London Launch: Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

“African Diaspora Civil Society Leaders & International Partners meet to discuss accelerating development in Africa & to Launch the African Monitor”

Set against the backdrop of the UN High-Level meeting on Migration and Development in September and in commemoration of the October celebrations of “Black History Month” in the UK, leaders of African Diaspora organisations in the UK , wider Europe and the US will gather in London at the first ever African Diaspora Leadership Forum and to launch the African Monitor.

The one-day event, organised by the London-based Centre for African Policy & Peace Strategy (CAPPS) and the Cape Town-based African Monitor, will take place at Glaziers Hall, London Bridge, London, UK on the third of October 2006 from 9am onwards. This pioneering conference will help to set a policy framework and a coordinated mechanism through which the skills, resources and capacities of the African diaspora can be effectively deployed in accelerating development in Africa, through strong partnerships with development actors on the continent in their host countries.

“This forum provides a platform for Africans in the diaspora to engage in a constructive discussion on how they can contribute to development in Africa and also in their host countries. The collective social, economic and political capital of the global African diaspora can be harnessed as a major force for development in Africa and across the world, as the overwhelming flow of remittances already prove. However, for this to happen in a coherent and effective manner, diaspora organisations and their international partners must engage in open and strategic dialogue to chart a common way forward and join forces for in the fight against poverty and underdevelopment in many parts of Africa” said ’Dapo Oyewole, the Executive Director of CAPPS.

The deliberations at the Forum will culminate later that evening in the UK launch of the African Monitor, an Africa-owned civil society mechanism for monitoring and advocacy in relation to G8 Commitments to Africa. The Founder of the African Monitor, the Most Reverend Njongonkulu Ndungane, Archbishop of Cape Town said “We feel the African diaspora are invaluable partners and primary stakeholders in the execution of the African Monitor’s mandate to advocate for urgent and effective implementation of commitments to Africa in ways that deliver tangible development at grassroots level. The African Monitor diaspora launch, therefore, marks the beginning of a long-term partnership between civil society on the continent and counterparts in the diaspora to push Africa’s agenda on the global stage.”

Speaking for one of the event sponsors, Mr Snyder, Chairman of Policy and Resources at the City of London Corporation said “We are supporting this pioneering initiative in demonstration of our commitment to on-going global efforts to accelerate development in Africa. As several Londoners are Africans who contribute a great deal to our city’s growth and development, we are very much in solidarity with them to foster better and faster development in their own African cities. The African diaspora in the UK is in a unique position to do this and we are pleased to support them in the achievement of this important objective.”

Key speakers at this high-level forum include:

  • Rt. Hon. Hilary Benn, UK Secretary of State for International Development

  • The Most Reverend Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, Founder of the African Monitor

  • Baroness Valerie Amos, Leader of the House of Lords, United Kingdom

  • H.E. Amb. Legwaila J. Legwaila, UN Under-Secretary-General & Special Adviser on Africa

  • Dr Hesphina Rukato, Deputy Chief Executive, NEPAD Secretariat

  • Dr K.Y. Amoako, Former Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Africa

  • Mr Snyder, Chairman of Policy and Resources, City of London Corporation

  • Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem, Deputy Director (Africa), UN Millennium Campaign

The speakers above will also be available for a press conference at 5.30pm at the conference venue on 3rd October 2006.

Note to Editors:

To attend the press conference at Glaziers Hall, 9 Montague Close, London Bridge London SE1 9DD, please e-mail Ms Xenia Ngwenya at xenia@thinkafrica.org. or phone +44 (0) 776616285. The press conference commences at 5.30pm and concludes at 6.30pm. All members of the press are welcome to attend.

  • CAPPS is an independent nongovernmental organisation that provides information and analysis on African policy issues. Through research, advocacy, capacity building and by promoting dialogue, we facilitate the development of policy strategies that enhance human security, socio-economic development & good governance in Africa, and towards Africans in the diaspora.For more information about CAPPS please see www.thinkafrica.org or phone +44 (0) 207 242 0780

  • The African Monitor is an independent body, acting as a catalyst within Africa’s civil society, to bring a strong African voice to the development debate, and to raise key questions from an African perspective. African Monitor will advocate for urgent and effective implementation of commitments to Africa in ways that deliver tangible development at grassroots level. For more information about the African Monitor, please see www.africanmonitor.org or phone +44 (0) 27 21 6833 659