The Oxford Africa Conference is one of the many initiatives aimed at giving a voice to African students at Oxford and beyond, and it is the leading interdisciplinary conference on Africa delivered by a team of Oxford University students.
The conference brings together heads of state, policymakers, business leaders, academics, artists, students, and professionals to critically expand the discourse on Africa.
The theme of this year’s conference is ‘African Development: Rewriting Our Story and Asserting Africa’s Future’.
The University of Oxford has proudly stood as a bastion of education for over 900 years.
Throughout this long and varied history, the university has been privileged to attract exceptional individuals of distinguished accomplishment to share their time and experience with Oxford’s students and scholars.
The conference has been the largest Africa-focused convening in Europe in recent years, with past speakers including Nana Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana; Dr. Donald Kaberuka, 7th President of the African Development Bank; Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Billionaire Philanthropist, Mo Ibrahim, amongst many other distinguished African leaders.
Included in this year’s impeccable line-up of distinguished speakers are Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, Ghana’s Health Minister Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, Ghana’s Environment Minister Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, Nigeria’s former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and 2018 Nobel Peace Laureate, Dr. Denis Mukwege.
Also, to speak at the conference are Comfort Lamptey, UN Woman Country Representative to Nigeria & Ecowas, Rosalind Kainyah MBE, Non-Executive Director Aker Energy, the CEO of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Abebe Aemro Selassie, Director of African Development-International Monetary Fund (IMF), among others.
According to a statement by Sharon Gyesi, a Ghanaian MBA candidate at the University of Oxford and the Finance Co-chair, “this year’s conference will feature practical and solution-oriented conversations centered on Africa’s development in the backdrop of prevailing economic, political, environmental, and health challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ms. Gyesi also stated the conference would be virtual this year due to the current global pandemic.”
Norbert Agbemenu, a Ghanaian Master of Public Policy Candidate at the University of Oxford and the Co-Chair of the events and media on this year’s conference planning committee, further explained that the conference is also the society’s annual call to action and a chance for integrating initiatives and ideas that can augment and create opportunities for African governments, citizens and organizations.
The expectation is that participants at the conference would take away lessons that would be very beneficial to change the Africa narrative.
The Oxford Africa Conference is now open for registration via www.oxfordafricaconference.com.
