President Paul Kagame of Rwanda is among the guests who are expected to attend the 2nd South-South Economic Summit in Asaba, Delta State in Nigeria’s oil region 26-28 April.
Also expected to attend the summit, to be declared open by host President Goodluck Jonathan, are former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, ex-first Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) John Lipsky and the 17th Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen.
The private Guardian newspaper reported Wednesday that the summit, which has the theme ”investment, development, security”, was aimed at underscoring the fact that the South-South is developing and is ready for investment.
The organizers said President Kagame would bring the perspective of a freedom fighter and that of a leader who rebuilt his country from the ruins of genocide, against monumental odds.
“Under his leadership, Rwanda has been called Africa’s ‘biggest success story’ and Kagame has become a public advocate of new models for foreign aid designed to help recipients become self-reliant.
”He is billed to give a development keynote address on ‘Post-conflict Development Policies’,” said summit spokesman Chike Ogeah.
The summit is being organized by the BRACED Commission, an acronym for Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo, and Delta states (the states in the oil-producing South-South region).
The first edition of the summit was held in Calabar, Cross River state, in 2009.
