Lunches
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Saturday
|
12:45 pm
Batten HIves 307

Documentary Screening and Q&A | Stand Together as One

When drought hit Ethiopia in 1983, millions of people were impacted by famine and one million people starved to death. Kenyan photojournalist Mohamed Amin and his BBC colleagues Michael Buerk and Mike Wooldridge documented the historic events surrounding the famine. These images inspired musicians to stand together and led to the recording of the worldly famous song "We Are The World". Documentary screening followed by a Q&A with Salim Amin, film director and son of late Mohamed Amin.

Documentary Screening and Q&A | Stand Together as One

When drought hit Ethiopia in 1983, millions of people were impacted by famine and one million people starved to death. Kenyan photojournalist Mohamed Amin and his BBC colleagues Michael Buerk and Mike Wooldridge documented the historic events surrounding the famine. These images inspired musicians to stand together and led to the recording of the worldly famous song "We Are The World". Documentary screening followed by a Q&A with Salim Amin, film director and son of late Mohamed Amin.

America/New_York
Feb 15, 2025 12:45 PM
Batten HIves 307

Other Sessions

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Breakout 3
Saturday
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3:45 pm
Aldrich 107
Unlocking the African Genome: Positioning the Continent as the Next Hub for Genomic Innovation
This panel explores Africa’s genomic potential, biotech leadership, and ethical funding for equitable healthcare advances.
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Unlocking the African Genome: Positioning the Continent as the Next Hub for Genomic Innovation

The African genome, one of the most genetically diverse yet understudied, holds immense potential to transform global healthcare. As the cradle of human life, Africa’s genetic diversity is key to understanding the foundations of humanity. Unlocking its secrets could lead to breakthroughs in disease treatments, drug development, and personalized medicine. However, realizing this potential will require significant financial investment, capacity building, and robust ethical frameworks to ensure Africa benefits from these advancements while preventing exploitation.

This panel seeks to answer the following questions: How can understanding the African genome save lives globally? How can Africa become a biotech leader in the genomic era? And crucially, what innovative funding models can be developed to support genomic research in Africa while ensuring equitable returns for African communities?

America/New_York
Feb 15, 2025 3:45 PM
Aldrich 107
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Breakout 2
Saturday
|
11:30 am
Aldrich 110
Eco-tourism | African Heritage Trails: Unlocking Economic Growth Through Sustainable Tourism
This panel explores how African heritage sites drive tourism, economic growth, and community empowerment.
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Eco-tourism | African Heritage Trails: Unlocking Economic Growth Through Sustainable Tourism

Across the African continent, historical and cultural sites are being transformed into engines of economic resilience. This panel will explore how heritage trails, conservation efforts, and agritourism initiatives are not only preserving Africa’s rich history but also driving sustainable development and community empowerment. By reclaiming historical narratives and showcasing pre-colonial innovations, African nations are attracting global visitors while fostering local entrepreneurship and environmental stewardship.
Join us for a dynamic conversation, in collaboration with the Uganda Embassy, Theodore Roosevelt East Africa Sustainable Development Initiative (TREASDI), and the Business of Doing Good Summit Series Consortium, as we highlight innovative approaches to leveraging Africa’s heritage for economic growth and exchange ideas on expanding these efforts across the continent.

America/New_York
Feb 15, 2025 11:30 AM
Aldrich 110
More Info
Lunches
Saturday
|
12:45 pm
Batten Hives 304
Nala: Building Africa’s Next Fintech Titan
Join Benjamin Fernandes for a raw, behind-the-scenes look at building and scaling a fintech in Africa.
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Nala: Building Africa’s Next Fintech Titan

Building a fintech company that reshapes how money moves across Africa—and beyond—is no easy feat. The challenges go far beyond the headlines. Few succeed in this market. To scale, you need more than a great idea—you need resilience, sacrifice, and relentless determination.

How do you convince Silicon Valley investors to back an African startup? What does it take to challenge the status quo in the global financial system? And what are the real, behind-the-scenes battles of building something that truly lasts?

Benjamin Fernandes, Founder & CEO of NALA, has lived it all—and he’s here to tell the unfiltered truth.

Born and raised in Tanzania, Benjamin first made his mark as a national television personality. But he had bigger ambitions. Earning scholarships that took him to the U.S., he became the youngest African ever admitted to the MBA program at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Yet instead of climbing the corporate ladder or staying in Silicon Valley, he took the harder road—building a company that would transform how Africans send and receive money across borders.

That company is NALA. What started as a simple remittance app has grown into one of Africa’s most ambitious fintech ventures. Today, NALA powers seamless, low-cost payments from the U.S. and Europe into Africa, cutting through the inefficiencies of the global financial system. Now, with a $40 million oversubscribed Series A funding round, and a Forbes cover story to match, NALA is expanding beyond remittances—building its own payment rails, launching a B2B platform (Rafiki), and setting its sights on global markets, including Asia and Latin America.

In this rare, behind-the-scenes conversation, Benjamin will pull back the curtain on the real journey—the wins, the losses, the breakthroughs, and the breakdowns. No filters. No fluff. Just the raw truth of what it takes to build and scale a fintech company in Africa.

If you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or believer in bold ideas and Africa’s unstoppable rise, you won’t want to miss this.

Come for the insights. Stay for the inspiration.

America/New_York
Feb 15, 2025 12:45 PM
Batten Hives 304