L-R: William E. ‘Kip’ Ward, inaugural commander of the United States Africa Command and Dr. Benedict Oramah, President of Afreximbank at the event.
William E. ‘Kip’ Ward, inaugural commander of the United States Africa Command, to deliver Lecture
BY NKECUI NAECHE ESEXOBOR IN WASHINGTON DC —The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) will host its third annual Babacar Ndiaye Lecture under the theme ‘Trading Under Emerging Global Security Realities: Implications for a Successful AfCFTA’ during a Washington, D.C., event on 19 October.
General William E. ‘Kip’ Ward, inaugural commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), will deliver the 2019 lecture, which will look at the security environment for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), particularly in the face of the need to minimizethe impact of escalating global security concerns and trade tensions.
He will provide high-level insight on the evolving global security issues and proffer solutions on how Africa can best position itself to ensure that security concerns do not jeopardize the opportunities created by the AfCFTA.
Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, will deliver a welcome message. “Africa must grasp the opportunities of AfCFTA with both hands so that it can reap the benefits of trade and economic growth. These will be the catalyst to drive the industrialization,diversification and first-world infrastructure that the African continent has needed for decades. As a key visionary and driver of Africa’s economic development it is fitting that Babacar Ndiaye should be remembered by our annual Lecture Series which address topical challenges and opportunities facing the African continent,”noted Prof. Oramah.
The event will also include a tribute to Dr.Ndiaye by his daughter, Dr. Leila Ndiaye.
General Ward, a former United States Army four-star general, also served as Deputy Commander, United States European Command; Chief of the Office of Military Cooperation at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo; Special Envoy to Israel and Palestine working to help reform the security services of the Palestinian Authority; Deputy Commander of the United States Army Europe; and Commander, of the NATO Stabilisation Force, Operation Joint Forge, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The annual Babacar Ndiaye Lecture series was established by Afreximbank in 2017 to honour Dr. Ndiaye who died on 13 July 2017. He played a key role in the establishment of Afreximbank and was the President of the African Development Bank from 1985 to 1995.
