Abuja — The sixth Leon H. Sullivan Summit opened Saturday in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, with President George Bush praising the "vision" of the event's late founder.
Sullivan, a dynamic Baptist preacher who established the Opportunities Industrialization Centers (OIC) - a self-help and jobs training program now operating in 30 states and more than 15 countries, including Africa - organized five previous summits to build bridges between Africans and Americans, particularly African Americans.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo lauded Sullivan's belief in Africa's future and appealed to participants to carry on that legacy. "I challenge all of you here to see yourselves as midwives for the rebirth of Africa," he said.
The first African-African American Summit, as the gatherings were called until Sullivan's death two years ago, was held in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire in 1991, and then successively in Libreville (Gabon), Dakar (Senegal), Harare (Zimbabwe), and Accra (Ghana).
This year's event, which was postponed first by Sullivan's death and again in the aftermath of the attacks in New York and Washington, DC on September 11, 2001, is chaired by the Rev. Andrew Young, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and mayor of Atlanta. Speaking of the coincidence of timing that brought the summit and the American president to Nigeria at the same time, Young said, "Accidents are God's way of remaining anonymous."
To make the timing work, summit organizers moved up by a day the departure of the charter flight from Atlanta that transported most of the American delegates to Abuja and scheduled the opening two days earlier than originally planned. Conference organizers said they are expecting more than 500 participants, representing both the private sector and leading non-governmental organizations from Africa and the United States, as well as 18 African heads of state or government.
When Bush arrived for his conference address, the final event on his six-day African tour, he was accompanied by the Nigerian president and Mrs. Stella Obasanjo, as well as by Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice. They were joined on stage by J.C. Watts, a black Republican and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, who introduced Bush, and David O'Reilly, chairman of ChevronTexaco, lead sponsor for the summit and a major investor in Nigeria and several other oil-producing African countries.
O'Reilly, who Bush said "understands the definition of corporate responsibility," told the Summit that ChevronTexaco is committed to forging "new relationships and partnerships to facilitate a prosperous Africa." The company's values its current investments on the continent at around $5 billion and has announced plans to invest another $20 billion over the next five years.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
In his speech, Bush cited Sullivan's role in creating two institutions that have made long-term contributions to Africa's development. The MedHelp Foundation, set up eight years ago when the Summit was held in Dakar, has been training and equipping doctors in Senegal and also has brought American medical professionals who, the president said, have conducted 150 open-heart surgeries and other major operations.
Another Sullivan creation, the International Foundation For Education and Self-Help, which has helped construct 182 rural schools in Africa and has sent 820 Americans to teach in African schools, is to receive a $5 million United States Agency for International Development grant "that will help send 90 American teachers to Africa to train more than 14,000 African educators," Bush announced.
Following a reception Sunday evening hosted by the outgoing American ambassador to Nigeria, Howard Jeter, the conference gets fully underway on Monday with sessions focusing on agriculture, health and the environment. Topical themes for the next three days include education and women's issues (Tuesday), energy, trade and investment (Wednesday, and HIV/Aids, tropical diseases and human rights (Thursday).
On Friday, the conference venue shifts to Dakar, Senegal, which also was the first stop on President Bush's five-nation trip. President Abdoulaye Wade will host a visit to the museum and memorial to slavery on Goree Island, where Bush gave an address on race relations last Tuesday, before the charter flight for American participants returns to Atlanta on Saturday.
