FEEEDS-GALLUP 8th Annual Africa Forum - Join Us! - "Africa's Business Economy & the AfCFTA — The Key Role of SMEs"

This Press Announcement First Appeared in Allafrica.com

FEEEDS Initiative (Washington, DC)

ANNOUNCEMENT

Date: Thursday, July 15, 2021
Time: 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Time Zones: 3:00 p.m. (Cairo & Jo'burg); 4:00 p.m. (Addis & Nairobi); 2:00 p.m. (Lagos & London)
Duration: 2 hours

Event Theme: "Africa's Business Economy & the AfCFTA — The Key Role of SMEs"

Register Now

Co-Hosts Ambassador Robin Sanders and Gallup Global Managing Partner Jon Clifton, in partnership with allAfrica.com, the African & Caribbean Business Council (ACBC), United People for African Congress (UPAC) and U.S.-Africa Trade Council, invite you to the 8th Annual FEEEDS-Gallup Africa Forum: Africa's Business Economy & the AfCFTA — the Role of SMEs.

This is an opportunity to hear firsthand from the event's honored featured speakers: Dr. Hippolyte Fofack of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and Dr. Francis Mangeni, advisor to the Secretary General of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Each will discuss how their institutions support the critical role Africa and the Africa diaspora's small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) serve in the region's economy and the broader success of the AfCFTA. Gallup's leading Africa research director, Magali Rheault, will scene set with relevant polling data on the current business environment for Africa SMEs and regional economies.

SPEAKERS
Ambassador Robin Sanders
CEO of FEEEDS
Ambassador (Dr.) Robin Renee Sanders served as one of the U.S. Government's top diplomats on African issues over a long career in the United States Diplomatic Corps reaching senior positions ranging from Ambassador to the Republics of Nigeria, Republic of Congo, two stints – NSC Director for Africa at the White House, and U.S. Permanent Representative to the West African Regional Organization ECOWAS. Dr. Sanders received her doctor of science degree from Pittsburgh's Robert Morris University, where she also holds the title of Distinguished Public Service & Rooney Scholar; has MA and MS degrees from Ohio University; and, a BA from Hampton University. She is a recognized thought-leader on Africa's political, economic, technology, security (e.g. Boko Haram, Al Shabab) and policy issues, as well as on region's thematic topics such as SDGs, food security, democracy/elections, education & climate change. She has testified before the U.S. Congress on these topics. Her advisory firm is divided into two parts: The FEEEDS Advocacy Initiative and FE3DS, LLC. FEEEDS focuses on Africa economic development, Diaspora, Entrepreneurship/SMEs issues. FEEEDS also advises several organizations; co-hosts the annual Africa event with Gallup World Poll; and publishes @The FEEEDS Index. Sanders' national security expertise is based on her work at the White House; as Deputy Commandant-Eisenhower College, the National Defense University, the U.S. military's premier institution for strategic studies; her diplomatic postings; and her work on global issues. She is sought after by media such as Al Jazeera, China Television, VOA, and CNN for her Africa expertise. FE3DS, LLC provides business strategies on Africa trade, technology, power, renewables, affordable housing and aviation.

Jon Clifton
Global Managing Partner, Gallup
Jon Clifton is the Global Managing Partner of Gallup, an advisory firm that specializes in big data analytics of employees, customers, students and citizens. Jon's mission is to help 7 billion citizens be heard on their most pressing work and life issues through the Gallup World Poll, a 100-year initiative spanning 150 countries. Because of his expertise, Jon has been interviewed on BBC News, C-SPAN's Washington Journal, and Al-Jazeera, and has testified in front of the U.S. Congress on the state of American small business and entrepreneurship. He is a frequent contributor on Gallup.com and has written for The Hill, The Diplomatic Courier, and The Global Action Report.

