Washington, DC — The Corporate Council on Africa's "U.S.-Africa Infrastructure Conference" will focus on building resilient cities and will highlight how major metropolises in Africa are coping with rapid urbanization and the needs of a steadily growing middle class. Workshops will offer solutions for potable water, intermodal transportation, communication technology, and on- and off-grid electricity.

This is the sixth Infrastructure Conference for CCA. This year's special topics will also include sessions on addressing natural and manmade disasters and innovations in telecommunications. Scheduled immediately preceding the fall meetings at the World Bank, the conference will bring together African government officials, international infrastructure experts, and leading decision makers from the U.S. public and private sectors.

Speakers include: H.E. Joyce Banda, Former President, Republic of Malawi; LTC Robert Farmer, Public/Private Partnership Branch Chief, United States Africa Command; Mr. David Fulton, Head of U.S. and Canada Unit, International Finance Corporation; Mr. Paul Hinks, CEO, Symbion Power, Hon. Dr. Donald Kaberuka, President, African Development Bank; Mr. Kamran Khan, Vice President, Department of Compact Operations, Millennium Challenge Corporation.

Drawing on her extensive experience, Her Excellency Joyce Banda, former president of Malawi and founder of the National Association of Business Women in Malawi, will speak on capacity building. She will highlight women's evolving role in promoting infrastructure and the ways in which they have gained social and political empowerment through business.

'Resilient Cities' Focus at CCA Infrastructure Conference 2014

The 2014 U.S.-Africa Infrastructure Conference, sponsored by the Corporate Council on Africa, focused on building resilient cities. [The full program is available here.] The event, from October 7 through 9 in Washington, DC, highlighted how major metropolises in Africa are coping with rapid urbanization and the needs of a steadily growing middle class and will also feature current projects and novel ideas within infrastructure development including finance, ICT, water, tourism and transportation. Scheduled immediately preceding the fall meetings at the World Bank, the conference brought together African government officials, international infrastructure experts, and leading decision makers from the U.S. public and private sectors. Erastus Mwencha, deputy chairperson of the Africa Union Commission, was keynote speaker. 

David Picard, Caterpillar's Regional Manager for Africa and the Middle East, brings both his and his company's experience to bear in leading the Infrastructure Conference discussion entitled "Laying the Foundations in Support of Africa's Infrastructure Growth."

Thursday morning will begin with a session featuring seven U.S. Government agencies presenting on how they can support American company operations in Africa. This session will host: Export-Import Bank of the United States; Millennium Challenge Corporation; United States Agency for International Development; United States Africa Command; and United States Trade and Development Agency.

For more information, visit http://infra2014.africacncl.org.

About CCA
The Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) is a nonprofit, membership-based organization established in 1993 to promote business and investment between the United States and the nations of Africa. CCA is the premier American organization devoted to U.S.-Africa business relations and includes as members more than 160 companies, which represent nearly 85 percent of total U.S. private sector