Members of The African Global Economic & Development Summit said they are pleased to announce that Ambassador (Congresswoman) Diane Edith Watson has joined the board and will preside as a “Special Envoy” of the annual event.
Watson is a well-known and respected figure throughout the U.S. Political and Humanitarian Arena as well as in Sub-Saharan Africa. She brings her 35 years of experience and legacy in public office to the AGED Summit to support its global mission. She is a former educator, state legislator and a U.S. Ambassador with a reputation of improving the plight of women and children living in poverty. Her passion includes welfare reform, civil rights, foreign assistance for African nations facing the HIV/AIDS crisis along with improved health care and education in the United States. Watson currently serves on the International Relations and Government Reform Committees.
She is the founder of DE Watson Leadership Academy. The Academy, through Leadership Platform (LP) provides a forum bringing together Students’ Union Leaders to share ideas and good practices with view to strengthening political development. The Academy also organizes two similar activities in North Eastern Nigeria engaging youth leaders from various university departments, Union and Cultural groups to build their capacities for civic and economic engagement in their respective communities. This is a yearlong active engagement of young people in the development and mobilization process for a long-term development of vibrant democratic structures at the grassroots of Africa. The Academy model is also being extended to Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Central African Republic with view to include other Sub Saharan nations.
