The Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), a leading U.S. business association focused solely on connecting business interests in Africa, is preparing to host its flagship Biennial U.S.-Africa Business Summit.
The summit, set to take place from June 13-16 in D.C., will be CCA’s 11th and first major conference under the leadership of its new president and CEO, Florizelle Liser.
The summit, which is hosted alternately in Africa and the United States, will present one of the first opportunities for private sector leaders and African governments to interact with the new White House administration and is expected to attract more than 1,000 attendees.
4 UN Peacekeepers Killed in Central African Republic
A Christian rebel group in the Central African Republic ambushed a United Nations convoy this week, sparking a firefight and kidnappings that left four peacekeepers dead, eight injured and one missing, according to the U.N.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said eight fighters from the anti-Balaka rebel group were also killed in the firefight Monday night. The U.N. peacekeeping mission said the remaining armed perpetrators fled into the bush.
Over the weekend, four international aid groups said they would temporarily withdraw their workers from parts of northern Central African Republic because of increasing attacks targeting them.
First African Joins Major League Baseball
Pittsburgh Pirates’ Gift Ngoepe recently became the first Major League Baseball player directly from Africa.
Hailing from South Africa, the 27-year-old infielder made his debut against the Chicago Cubs on April 26.
Chris Archer, an African-American pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays, lauded Ngoepe’s call-up to the majors.
“You know how when you see someone you have something in common with, the way you don’t need to speak, you just look at each other and kind of nod and tip your cap?” Archer said. “It’s like the ultimate moment for that.
“You see a black American on another team and you tip your cap; you know there’s only 7 or 8 percent of us here,” he added. “So now, when you see a black African — not a black American, but a black African — it’s the pinnacle of achievement in baseball for the people of that race, of that ethnicity, of that origin. It’s really an unspoken thing.”
