica and #YALI2014 to receive more information on the Summit and related topics.