APARC African Presidential Roundtable 2011 A PICTORIAL CHRONICLE Cover photo standing (left to right) - His Excellency Thabo Mbeki (Former President of the Republic of South Africa), His Excellency Amani Abeid Karume (For- mer President of Zanzibar), His Excellency Pierre Buyoya (Former President of the Republic of Burundi), Ambassador Charles Stith (Director APARC), His Excel- lency Caseem Uteem (Former President of the Republic of Mauritius), Chargé d’Affaires Troy Fitrell (U.S. Embassy in Mauritius), Sitting: His Excellency Karl Offman (Former President of the Republic of Mauritius), His Excellency Nicéphore Soglo (Former President of the Republic of Benin), His Excellency Dr the Hon Navinchandra Ramgoolam (Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius), His Excellency Frederick Tluway Sumaye (Former Prime Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania), His Excellency General Salou Djibo (Former President of the Republic of Niger), His Excellency Joaquim Chissano (Former President of the Republic of Mozambique) Photo opposite page - Former African Heads of State and Government in attendance at the African Presidential Roundtable 2011 Opening Reception held at the U.S. Ambassadorial Residence African Presidential Roundtable 2011: 21st Century Energy Agenda for Africa 2011 The African Presidential Roundtable 2011: 21st Century Energy Agenda for Africa May 31st-June 2nd, 2011 Hotel Maritim Balaclava, Mauritius The African Presidential Roundtable 2011: 21st Century Energy Agenda for Africa was held from May 31st-June 2nd, 2011 in Balaclava, Mauritius. This multi-continental conversation involved leaders from the public and private sectors, energy experts, students, and faculty from the United States, Europe, and Africa. They met together with nine former African Heads of State and Government to discuss the ways in which energy is critical to Africa’s development. The Roundtable was held in Mauritius at the invitation of Mauritian Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam, with support from the Government of the Republic of Mauritius. Mauritius was an ideal site for such a summit because of the commitment the country has made toward energy reform and advancement. The country’s energy policies serve as an excellent example for the African continent and laid a solid foundation for the conversation at hand. The three-day event yielded an incredible array of perspectives, opinions, and information that resulted in a set of recommendations for policy-makers across the continent and around the world. The Roundtable was held at the Hotel Maritim, which stands on the grounds of the Ruins of Balaclava, a historic colonial landmark in the fight for sub-Saharan African independence. The event saw over 200 public and private sector leaders participate in the deliberations, forums, and functions, alongside more than 70 student leaders and faculty in attendance under the sponsorship of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). “Colleagues, fellow participants, and friends, as both the former President of Mauritius and a former APARC Balfour President-in-Residence, Bienvenue a Mauritius! It is a pleasure to have this unique initiative here in my home country. The African Presidential Roundtable is an event that brings together people from all walks of life. We are all here because we believe that energy is important to Africa’s future.Caption We Copy cannot resolve all of the challenges of energy in just two days, but the discussions we will have over the next couple of days can have an enormous impact on the development of African nations. Again, I would like to welcome you to Mauritius. Merci Beaucoup!” –His Excellency Karl Offmann, former President of the Republic of Mauritius Welcome Reception Ambassador’s Residence U.S. Embassy Mauritius In the absence of Ambassador Mary Jo Wills, Chargé d’Affaires Troy Fitrell hosted the Roundtable Welcome Reception at the U.S. Ambassadorial Residence on the evening of Tuesday, May 31st. The reception was an opportunity for delegates to introduce themselves and meet local dignitaries in anticipation of the coming days’ proceedings, as well as enjoy the rare experience of conversations with former Heads of State and Government. Following Ambassador Stith’s introduction, Chargé d’Affaires Troy Fitrell gave opening remarks and a welcome to the reception. Following Mr. Fitrell, His Excellency Former President of the Republic of Mauritius, Caseem Uteem, toasted his colleagues for their participation in the Roundtable, as well as the students and delegates. Many were meeting for the first time, while a number of delegates had participated in previous Roundtables. At the end of the evening, His Excellency Lieutenant General Salou Djibo, former President of the Republic of Niger, gave a vote of thanks to the evening’s host – the U.S. Embassy Mauritius. “In this iteration of the Roundtable, we gather to discuss the future of energy in Africa. This is not a limited subject. Everything to which we aspire, from economic development to social progress to ecological