Professional Development Workshop

Hear from the experts:
Participants in the Professional Development Workshop will be asked to address three major issues facing US-based professionals seeking careers in Africa and the United States. The first issue is how to remain competitive in your industry when you are working in an environment with a different information infrastructure. The second issue is how to measure the value of your work or personal success when you are in a culture with a different value system. The third issue is how to successfully negotiate cultural conflicts in the business environment and in your personal life. These three are only some of the issues facing professionals. The Professional Development Workshop will be dedicated to sharing insights on these three issues primarily and other issues as they emerge.

Making the Transition: Working and Doing Business in Africa

Hear from African Diaspora professionals working and doing business in Africa:
Panelists on the Making the Transition panel will discuss their experiences of moving to Africa to pursue careers, their expectations before moving and what they have discovered since making their initial choices. During the panel, they will discuss the results of a survey sent to repatriate African professionals. They will also discuss the NEPAD initiative and how it relates to growing career opportunities in Africa. Other issues that may be raised include issues of competitiveness with international peers, comparative quality of life issues, cultural challenges in their personal and professional lives, and logistical issues like how best to go about obtaining work permits and other basic needs.