Media Release:  7 May 2015

The 17th Annual African Renaissance Festival

The 17th annual African Renaissance Festival will take place from 23-26 May 2015 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli ICC, Durban.  The festival programme will commence on 23 May with the vibrant Africa Day Concert, which will be followed by the two-day African Renaissance Conference on 25 and 26 May 2015.

The African Renaissance Festival 2015 will once more be an exciting and worthwhile opportunity to celebrate Africa’s progress and the renewal of our continent.  Over the years, the African Renaissance Festival has grown in stature and attracts the participation of delegates and senior media representatives from the African continent and beyond. The esteemed festival has been privileged to have enjoyed the participation of all our democratic presidents, deputy presidents as well as leading representatives of government, business and civil society. This year is no exception as a number of high profile guests have already confirmed their attendance.

Mayor of eThekwini, James Nxumalo said, “We are excited to again host the African Renaissance Festival in Durban. The conference is central to enhancing the social economic growth of the people of the region.” The conference is in direct support of enhancing the goals of the annual Durban Business Conference.

The focus of this year’s conference programme will be entrepreneur development, with some emphasis on the youth. Entrepreneurship is one of the key driving forces in economic development, and it is therefore important for our talented youth to be encouraged and supported to enable them to be the main creators of opportunities and wealth in the future. The programme will also promote and maximise the opportunities for our youth that are available through obtaining college and university bursaries to international institutions.

The conference programme will feature speakers from within the country and beyond, including representatives from the ministries of Basic Education, Trade and Industry and Small Business Development.  Confirmed speakers include Mayor James Nxumalo, Premier Senzo Mchunu, Sizwe Nxasana, the Consulate General of the USA Ms Frances Chisholm and the Consulate General of India, Mr Rajagopalan Ragunathan. 

Conference sessions include an overview of government policy and provision for entrepreneurs and skills development in South Africa, entrepreneurial development at tertiary institutes, and inspiring presentations by a number of successful entrepreneurs. A highlight of the programme will be a session on international exchange programmes, which include opportunities for students to study in countries such as Germany, India, United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Prof Sihawukele Ngubane, Vice Chairperson of the African Renaissance Trust said, “Development of the youth as entrepreneurs plays an important part in Africa’s future.  The conference aims to give the delegates examples of business success to aspire to, as well as the resources to achieve similar success. Educational institutions, businesses and the youth are encouraged to participate in this unique event in order to access the information presented by the conference speakers.”

The much anticipated Africa Day Concert, which is a celebration of African unity, will feature award winning gospel singer, Sgqemeza, the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra in collaboration with Sfiso Ncwane; Toya Delazy and Donald.

For further information on attending the festival’s events visit: http://www.africanrenaissance.net/
Tickets for the concert are available from Computicket.

Media Enquiries
Gayle McLennan-Smith
031 2671977
083 6530465
gayle@topbusiness.co.za

Conference Registration
Tel: 031 569 5988
Fax: 031 569 5990
Email: info2@thoughtfire.co.za