Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson to speak at The Africa Society /Ambassador Andrew Young Lecture Series/ on Thursday, February 25 at the Embassy of Ghana

23 February 2010
press release

The Africa Society of The National Summit on Africa, in partnership with the Embassy of the Republic of Ghana, will host The Honorable Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, as keynote speaker for the first 2010 / Ambassador Andrew Young Lecture Series / .

His Excellency Daniel Ohene Agyekum, Ambassador to the United States from the Republic of Ghana, will introduce Assistant Secretary Carson.

In his lecture titled, "U.S. Policy in Africa: Looking Ahead," Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson will discuss his recent trip to the 14th African Union Summit, which was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from January 25-February 2. In addition to his trip to Ethiopia, Assistant Secretary Carson also visited the nations of Benin, Ghana, Togo, and Nigeria.

According to Bernadette Paolo, Africa Society President and CEO, "Assistant Secretary Carson's address gives the audience a chance to not only understand the U.S. perspective of, and role in, the recent Africa Union Summit, but also to determine the Administration's priorities with respect to U.S. policy vis-à-vis the continent of Africa. We look forward to hosting him together with the Embassy of the Republic of Ghana."

Assistant Secretary Carson cited the role of democratic institutions, economic growth and an end to civil strife on the continent as prime areas of concern for the State Department's Bureau of African Affairs.

Prior to his current position, Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson served as the National Intelligence Officer for Africa at the National Intelligence Council from 2006-2009, as well as Senior Vice President of the National Defense University from 2003-2006. He also served as a career diplomat for the Department of State for over 37 years, during which he was Ambassador to Kenya (1999-2003), Zimbabwe (1995-1997), and Uganda (1991-1994). Assistant Secretary Carson began his career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania from 1965-1968.

Now in its eighth year, the /Ambassador Andrew Young Lecture Serie/s features distinguished speakers whose work has influenced and advanced awareness of U.S.-Africa relations. Named in honor of the former Chairman of The Africa Society Board, the Series was launched in 2002.

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