Updated Press Release & Book Summary
Prestigious Publishers
Weekly Features Sanders’ New Book in October 2017 Issue
Washington, D.C. October 10, 2017 – Ambassador (Dr.)
Robin Renee Sanders’ new book on “The Rise of Africa’s Small & Medium
Size Enterprises” (SMEs) is an insightful examination of the dramatic shift in
the development paradigm for Sub Saharan Africa – driven in large part by the
imaginative, innovative and insta-impact
leadership of many of the region’s small businesses or SMEs. “SMEs have helped
drive economic growth and aided in increasing the size of the Continent’s
middle class,” Sanders says. The book will be featured in the prestigious
Publisher's Weekly Magazine’s October 2017 issue, and was cited and ranked high
by Top Link Publishers for its " analysis and research as a quality book
on business development." The book's Introduction is by renowned civil
rights leader, former United Nations Ambassador, and entrepreneur
supporter Ambassador Andrew Young, and the Foreword is by Africa’s leading
businessman, Mr. Aliko Dangote, who himself began his fortune by starting off
as a young entrepreneur and remains an advocate for the sector. Former
President George W. Bush upon receiving the book, noted
its "thoughtfulness" and also thanked Sanders for her continued
"work to improve lives" in the region. Dr. Sanders worked
for Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama during what she described as the
paradigm shift-change years of U.S. policy toward a more positive,
partnership-based relationship with Africa; she also shares some
related diplomatic vignettes in the book from those years, and has done a
TEDxTalk on impact of Africa’s SMEs, https://youtu.be/fk-BONoNz9U.
About
the Book: Ambassador Sanders says the core of
the book's message is about development and the key role that Africa small
businesses have and are playing and they are one of the keys to the region's
forward progress on job creation, trade, manufacturing, and expanding the
middle class. Sanders’ credits the determination of Africa’s SMEs to step into
the void left by 40 years of post-independence development efforts that had
little impact on overall poverty reduction and job creation. Sanders'
perspective is that donors took note of the efforts of African Generation Xers
and Millennials and also stepped up significantly to expand support and
training to Africa's SMEs. The book also has recommendations on what more
donors, the African Union, African Governments, the United Nations, and the new
U.S. Administration can do to further assist Africa SMEs. There is also an
extensive chapter discussion on China – called the China Factor - on what it is
doing in the Africa SME sector, such as the big pluses like special
economic zones, the potential role of the New Development Bank, how
China can help even more as the world’s current net credit lending
country, as well as point out some things on which it needs to do better.
Other key chapters address the positives and challenges remaining in the region
on the democracy front for many countries; for Africa SME women,
particularly the gap in their access to financing, and the need to
train more young girls in STEM fields; and, the need to
introduce more and more of the Continent's young people
to entrepreneurship. The 530-page heavily-researched book (with
500+ footnotes and references), includes DataGraphs by the prestigious Gallup World
Poll, which partners with Ambassador Sanders, along with
Allafrica.com, on holding key annual events on Africa issues. These
DataGraphs help underscore the key issues and points in the book on the role
and importance of Africa's SMEs in moving the region forward. The
book is available on Amazon.com, or for signed copies from Ambassador Sanders order
from: http://ambassadorrobinreneesanders.com/RobinSandersNewAfricaSMEBook.html
Author’s Bio Note: Ambassador
Sanders served as one of the U.S. Government’s top diplomats on Africa over an
extensive career in the United States Diplomatic Corps with senior positions
ranging from Ambassador to the Republics of Nigeria and the Congo, two stints
as Director for Africa at the White House, and the U.S. Permanent
Representative to the West African Regional Organization ECOWAS. Dr. Sanders received her doctorate degree from
Pittsburgh’s Robert Morris University in information systems and communications
and is known as a thought-leader on Africa’s national security to its
development, political and economic issues. She has a particular focus on the
SMEs, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs,) the global international
consensus document to combat poverty issues. She has testified before the U.S.
Congress on many of these topics. Sanders is the recipient of the U.S.
military’s joint Chiefs of Staff Award, the highest U.S. military honor given
to a civilian; serves on the U.S. Trade Representative Africa Advisory
Committees; is a member of the prestigious Academy of Diplomacy of former
senior U.S. Government officials; is the recipient of the Presidential Medal of
Honor from Congo; and has six Department of State Awards (Superior and
Meritorious). Sanders also is a Distinguished Public Service Scholar at RMU,
has two Master’s Degrees (International Relations-African Studies and
Communications) from Ohio University, and is a Visiting Scholar under the CIC
Woodrow Wilson Program. Her first book, The
Legendary Uli Women of Nigeria, www.bit.ly/UliBook-SummaryPhotos, is
also available on amazon.com.
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