Second New York Forum Africa Is Announced for June; Forum to Be Held Alongside CEMAC Summit

LIBREVILLE, Gabon and NEW YORK, March 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Forum will be held alongside summit of six African nations for the first time; focus to be on trade, SMEs, entrepreneurship, innovation and transparency

The second edition of The New York Forum AFRICA (NYFA), to be held in Libreville, Gabon, will be held on June 14-16, under the High Patronage of H.E. Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of the Gabonese Republic. The Forum will be the most significant gathering of African businesspeople and policymakers and their international counterparts on the continent this year.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130306/600586 )

Alongside the Forum, President Bongo will host the CEMAC (Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa) summit meeting, with heads of state and ministers from Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Summit discussions will focus on trade, transparency, governance, the economy, and human security. This represents a one-off opportunity for the 700 business and political leaders at the NYFA to share ideas with CEMAC to build collaboration at a regional level.

This year, new sessions have been added to the NYFA to focus on SMEs and young entrepreneurs. President Bongo said: "The forum will look at how we can stimulate innovation, to ensure that Africa generates new products, new talent and new business opportunities.

"We will bring together voices of inspiration, of culture, of learning, and of empowerment; together they will inspire today's generation of African business - and tomorrow's business leaders."

Traditionally, the New York Forum has focused its programme on the economy and business. This year the focus is broader, said Richard Attias, Executive Chairman of Richard Attias and Associates and founder of The New York Forum AFRICA. He explained: "Fundamental to the agenda this year is trade, at a national, regional and continental level. We will also look at the growing middle class, the economic empowerment presented by SMEs and entrepreneurship, creativity and technology, and the needs of a new generation of African students."

The New York Forum AFRICA is a real pan-African laboratory of ideas, said Attias, bringing together leaders from many areas of economic and political activity to find solutions for the ongoing development of Africa and to encourage foreign investment. "At the NYFA, we will be proposing innovative solutions within the continent so its population can seize the opportunities presented, as well as create new opportunities for foreign corporations so they can build lasting business relationships with Africa."

The NYFA was created to become the largest pan-African conference for economic leaders, young entrepreneurs, sovereign and investment funds, political and media leaders, experts and economists who are looking for new business and investment opportunities in Africa. It will provide a forum for the development of substantial solutions and propositions in order to propel Africa up to the ranks of the fastest-developing emerging nations.

About Richard Attias & Associates

Richard Attias & Associates is a strategic communications firm that provides private consultancy, idea initiatives and live experiences. Our mission is to help leaders, corporations and nations build their global influence, catalyze innovation and lead the global exchange of ideas. Using strategic and operational expertise, RAA creates interactive platforms, living laboratories of human capital, and historic cultural exchanges that help foster positive change for the global community. 



As a global influencer, Richard Attias, born in Morocco, Africa, has developed some of the most influential gatherings of world leaders. Over the last two decades, he has built a matchless reputation for helping nations, organizations and corporations catalyze the global exchange of ideas. He was the exclusive executive producer of the World Economic Forum, including the Davos Forum, for 15 years and of the 1st Clinton Global Initiative. He is also the founder and chairman of The New York Forum® and The NYF® AFRICA, annual invitation-only forums for global CEOs, economists and business leaders to share ideas and provide recommendations for new business models in a post-crisis world. His latest initiative was the Doha GOALS forum, under the patronage of HH The Emir of Qatar, to examine how sport can be used to alleviate social challenges around the world.

With offices in New York, Paris, Doha, Rabat and Beijing, the RAA mission is a "call to action" to all global leaders, by creating borderless communities, and facilitating business opportunities for growth recovery through the New York Forum Institute, a not-for-profit Foundation.

http://www.richardattiasassociates.com

About The New York Forum

The New York Forum was conceived out of a conviction that the business world is at a crucial crossroads. It is imperative to send a strong message of optimism about the future of the global economy, work to redefine corporate governance, create long-term value and reinvent business models by bringing together all stakeholders in the economy.

For more information please contact:

Richard Attias & Associates
555 Madison Avenue, 17th Floor
NY 10022, New York

Anais Gay, anais.gay@richardattiasassociates.com
+1-212-794-8801

and

4, Cite Paradis
75010 Paris

Romain Grandjean, romain.grandjean@richardattiasassociates.com
+33-1-42-68-83-90

SOURCE The New York Forum