diversity, depends on efficiencies in the energy sector. When I speak of efficiencies, I speak of the production, transmission, usage, marketing; I speak of producers, consumers, and governments. And, while energy takes many forms, access to electricity must dominate the discussion. Sub-Saharan Africa is far behind other continents in electricity use and penetration. We have all seen the night time satellite imagery that shows the intense energy usage of other parts of the world. On most of this continent, electricity supplies are insufficient and undependable. The results are more than simply annoying; they are obstacles to Africa achieving its social and economic goals.” -United States Charge d’Affaires to Mauritius, Troy Fitrell American - African Universities (AAU) Students’ Forum: Challenges for the Next Generation of Leadership 2011 American-African Universities (AAU) Students Forum: Challenges for the Next Generation of Leadership University of Mauritius Tuesday, June 1, 2011 Roundtable proceedings began with a student forum on the theme of “Challenges for the Next Genera- tion of Leadership,” and was held at the University of Mauritius. The forum was organized as a prelude to prepare participating students for the Roundtable. The student representatives were from the Uni- versity of Mauritius and APARC’s AAU Collaborative, which is made up of students and faculty from Boston University, Morehouse College, Medgar Evers College, Elizabeth City State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, the University of Dar es Salaam, the University of Ghana, the University of Witwatersrand, and Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Aleta Williams, Senior Education Advisor at the United States Agency for International Development moderated this session. One of the objectives of the session was to enable the students attending the session to get a better sense of what they needed to do to enter the science sector. Ms. Williams intro- duced Mr. Isaac Matthews and Ms. Rhonda Jordan of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who offered suggestions based on their experiences. Mr. Matthews completed a dual masters program at the Mas- sachusetts Institute of Technology in Nuclear Science and Engineering as well as Technology and Policy. His research focused on global terrestrial uranium resources, economics, and nuclear fuel cycle policy. Matthews’ presentation was organized around the question “why did I choose nuclear policy?” He stated: “While a student at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, studying mechanical engineering, I took a strong interest in advanced space propulsion and energy systems as well as robotics. It wasn’t until after my junior year that I was introduced to the topic of nuclear engineering while conducting summer research at MIT in MIT’s Center for Advance Nuclear Energy Systems and its Gas Turbine Lab. That summer I was afforded the opportunity to study a Generation IV nuclear power conversion system, and became enthralled with the op- portunities presented by the applications of nuclear science. As a senior, I had to make a choice however between space robotics and nuclear engineering. With the future of NASA and manned space exploration hinged on the ability to advance space propulsion systems, I began to strongly consider nuclear science as a viable career choice. It wasn’t until a visit to Stan- ford’s Aerospace Department that I made my decision –in the center of the graduate student lounge was a magazine with a sobering announcement. ‘Nuclear Engineers Needed! – 60,000 nuclear engineers to be in demand within the next 5 to 10 years.” Rhonda Jordan is a PhD student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In summarizing her academic path, Ms. Jordan said: “I always loved math, science and physics because it involved problem solving. I decided to go to college where I earned both a bachelors and a masters degree in electrical engineering from Columbia University. But after I finished the two degrees, I didn’t know what type of work I should do. Where do my skills fit? One day during a visit to Luanda, Angola, I saw people and families working hard to survive and they didn’t have basic services such as clean running water and electricity; I realized that this is a problem that plagues many around the world, even in my own country (U.S.A) – according to a recent study by the UN & WHO, 1.5 billion people around the world live without electricity. I thought to myself that there has to be a solution to this problem and maybe I could use my skills to help. I then decided to go back to school to get a PhD and here I am.” The African Presidential Roundtable Convenes 2011 Call to Order by His Excellency Dr. the Hon Navinchandra Ramgoolam G.C.S.K., F.R.C.P., Prime Minister of the Republic ofMauritius Hotel Maritim Wednesday, June 1, 2011 “It is an honour for Mauritius to host the African Presidential Roundtable 2011. I thank the Director of the African Presidential Archives and Research Centre, Ambas- sador Stith of the University of Boston.