Ambassador Amina Salum Ali
University of Akron students, faculty and staff will have an opportunity to study firsthand the African Union as it works to resolve the socioeconomic and other pressing issues of its member nations during the Inaugural Local Model African Union Conference, which will be held Thursday, Oct. 27, at 9 a.m. in the Student Union Ballroom.
Ambassador Amina Salum Ali, the first female and permanent representative of the African Union to the United States, will deliver the keynote address, "Emerging Issues on the African Continent Regarding Conflict Resolutions," at 10 a.m.
Intra-African diplomacy up close
"The model is essentially a simulation of the proceedings of the African Union," says Enoch E. Damson, professor of computer information systems, who initiated the local conference. "It provides a distinct opportunity for university students to study the role, structure and performance of the African Union in the search for solutions to key economic, social and political-security issues facing the African continent."
Through simulation, students gain understanding of the multi-various determinants, capabilities and constraints that shape the domestic and foreign policies of African countries as well as patterns of cooperation and conflict that characterize intra-African diplomacy, explains Damson, who also serves as faculty adviser of the African Students Association, and is the UA conference director.
At the UA conference, delegations of three to five students will represent each of the 54 African states through three committees and the assembly of heads of state and government. The committees include executive council, union government/peace and security, and socioeconomic matters. Through debate, regulated and unregulated caucusing, and deliberations in various committees, decisions and amendments will be made on resolutions, with the supervision and direction of faculty advisers.
Everyone welcome to participate
The UA community is invited to attend the event. Delegations from The Ohio State University and Kent State University are scheduled to participate at the conference.
Students and faculty members interested in participating should contact Damson at damson@uakron.edu or any of the conference planning committee members.
These members include Dr. Rosa Githiora at rmg25@zips.uakron.edu, interim director of The University of Akron Women's Resource Center and conference coordinator; Chris Opoku-Agyeman at profkristof@yahoo.com, doctoral candidate in the Department of Public Administration and Urban Planning, graduate adviser of the African Students Association and conference coordinator; Dr. Zachery Williams at zrw@uakron.edu, associate professor of history and director of the Pan-African Studies Center for Community Studies; and Simon Ofosu-Somuah at abrantieoj@yahoo.com, president of the African Students Association.
UA's conference is a local extension of the National Model African Union, under the directorship of Dr. Michael Nwanze, professor of political science at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The National Model African Union invited a delegation from UA to its ninth annual conference last February. See http://www.uakron.edu/im/online-newsroom/news_details.dot?newsId=1844599.
The event is sponsored by the Office of the President, Office of Academic Affairs, Office of the Vice President of Student Engagement and Success, Office of Inclusion and Equity, African Student Association, Pan African Studies Institute, the Women's Resource Center and the Office of International Programs.
Media contact: Denise Henry, 330-972-6477 or henryd@uakron.edu.