Great Decisions: U.S. Engagement with Africa

This Great Decisions lecture will examine the evolution of U.S. engagement with Africa by critically comparing decades of aid-led diplomacy with an emerging emphasis on trade, investment, and commercial partnership. Framed around the question of what actually drives sustainable growth, the discussion will assess the historical outcomes of aid-first strategies, the viability and limits of increased U.S. private-sector investment, and how policy, regulatory reform, and risk mitigation can unlock greater capital flows across diverse African markets.

Panelists for this event will include Amb. (ret.) Stephanie Sullivan, former U.S. Ambassador to the African Union, and Kennedy Ukelegharanya, business attorney at a major multinational law firm with experience in evaluating infrastructure and industrial bottlenecks in Nigeria. This panel will be moderated by Dean Scott Taylor of The Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. Panelists will explore the role of technology adoption in closing development and financing gaps, identify the foundational conditions required for scalable investment, and debate where U.S. public and private actors can be most effective—individually and in concert.

The program will be live-streamed to Zoom from 6:00-7:00 PM. To attend virtually, please register here.

This program is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required.

Disclaimer: WorldBoston is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, non-advocacy, educational organization dedicated to fostering civil discourse on international affairs. Our speakers' opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WorldBoston, our affiliates, or our community.