The 2022 Global Leadership Africa Summit Week will launch Monday with a week of activities organized around a range of issues facing Africans and people of African descent. A full calendar of events is included at the end of this article.
Designed to gather global young professional African leaders, entrepreneurs, and people who cherish Africa and value diversity, the Summit is taking place Monday, Oct. 17 – Saturday, Oct. 22 at various locations throughout Omaha and will feature live conversations and breakout sessions, as well as rich networking and educational opportunities in professional and personal development.
Since 2018, the Summit has attracted more than 1,200 participants from 15 cities. Notable past speakers have included actor, entrepreneur and philanthropist Boris Kodjoe and South Sudanese video game developer Lual Mayen.
The Global Leadership Africa Summit Week is the brainchild of Marco LeRoc, an author, entrepreneur, international speaker and career coach from Togo who specializes in helping people activate their untapped potential and master their financial lives.
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LeRoc said he was inspired to create the event in order to offer opportunities for Africans (primarily) and African-Americans to connect to the entrepreneurship landscape. Multiple Summit-inspired businesses have since launched, including Okra African Grill, a restaurant specializing in African cuisine. Proprietor and head chef Nina Sodji had been inspired to launch her business after attending the Summit in 2019.
Each day is organized around one or more themes. Monday kicks off the week with a day devoted to Politics & Advocacy. Tuesday deals with Immigration, and Wednesday offers programming on Mental Health.
On Thursday, Silicon Prairie News is sponsoring the Innovation & Entrepreneurship day of the Summit. Topics to be covered include tech entrepreneurship, the business applications of social media, and how to secure funding and government contracts. The bulk of Thursday’s events will take place in the afternoon to better accommodate those who work conventional hours, and will be held at the University of Nebraska at Omaha CPACS building.
“While we know that entrepreneurs don’t do 9 to 5, they want to give help to others who still have their regular job [and also want to be entrepreneurs],” LeRoc said.
Friday is the flagship day of the Summit. It will take place at Omaha Design Center and feature a diversity of content addressing Leadership & Professional Development, Global Affairs & Trade, Economic Inclusion, Wealth Creation for Blacks, Beauty & Wellness and more. A business expo and career fair will take place concurrently.
The Summit winds to a close with a gala and awards ceremony on Saturday at Omaha Design Center.
Speakers will include Tony Veland, director of community engagement for the AIM Institute; Gibran Jones, digital marketer for Meta; Winsley Durand, executive director for Greater Omaha Chamber’s Reach Initiative; Ruth Nwaturuocha, director of operations for LeavenWealth; and Marcus Bell, CEO of 100 Black Men.
Scholarships will be awarded to African and Afro-descendant students, and community leaders will be honored during the gala.
“SPN and the AIM Institute are honored to serve as one of the sponsors of the 2022 Global Leadership Africa Summit Week,” said Dr. Kandace Miller, CEO of the AIM Institute, the nonprofit that owns and operates Silicon Prairie News.