Dr. Hippolyte Fofack – Honored Featured Speaker
Chief Economist, Director of Research and International Cooperation, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank)
Speaker Topic: "How Afreximbank Leverages Its Programs to Support the SME Sector."
Dr. Hippolyte Fofack has more than 20 years of experience in development economics, international trade, banking and international finance and academia. Prior to joining the African Export-Import Bank, he was with the World Bank Group, where he served in several capacities, including as senior economist and head of the Macroeconomic and Growth Research Program. In 2005, Dr. Fofack was elected to the African Academy of Sciences, a continental organization dedicated to the furtherance of science and its use for economic development and welfare improvement. He has served on the advisory board of Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and is a member of the Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa Board of Directors. He is also a member of several leading professional and scientific organizations, including the American Economic Association and the African Finance and Economic Association. Dr. Fofack has been a guest editor of several prominent journals, including The World Bank Economic Review and Economic History of Developing Regions. Dr. Fofack has been published extensively, is Editor-in-Chief of Contemporary Issues in African Trade and Trade Finance (CIAT) and is a member of several editorial boards, including the Journal of African Development, the Journal of African Trade and the Gulf Economics Journal.

Dr. Francis Mangeni – Honored Featured Speaker
Head of Trade Promotion & Programs, Advisor to AfCFTA Secretary General
Speaker Topic: "AfCFTA: How It Supports SME Participation in Regional Trade."
Dr. Francis Mangeni has worked and consulted extensively on the multilateral trade system and African economic integration. He is a senior fellow with the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance and has served as head of trade promotion and programs with the AfCFTA and director of trade customs and monetary affairs with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. He has served as advisor to the Minister of Commerce and Industry of the government of Malawi, senior economist at the Permanent Delegation of the African Union to the United Nations and regional trade policy advisor at the Commission of the African Union, and acted as a consultant for numerous regional and international organizations. His analytical work has focused on the social and economic implications of economic reforms, negotiation preparation and trade opportunities. Dr. Mangeni's analyses have informed key initiatives for economic integration throughout Africa and served as a basis for advice to African diplomats attending World Trade Organization conferences and trade negotiations with Africa's major partners.

Magali Rheault
Regional Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, Gallup World Poll
Topic: "Current Africa Business Environment for SMEs & Regional Economies."
Magali Rheault is Regional Research Director for sub-Saharan Africa for the Gallup World Poll. As the largest independent source of global survey research, the World Poll measures the most important issues people around the world face. Ms. Rheault leads survey research operations across the African continent and is responsible for sampling, questionnaire design, field staff training and quality control. Her main research interests focus on the intersection of governance, economic growth and human development in sub-Saharan Africa. As an academically trained urban planner, Ms. Rheault focuses on big-picture thinking to better understand how people's surroundings shape their perceptions and opinions. She is passionate about translating data into information and knowledge to help clients incorporate survey findings into impactful initiatives.

Human Rights Issues of U.S. Policing A Year After George Floyd's Death - What the Data Tells Us?

Dr. Sanders appeared on Detroit-based radio program "The Lavenia Perryman Show," to discusses her recent article in Allafrica.com on Human Rights Issues of  U.S. Policing A Year After George Floyd - What the Data Tells Us, featuring data from Gallup's Center on Black Voices & Pew Research Center. Her clip also highlights 100th anniversary of the Black Tulsa Massacre. 

Begin at minute 36 in the link: https://fb.watch/5KvKsgbv85/​. Also see Social media promo cards: https://twitter.com/lavoniaperryman/status/1397667996496244740?s=20; https://www.instagram.com/p/CPWzOkQsQNj/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link. Perryman's show broadcasts live in metro Detroit & available outside of Detroit on Facebook Livestream, iHeartRadio, Roku, Apple​TV,​ etc.​; interviewer, executive producer Janie D. Hazel 

A FEEEDS Blogspot

Sanders & Other Experts on Nigeria's ARISETV: Africa & Domestic Policy - Biden's First 100 Days

As CEO-FEEEDS, Ambassador Sanders, along with other experts, appeared on Nigeria's ARISE TV to discuss the impact of President Biden's First 100 Days both on US domestic and US-Africa policy. See the interview here: http://bit.ly/ARISETV-Nigeria 

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Human Rights of U.S. Policing A Year After George Floyd: What the Data Tells Us? - By Dr. Robin Sanders

As we approach the May 25, 2021 year anniversary of George Floyd's death, and 100^th anniversary of the Tulsa Oklahoma Massacre of over 100 African Americans on May 31-June 1, 1921, it is time for reflections, or better said a data report card, on where things are, and where they are not. Has anything changed? Has progress been made, particularly on perceptions regarding the racial divides that have existed and still exist in American society today? All brought to the fore, once again, in such a brutal way, with the 2020 killing of George Floyd.

