Program: “The Political, Economic and Security Challenges Facing Africa Today”

Please note, if the federal government shutdown continues, this program will have to be postponed to Monday, February 11.

The Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide (AAFSW) cordially invites you to a very interesting and informative panel discussion on “The Political, Economic and Security Challenges facing Africa Today.” It will take place on Tuesday, January 22 at 10:30 a.m. at the Burns Auditorium in the George Marshall Center of the State Department in Washington, DC.

The panel will feature His Excellency Carlos Dos Santos, Ambassador of the Republic of Mozambique; His Excellency Ngosa Simbyakula, Ambassador of the Republic of Zambia; and His Excellency Kerfallia Yansane, Ambassador of the Republic of Guinea. There will be a question and answer session at the end of everyone’s presentation.

The panelists represent different regions that confront varied political, economic and security challenges in the year ahead as well as complex international political and security agendas.

RSVP to AAFSW at office@aafsw.org no later than Friday, January 18 and send us your driver’s license number or passport number and date of birth to submit to the Office of Security in the State Department. In addition, please send a check made out to AAFSW for $5 to AAFSW Reservations at 4001 North Ninth Street, Suite 214, Arlington VA, 22203.

Please come to the 21st Street NW entrance of the Department of State, close to the corner of “D” Street. As you enter rather than reporting to the main desk, please go to the table to your left where one of our members will check you in.

I take this opportunity to wish you a wonderful New Year full of peace, prosperity, and above all good health, Looking forward to seeing you at our AAFSW programs.

Warmest regards,

Sheila Switzer
AFFSW Program Chair

Ambassador Biographies

H. E. Carlos Dos Santos

Ambassador Carlos Dos Santos most recently served as High Commissioner to the United
Kingdom (2011-2015) where he was voted “Best Diplomat of the Year” (2013). Prior to that he
served as Ambassador of Mozambique to Germany (2006-2011). His long and distinguished
career includes serving as Director for Europe and the Americas at the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (2005-2006), Advisor to the President (2003-2005) and Permanent Representative to the United Nations (1996-2002). He was the President’s Private Secretary (1992-1996), Chief of Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs (1991-1992) and Head of the Political Department of the Africa and Middle East Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ambassador Dos Santos holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the University of Zimbabwe and a Master’s of Business Administration from Baruch College, City University of New York. He speaks Portuguese, English, Spanish and Ronga. Ambassador Dos Santos is married and the proud father of three children.

Publications:
“The Nexus between Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding. Background Paper: Mozambique –
1999,” Ed. Nassrine Azim and Chan Li Lin, Kluwer Law International.
“For a Global Agenda and Small Arms,” Publicação Periódica Semestral do Ministério dos
Negócios Estrangeiros, NO 2-2001.

H. E. Dr. Kerfalla Yansane

Dr. Kerfalla YANSANE is a Former Governor, Central Bank of Guinea, Conakry (1986-1996).
In this capacity, he largely contributed to the restructuring of the Central Bank and the Guinean financial sector, and to the liberalization and modernization of the monetary policy, including amongst others bringing inflation from 3 to one digit.

In February 2010, Dr. Yansane was appointed as Minister of Economy and Finance of the
Transition Government under the Presidency of General Konate, and he was reappointed and
promoted as State Ministry in charge of Economy and Finance by the Government of Pr Alpha Conde. Amongst other things, Dr. Yansane was very instrumental to the strengthening of the cooperation between Guinea and the international financial institutions, resulting in achieving the HIPC completion point, and the signing and disbursement of the grant of the 10th European fund.

Dr. Yansane was appointed State Minister of Mining and Geology in January 2014 to December 2015. His main assignments include amongst others the completion of the mining contracts review, the finalization of the negotiations of the Simandou iron ore project, and the
modernization of the mining geological information system.

Between February 2016 to December 2017, the Honorable Kerfalla YANSANE was appointed
as Minister of State, Advisor to the President of the Republic in charge of relations with
international financial institutions, monetary issues and the banking system.

Since January 2018, he has been the Ambassador of the Republic of Guinea to the United States of America with residence in Washington. Before his appointment as Minister of Finance in 2010, Dr. Yansane was a Development Consultant with a number of international and regional institutions, including inter alia the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa (New York), the NEPAD Secretariat, in Johannesburg, South Africa, the African Development Bank, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

On the other hand, Dr. Yansane was privileged to be affiliated over the past 20 years with several regional and international boards and technical committees, including amongst others: Member of the network, African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), based in Nairobi, Kenya (1992-2007) Executive Board, African Capacity Building Foundation, Harare, Zimbabwe (2002-2009); Member, United Nations Committee for Development Policy (New York, USA), responsible for reviewing the criteria and the list of the Least Developed Countries (2004-2006); Member, the Policy Advisory Group of the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor through the extension of micro finances services (CIGAP, World Bank, 1998-2001).

Dr. Yansane holds a State Doctorate (PhD) from University of Paris-Sorbonne, Faculty of
Economics and Law, and a Diploma of Finance from the Institute of Political Sciences of Paris.

H. E. Dr. Ngosa Simbyakula

Dr. Ngosa Simbyakula is the 16th Ambassador of the Republic of Zambia to the United States of America since November 2017. He is also concurrently accredited, on a non-residential basis to Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Belize, Haiti, Guatemala and Honduras. Before taking up this appointment, Ambassador Simbyakula served as a Member of Parliament from 2011 to 2016. During this period, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Justice and later elevated to Cabinet Minister for Home Affairs by President Michael Sata in 2013. In 2015, President Edgar Lungu appointed him Minister of Justice, a position he held until 2016.

Dr. Simbyakula has spent most of his working life in academia. He has taught in the faculty of law at the University of Zambia since 1981 where he rose to the position of Dean of the School of Law from 1993 to 1998. During this period he also served as external examiner at the University of Dar-es-salaam from 1996 to 1997.

In 1998, Ambassador Simbyakula was appointed Permanent Secretary for the Copperbelt Province by President Frederick Chiluba who later in 1999 transferred him to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the same capacity. In 2002 Ambassador Simbyakula was appointed Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice by President Levy Mwanawasa.

From 2006 to 2009 Ambassador Simbyakula served as CEO of the Zambia Institute for Advanced Legal Education, an institution which provides a one year postgraduate training and sets Bar examinations for law graduates who seek admission to the Zambian Bar.
Ambassador Simbyakula has previously also served as Vice Chairman of the Tax Appeals Tribunal, from 2004 to 2010 where he heard and adjudicated on tax appeals from taxpayers against decisions of the Zambia Revenue Authority.

Ambassador Simbyakula is a graduate of the University of Zambia where he obtained his LL.B. He also holds an LL.M specializing in constitutional law. From 1986 to 1990 Ambassador Simbyakula was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he earned his SJD with specialization in taxation.