On April 3, entrepreneurs and African professionals will gather for the second installation of MIT Africa Investment Forum, happening in conjunction with the 5th Annual MIT Africa Innovate Conference. The forum will be held from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the MIT Sloan School of Management in Cambridge, Mass.
The event will feature showcases by entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations working on projects in areas of youth empowerment, entrepreneurship training and education.
Funke Michaels, MIT Sloan Fellow and Edward Mason Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School of Government, will lead the panel, along with Farai Gundan, Forbes Africa writer and tech entrepreneur. The keynote address will be delivered by Vuyo Dunjwa, Executive Chairman of the Board at the Sub-Saharan Africa Chamber of Commerce. Panelists include Nduka Otiono, professor of African Studies, Carleton University Canada; Dr. Renee Dankerlin, President and CEO, Innovation-Clean Energy Economy Pathways (ICEP) Inc; Loukman Lamany, Business Development Analyst National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC); Phyllis Johnson, Edward Mason Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School of Government; Obiora Atuokwu, Co-Founder and Director of Marketing at Globalaccelerex; Solome Lemma, founder and executive director at Africans in the Diaspora; Kelley Jibrell, Africa 2.0 co-Chair, Washington, D.C.
“We all know that there are big ideas coming out of Africa and developed by Africans. With this forum, our goal is to create a concrete platform where we can showcase, support, and uplift the everyday people who are behind these big ideas,†organizers said in a statement. “We want to rally the investment community in the Diaspora and in Africa to support these ideas, and help realize these dreams and aspirations for a better continent. That task is borne by this generation of entrepreneurs and change-makers. We are the solution that Africa needs.â€
For registration and more information on the forum visit www.africainvestforum.com.