WASHINGTON, D.C.-- The Center for Global Development and the Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative are pleased to announce today that former UK prime minister and AGI Patron Tony Blair will be giving a major speech on Africa and development on Thursday 16 December in Washington DC.
The speech will be followed by a Q&A with CGD President Nancy Birdsall, and coincides with the launch of a pamphlet entitled: “Not Just Aid: How Making Government Work Can Transform Africa.” In the pamphlet, Tony Blair will give his reflections on the visionary African leaders who are tackling poverty by transforming government, and what the international community needs to do differently to support them.
Ahead of next Thursday’s event, CGD President Nancy Birdsall said,
“During his time as prime minister, the Rt. Hon. Tony Blair consistently and creatively made the case for more generous and effective rich world engagement with Africa, not only for more aid, but for more effective aid and for African access to rich world markets. He has also not shied away from speaking about the need for better governance within Africa. We at the Center for Global Development are honoured to be hosting this important talk in cooperation with the Africa Governance Initiative, which he founded after leaving office.”
The Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative (AGI) is a UK charity which is pioneering a new way of working with African countries. AGI helps to equip committed African leaders with the capacity to deliver the public services which their citizens have the right to expect, to tackle deep-rooted poverty, and to attract the sustainable investment to build strong economies for the future.
AGI Chief Executive Kate Gross said of the upcoming speech,
“When it comes to development, the work that the Center for Global Development do is cutting edge. So, naturally we’re very pleased that three years after founding the Africa Governance Initiative, our Patron Tony Blair will be laying out his thoughts on Africa’s future at such an important forum.”
The Center for Global Development (CGD) is an independent, nonprofit policy research organization dedicated to reducing global poverty and inequality and to making globalization work for the poor. Through a combination of research and strategic outreach, the Center engages policymakers and the public to influence the policies of the United States, other rich countries, and such institutions as the World Bank, the IMF, and the World Trade Organization to improve the economic and social development prospects in poor countries.
+++ ALL MEDIA WISHING TO ATTEND MUST RSVP TO [email protected] +++
*Event location will be announced 48 hours ahead of the event. RSVP and photo ID required. Please arrive no later than 09:30am EST
*There will be time for interviews following the event. Please contact Jessica Brinton at [email protected] to schedule an interview.
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