I am excited to be participating on a panel at Columbia University’s Annual African Economic Forum. My remarks on the Development Policy/RegionalIntegration in Africa panel will focus on ‘Aligning Business with Purpose', importance of partnerships to address community challenges and create a path to economic prosperity.

Regional Integration as Development Policy: Throughout history, the African continent has been broken up and torn apart for the economic needs of outsiders. Now, as a group of nation states, the continent’s leaders are attempting to figure out how to establish partnerships to bring about inclusive growth. At a continental level, organizations such as the African Union, the African Development Bank and the UN Economic Commission on Africa are working towards creating an enabling environment for the citizens of various nations to engage in a range of economic and social activities. At a regional level, we have organizations such as ECOWAS, COMESA, and SADC working towards this aim. Our Regional Integration as Development Policy panelists will shed light on how this system of integration both creates lucrative opportunities for economic development, while also raising some major challenges.

Panelists:
Rachel Macauley - MIA Candidate, Columbia SIPA
Mamadou Diouf - Director, Institute of African Studies, Columbia University
Nayé Anna BATHILY - Head Global Parliamentary Relations, The World Bank Group
Samantha Taylor - Founder, Reputation Dynamics
Yetunde A. Odugbesan-Omede - CEO, Yetunde Global Consulting, LLC

You can also find updates and information regarding AEF here at:

http://aef2016.com/schedule.html.

We do hope that you will be able to join this important conversation.

Sam Taylor, Founder of Reputation Dynamics