The inaugural meet up East Africa 2018, a regional summit of Global Shapers, is going to be hosted by the Kampala Hub from the 18th – 20th October 2018. The highly billed event will draw over 100 participants primarily from the 8 African countries that constitute Eastern Africa and others from other countries in Africa and the rest of the world.
The Global Shapers Community is a network of city-based Hubs developed and led by young leaders between 20 and 33 years old who want to develop their leadership potential towards serving society. The Global Shapers Community is one of several multi-stakeholder communities at the World Economic Forum. The Meet Up East Africa was born out of Shape Africa, an annual summit hosted by The World Economic Forum for Global Shapers and other partners and stakeholders from across the continent. This year’s Shape Africa was held in May in Johannesburg, South Africa and it was from that engagement that the idea to hold a regional dialogue for East Africa was born.
The Kampala Hub curator, Liz Kakooza said; ‘As Global Shapers, we believe that even as we are mandated to address issues at a Global level, it is pertinent that we address those directly affecting the communities in which we live first. The Meet Up East Africa aims to do just that.’
The theme for this event is the Role of The Youth in creating Sustainable Regional Collaborations and Integration in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Session topics will be split into two larger areas: Impacting the Present and Impacting the Future The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is the name given to the age of industrialisation in which we currently live. The 4IR is characterised by technological advances across all arenas that have and will continue to disrupt our methods of working and interacting. These include a range of developments such as the Internet, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, Blockchain and others yet to be seen. As Shapers in a region with a young and rapidly growing population; and where there is a palpable drive for innovative work, we plan to address the 4IR head on and focus on what it will mean for Eastern Africa.
With a stellar ensemble of panelists, the 3-day event promises to bring together the brightest young minds in the region to discuss solutions to issues that directly affect their communities.
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