Grassroots / Transparency Observers Africa

In New York, Spencer at Center for Conflict Dialogue http://www.ccdny.org/
is happy to pilot the idea of you posting him nominations of people you can personally vouch for as loving african communities in particular nations they originated from or know well. WE hope this blends very much with Peter Burgess's world deep resources at http://tr-ac-net.org/ and http://immconsortium.org/

Both Peter and Spencer led the way in opening out New York as a Collaboration Cafe City at a fall festival of collaboration cafes in 007 and with peter's subseqeuent taverns

This may be the start of a citizens intelligence resource for Africa. I will see if we can arrange a similar process out of London's alumni networks . we started a sort of prototype in a twin nations facebook group a while back

One of the reasons for doing this homework is that at long last more micro up development funds appear to be flowing Africa's way but these will only be as well spent as the transparency with which they are allocated to true cmmunity buolding teams etc

Lndoners, particulary around extraordinary networking efforts of Lesley have quite a lot of deep knowhow exhncages brewing in Africa- for example with the World's first Free University of Taddy Blecher whose youth entrepreneurship programs are supported by Richard Branson who also sponsors the Mandela Elders. There are plans afoot for a seminal rights confernce early 009 in Joburg. This might be a good time to start surveying who (Robinson, Novogratz, TED, Clinton, The Hunger Project, Sachs Earth Institute, etc ) in New York wishes to connect

26/27 may 08

In London we have close connections with the people who run the world entrepreneur summit http://wes08.net network - this is the invitation and ratioanle to their Kenya event - delighted to try anmd eraly questions obout after-projects arising from such a network gathering


Join the event of Kenya’s entrepreneurial calendar
As a globally ambitious and connected organization, you are warmly invited
to attend the Sacoma World Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi on the 26th
and 27th May 2008. This is an action-oriented event with a focus on re-
building Kenya’s dynamic entrepreneurial sector through creativity,
innovation and enterprise.

Entrepreneurs are the world’s change agents. They are ordinary people who
take personal risks to be creative, to innovate and to make a difference,
either economically, socially or environmentally. Entrepreneurs may set up
businesses, push at the boundaries of knowledge or simply want to improve
the way in which they do their work. They are the networked, flexible and
dynamic wealth creation engines behind every business from the smallest
community-based firm to the largest corporate in the world. This group of
people, so vital for sustainable development globally, need a place to meet,
network, discuss ideas and take real and enduring action.