SOAS students participate in second New York Forum
A delegation of SOAS students recently participated in the second New York Forum, which was held in Libreville, Gabon.
The undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students, from the Faculty of
Law and Social Sciences, were representing UK Social Sciences to
complement a delegation of Harvard MBA and MPP students from the United
States.
Last year’s inaugural New York Forum Africa set out to
recognise Africa’s economic achievements and understand the
opportunities for business and investors. The New York Forum Africa 2013
focused on the hard work necessary to make these opportunities a
reality.
The students joined 600 business and political leaders
tasked with drawing up a road map – for individual businesses as well as
national policy makers. The 2013 New York Forum Africa also hosted the
annual meeting of the Heads of State of the CEMAC (Economic Community of
Central African States), of which the President of Gabon is chairman
this year.
Michael Edward Walsh, doctoral student in the
Department of Politics and International Studies, said: “It was an
incredible experience to be able to meet many of the key stakeholders
behind Africa's growth - including a number of African presidents.
“It
was also valuable to engage with our counterparts from Harvard who
often shared different views on the political-social-economic effects of
large-scale infrastructure projects in Africa. Out of these exchanges, I
gained new insight into how the next generation of global business
leaders think about economic opportunities in Africa. And, I expanded my
own network in the African investment community."
Source: SOAS
published: 2013-07-17