Clearly, this nation continues to struggle with a myriad of historical and present-day social justice, economic, health (COVID underscoring this further), and opportunity inequalities -- predominately impacting America's people of color and America's poor. Also, part of this reflective discussion is the attendant optic of how the U.S. is viewed overseas (especially in Africa, other world regions of color, and in key UNHC and UN sessions) as a result of not only how and why George Floyd was killed, but also his death turned an international spotlight on present day U.S. racial challenges.

This world attention on America's social justice and racial issues had not happened in such a global way since the beatings, dog attacks and water-cannoning of peaceful black protesters in the South during the 1960 civil rights movement. Summer 2020 protests also spurred revisiting of other recent past police killings of African Americans such as Breonna Taylor (2020), whose case had previously languished; Atlanta's Rayshard Brooks and Ahmaud Abery (2020); and, currently Daunte Wright and Ma'Khia Bryant (2021). Earlier high-profile cases from Alton Sterling (2016), Walter Scott (2015), and Eric Garner to Michael Brown and Tamir Rice (2014) – have all underscored the gravity and need for different policing, reform and transparency.

U.S. Policing: A Human Rights Issue:

On one hand America wants to return as the global leader on democracy, human rights and providing voice for the voiceless -- be they suffering at the hands of violent extremists, kidnappers or military conflicts from Nigeria, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen to biases and violence against women, LGTBQ and discriminatory mistreatment of ethnic groups from Myanmar's Rohingya, the Uighurs of China to Ethiopia's Tigray.

The U.S. bona fides to both regain and continue being an international leading voice on global human rights is also going to be viewed in the context of our own progress on social justice reform and inequalities against people of color. We cannot be a human rights and social sector reform advocate abroad if our nation is not in better shape than it is today on these issues at home, and it is not in good shape – the tensions, protests, and continued police shootings demonstrate this.

                                                                                                                                                 Shutterstock

Reform and fairness in policing (called "human rights issues" anywhere else in the world) remains front and center as arguably one of America's most pressing social challenges, (immigration and upticks in attacks on Asian and Muslim Americans included). But since George Floyd's killing, there has been very little systematic, clear action (outside of the conviction of Derek Chauvin) on these issues, including not moving forward on such as things as the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act (GFJIP), currently being debated in the U.S. Congress as well as other changes at local and state levels.

Some of the debates could be aided by determining where differences in perceptions on these issues match up, or not, with objective data. Objective data can take politics and perception out of the mix by providing information from polling on what people are actually thinking, saying, and feeling. Research data can be helpful in educating all of us as to where we should end up as a nation on these very difficult human rights, racial, social justice and police reform issues. Let's start with looking at polling data associated with some of the most challenges issues at the top of the reform list – "policing and defunding the police."

Policing:

A recent poll from Gallup's Center on Black Voices, (launched July 15, 2020, just months after Mr. Floyd's death), showed that 67% of all U.S. adults (combining all groups) want current levels of police presence in their communities to remain the same. Within groups, the breakdowns were as follows: 61% of African Americans and 71% of white Americans want police levels in their neighborhoods to remain the same. While data from this same poll showed that only 19% of Black Americans and 12% of White Americans wanted less police presence in their communities. Further, Hispanic American responses, in the same research, were also high with 59% wanting the same level of police presence, and only 17% preferring less police presence. Asian Americans also scored high at 69%. It will be left to you to determine if your perceptions on these elements of policing matchup or differ.

