Archiv
Africa Workshop 29th-31st May 2007, in Wittenberg, Germany
18.04.2007
The Wittenberg Center for Global Ethics (WCGE) in collaboration with The Coca-Cola Company, shall organize an Africa Workshop for graduate students and Young Leaders/Professionals from the 29th to 31st of May 2007 in Wittenberg, themed:
"Entrepreneurial Spirit and the Comparative Advantages of Africa"
Workshop Theme
There is the assertion that Africa still lacks the capacity to fully utilize its diverse comparative advantages in today’s globalized society. Several regions in Africa are rich in a variety of resources; some have such excellent agricultural conditions which could provide them with 3 or even 4 harvests per year; many dispose of a well educated and creative population. However, Africa’s share in world trade was only 2 percentage points in 2005.
At the core of the New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD) -http://www.nepad.org/- and "African Ownership", Africans have decided to take responsibility of their own future and reflect about their own possibilities for change and development. This is what we consider as Entrepreneurial Spirit. It is about leadership: ownership and responsibility, challenges, innovation and public spiritedness. Africa abounds with examples of great entrepreneurs - often women - who manage to survive under difficult circumstances.
But what hinders Africa to fully utilize its Comparative Advantages through entrepreneurial spirit? What are the constraints that deter individual actors from investing in promising projects that could better their lives and those of others? These constrains need to be identified and clearly analyzed to develop solid concepts and a decent plan of action and implementation. Prof. Mucavele, Chief Executive Officer of the NEPAD Secretariat, has called upon Africans to unite under a new spirit of partnership that takes Africa's problems not only as serious challenges but also as encouraging opportunities for change.
In this spirit, the Wittenberg-Center for Global Ethics in collaboration with the Coca-Cola Company invites graduate students and Young Leaders/Professionals from different cultural and historical backgrounds to come together and discuss these challenging questions with experts from various fields. In a world of interdependencies it is important to search for common solutions.
By exchanging experiences and examples of best cases, the participants will learn how cooperation can be organized for mutual advantage. For example, it could be analyzed how booming Asian countries, such as India and others, have managed to overcome existing impediments of successful cooperation and examined if and to what extent Africa could make use of that experience.
The workshop will create a forum for aspiring leaders to examine these topics from various perspectives. It will be an enriching and beneficial experience which would lead to the formulation of ten proposals as a result of the Workshop. These proposals will be used by the Wittenberg-Center for further progress on the issue.
Target Group
Participants will be selected from various nationalities and academic backgrounds. Applicants should be students or young professionals with excellent qualifications and experience in the fields related to the issue.
The Workshop is open to applicants of all nationalities with profound knowledge and deep interest in African development; persons with African background are particularly encouraged to apply, as this stays in line with the Wittenberg-Center’s ambition to foster African leadership and capacity building.
Applicants need to include a short letter of motivation, a curriculum vitae as well as a (best) case study (business plan project) or an essay (socio-political and economical perspective) related to the topic (about 1,500 to 2,000 words). Since the Center aims at incorporating local knowledge, please feel free to make use of your personal experiences wherever appropriate.
Participation is limited to 20 Graduate students or Young Leaders/Professional. Please send your application to Globalcooperation@wcge.org until the 10th of May 2007.
The following three guiding questions could help you to structure your study/essay:
1. In your special field of analyses: What common (moral) ideals or visions (could) motivate individual actors to engage in (local/regional/worldwide) cooperation for mutual advantage and assume responsibility for themselves as well as for others.
2. In your special field of analysis: What prevents (or encourages) them to do so? Which (economic, social, psychological, etc.) conditions can be identified as important factors for (not) reaching the common goal/ideal?
3. In your special field of analysis: What can be expected of the individual actor in order to influence (maintain/change) these conditions in a way that fosters cooperation for mutual advantage. Especially: Can demanded changes in actions be interpreted as profitable investments in one’s own future? How?
Why you must attend
The Africa Workshop aims to give present and future Leaders, particularly those with an African background, the opportunity to reflect and discuss in a wider context about the challenges and opportunities in Africa.
The insights gained during the Workshop will equip these leaders with the capability to reflect and to create opportunities for themselves as well as others, thus raising their potentials and aspirations.
The Workshop will provide a platform for reflection, networking discussion and the exchange of ideas. Participants will be encouraged to take initiative and to perceive the present challenges of their individual societies as an opportunity for reform and progress. Together they will strive to develop innovative concepts and networks.
Participants are going to receive an attestation from the WCGE and the best contributions shall be presented at the European African Business summit from the 5th to 9th of November 2007 in Hamburg Germany.
Costs
The Wittenberg Center for Global Ethics in collaboration with its sponsors and partners will provide free accommodation and feeding.
For further information about the Wittenberg Center and the “Building Global Cooperation”-New Alliances with Africa program, please visit our Websites http://www.wcge.org/ and http://www.globalcooperation.org/ or Contact:
Tumenta F. Kennedy
Program Director
Building Global Cooperation-
New alliances with Africa
Wittenberg Center for Global Ethics
Collegienstrasse 62
06886 Wittenberg
Germany
Tel: +49 - 1762 - 813 67 98
+49 - 3491 - 466 241
Fax: +49 - 3491 - 466 258
Email: globalcooperation@wcge.org
Unterstützen Sie die Arbeit des Wittenberg-Zentrums
