From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, is to speak on “Tackling Corruption in Africa: An Evaluation of Tested Models”, at a public lecture in New York hosted by the Center for Media and Peace Initiatives (CMPI), on November 15th.
A statement from the President of the Center, Nigeria-born scholar-practitioner, Dr Uchenna Ekwo, said Malami is expected at the 2021 Public Lecture to shed a spotlight on anti-corruption measures in Africa and thereby educate the international community and Africans in the diaspora about the changing face of governance in the continent and mitigation efforts to minimize corruption in public places.
Ekwo added that the lecture organised by the New York-based media and policy think tank in special consultative status with the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council and affiliated with Rutgers University’s School of Public Affairs and Administration, the AGF will speak before an international audience of different professionals including journalists, business leaders, students, civil society leaders, scholars, and top diplomats.
‘Data from the Africa Union estimates that $140 billion is lost through corruption annually in the continent- an equivalent of the GDP of all but five countries in Africa” a trend he said is unsustainable if Africa would solve its development challenges,’ Ekwo said.
The event will be chaired by Dr John Pavlik, the distinguished professor of Journalism and Media Studies, School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University. Among the special guests are His Excellency Prof Tijjani Muhammad-Bande – Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations and Robert A Schwartz, MD, MPH, DSc (Hon), FRCP, Edin Professor and Head of Dermatology Rutgers University Medical School along with some African Ambassadors.
CMPI’s lecture series is among the leading intellectual events of its kind – an occasion for a prominent personality to present a serious lecture to an audience of some 200 guests – after they have enjoyed about an hour of networking.
Guests look forward to the hush and silence of a packed room of colleagues and different professionals taking in the thoughts and experience of a figure of stature and international recognition.
Among previous speakers at the CMPI Annual Public Lecture series include Gen Kahinda Otafire, Uganda’s Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs; Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev, the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations; Ambassador Awale Kullane of Somalia; Daniel Metcalfe, Executive Director, Collaboration on Government and Founding Director, US Department of Justice Office of Information and Privacy; Prof Tapio Varis, UNESCO Chair E-Learning and former Rector of University of Peace, Costa Rica; Mr Will Stevens, Director of Public Affairs, Africa Bureau, US Department of State; Prof Humphrey Nwosu, former Chairman of Nigeria’s Electoral Commission; Dr Joseph Ketema, former Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, Republic of Zambia; Dr Ike Ekweremadu, former Deputy Senate President of Nigeria.