                                                                                                      Shutterstock

'We cannot be a human rights and social sector reform advocate abroad if our nation is not in better shape than it is today on these issues at home, and it is not in good shape – the tensions, protests, and continued police shootings demonstrate this.' – Robin R. Sanders

Attendant to the issues of policing are the questions around the phrase defunding the police. This can mean different things to different people -- from directing funds toward mental health and social services to the city of Minneapolis' model (where George Floyd was killed), which voted to find a new paradigm for its police department. The percentage responses above could help inform how many Americans feel on this key attendant issue.

Police Reform & Changing Police Practices:

On actual police reform, the Center's data also revealed that the majority of Americans agree that reform is needed, particularly at the community level. However, differences arise over type and level of reforms.

The Center's graph shows at least 58% of Americans agree "major change [reform] is needed," with only 36% saying minor changes are needed. Here it is likely that perceptions and data are more aligned given that the actual breakdown between groups on reform indicates that the desire among African Americans is 88%, among Asian Americans 83%, for Hispanics 63%, and 51% for white Americans. There is an additional key data marker on this issue -- age differential. The majority of Americans in the 18-34 age group polled higher on wanting reform (81%), with those 50-60 years, and 65 and older polling respectively at 43% and 46%.

 Also, overall, 98% of Americans support developing "change management practices" that tracks police officers with records and histories of abuses, so they are "not allowed to serve." The breakdown is as follows: Black Americans 92%, Hispanics 87%, and whites 81% in support of this viewpoint. Furthermore, 76% of Americans want "change management practices so officer abuses are punished." (See full report - Most Americans Say Policing Needs 'Major Changes' - gallup.com.

Black-White Race Relations – Perceptions Appear to Match Data:

Social justice and police reform are connected to race relations in America today. In Pew's 2019 research, (pre-George Floyd) its data graphs showed that 58% of Americans said that race relations "were generally bad," with African Americans expressing high levels at 71%, and whites at 56%. Furthermore, Pew's data revealed that it is more "common" today for people to express racially insensitive views, even if "these views," are not "necessarily more acceptable."

Gallup Center on Black Voices - Relations Between White and Black Americans

 

Pew's polling also highlights that this sentiment was slightly higher among minorities in America than for whites (African Americans 76%, Hispanics 75%, and whites 60%). In addition, when asked about racial inequality in America, of the people polled, "half or more said being poor, Muslim, black, or Hispanic puts people at a disadvantage in our [American] society."

Meanwhile, the Center for Black Voices data, which includes Gallup's research from nearly two decades (2001-2020), shows from 2007-early 2013 that 28-30% of Americans thought black-white relations "were somewhat bad," whereas in 2020, 55% of Americans are feeling this way as can be seen on the embedded Gallup chart on "Relations Between White and Black Americans, 2001-2020."

Including Data Can Help:

Thus, as we approach these huge social justice anniversaries in the coming weeks (year passing of Floyd and Black Tulsa Massacre's 100^th anniversary), on top of 62 African Americans out of the 292 people killed by police since the beginning of 2021, it is important to underscore the importance data can play in helping us achieve much-needed change.

It will continually be harder for America to overcome social unrest, discord, or be a model for international human rights (especially when pointing out faults of other nations) if we cannot come to terms with these social justice issues at home and changing the trajectory of some of these negative data trends on black-white race relations.

Note: See Pew Research Center's and Gallup's Center for Black Voices websites and articles for more on their research on these key social justice, human rights, police reform in the U.S. and on other issues. The Center for Black Voices is a 100-year commitment by Gallup to listen and report on the Black Experience in America. Article first appeared in Allafrica.com

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Dr. Sanders on Nigeria's ChannelsTV: On Africom & Chad's Current Political and Security Instability

 Dr. Sanders' interview on Nigeria's Channels TV "Diplomatic Channel," on Nigeria's request for the U.S. Africa Command to relocate all its personnel and resources to the African Continent. 

The interview also addressed the security and political instability in Chad, and the growing militant insurgencies in the Africa Region. See the interview at this link: https://youtu.be/jmtslktvBoU 

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