International Speakers Gather in Tanzania for the 2015 Africa Prosperity Summit in May

DAR ES SALAAM—Speakers from across Africa and around the world will meet on the 20th and 21st May in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, for the 2015 Africa Prosperity Summit, hosted by the Legatum Institute.

The Institute is an international think tank whose mission is to spread prosperity around the world through revitalising capitalism and promoting stable democracies.

The two-­‐day Summit at the Hyatt Regency Hotel will be a unique opportunity for those directly involved in driving Africa’s prosperity to share their success stories, challenges, and advice. The distinguished list of speakers and delegates covers a diverse cross-­‐section of backgrounds and expertise including business and political leaders, academia, policy-­‐makers and NGOs who are working on the ground in many African    nations.

Instead of focusing on aid and poverty, themes that often dominate conferences on the future of Africa, the Summit will discuss ways in which African leaders—in the public and private sectors as well as civil society—can encourage African citizens to become the future entrepreneurs and prosperity creators that the Continent needs.

January Makamba, Deputy Minister of Communication Media and Technology, will attend the Summit, which will feature discussions on data, business values, innovation, and human security. All of these themes will emphasise how citizens from all backgrounds can achieve their full potential.

Oby Ezekwesili, Co-­‐Founder of Transparency International, advocate for the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, and former World Bank Vice President, will deliver the keynote speech on African prosperity. The Summit will focus on female entrepreneurship, with some of Africa’s most prominent and successful female entrepreneurs, including Marieme Jamme, CEO, SpotOne Global Solutions,  and Susan Mashibe, Owner and Executive Director, VIA Aviation taking part.

The conference is built on the findings of the Legatum Institute’s 2014 Africa Prosperity Report,  which found that by supporting education quality, female entrepreneurship, and the rising middle class, African countries could avoid a future where inequality and chronic poverty persist in the midst of wealth and prosperity.

The report compared the prosperity levels of 38 African countries by examining eight indicators including economic and social factors and found that:

-­‐ Botswana, South Africa and Morocco were the three most prosperous countries in Africa

-­‐ Central African Republic, Chad and Congo were the three least prosperous countries in Africa Sian Hansen, Executive Director of the Legatum Institute, said:

“The 2015 Africa Prosperity Summit is a unique opportunity to bring together leading thinkers, NGO, world institutions and government officials to share new thinking on how to drive prosperity and promote wellbeing across the continent.”