Ambassador Andrew Young to Receive CCA Lifetime Achievement Award

2 September 2009
Content from a Premium Partner
Corporate Council on Africa (Washington, DC)
press release

Washington, DC — The Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) today announced that Ambassador Andrew Young will be awarded its Lifetime Achievement Award at the 7th Biennial U.S.-Africa Business Summit to be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C., September 29 – October 1.

“Ambassador Young is and has been an advocate of human rights and humanitarian issues as well as dedicated to promoting economic prosperity in Africa,” said Stephen Hayes, president & CEO of CCA. “We are grateful for the opportunity to honor the commitment he has shown to Africa throughout his career.”

Ambassador Young started his career as a top aide to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the American civil rights movement. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972, becoming the first African-American since Reconstruction to be voted into Congress from Georgia. In 1977, appointed by President Jimmy Carter, Ambassador Young became the first African-American to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. As UN ambassador, Young played a leading role in advancing a settlement in Zimbabwe with Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo. In 1981, he served two terms as mayor of Atlanta, bringing in billions of dollars in new private investment. In 1996, he also served as co-chairman of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games.

Ambassador Young was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1994 to serve as chairman of the $100 million Southern Africa Enterprise Development Fund (SAEDF), with the aim of growing small and medium-sized indigenous businesses throughout southern Africa. The fund was also founded upon the initiative of then-President Nelson Mandela. As an investor in the Eerste River Medical Centre in Cape Town, the fund alleviated the demand on overcrowded hospitals. Ambassador Young’s role in the medical center serves as a tribute to his commitment to humanitarian aid.

Ambassador Young is also co-chairman of GoodWorks International, a for-profit consulting firm that believes that the private sector can provide assistance to and promote initiatives that support education, social advancement, economic development and capacity building in the Africa and the Caribbean.  He has headed more than 50 missions to the African continent, fostering partnerships that benefit the communities in which they operate. In 2008, the GoodWorks Foundation partnered with the Wanawake Na Maedeleo Foundation and awarded educational scholarships in Tanzania.

In June 2009, Ambassador Young won three Emmy Awards for Andrew Young Presents, a series of documentaries which appear not only in the United States, but in Central and Eastern Africa. His award winning documentary “Rwanda Rising” showcases the promise of Rwanda on the global stage.

Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies is also a testament to Ambassador Young’s commitment to worldwide service. He is also the founder of the Andrew J. Young Foundation, which works to bring cultural understanding across continental borders.

Stated Ambassador Young, “I am most appreciative to the Corporate Council on Africa for this award. Since 1993 GoodWorks International and the Council have partnered to promote development, investment and trade on the African continent. I am looking forward to continuing to work with CCA in this effort.”

CCA will also present a Business Leadership Award and Business Excellence Awards in agribusiness, infrastructure, financing and natural resources.

For more information on and to register for the 7th Biennial U.S.–Africa Business Summit, visit: www.africacncl.org.

About The Corporate Council on Africa

Established in 1993, The Corporate Council on Africa is a nonpartisan 501 (c) (3) membership organization of nearly 180 U.S. companies dedicated to strengthening the commercial relationship between the U.S. and Africa. CCA members represent nearly 85 percent of total U.S. private sector investments in Africa. The organization is dedicated to bringing together potential business partners and to showcase business opportunities on the continent.

CONTACT: Nicole Amarteifio, (202) 263-3538, namarteifio@africacncl.org

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