Monday, October 9, 2017

Prestigious Publishers Weekly Features Amb. Sanders’ New Book


                                                       


              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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