Andrew Young to Be Honored for Commitment to Africa

America.gov (Washington, DC)

Charles W. Corey

Ambassador Andrew Young will be awarded

a lifetime achievement award at the Corporate Council

on Africa's seventh biennial U.S.-Africa Business

Summit, to be held in Washington September 29 to October 1.

"Ambassador Young is and has been an advocate
of human rights and humanitarian issues as well
as dedicated to promoting economic prosperity
in Africa,"
said Stephen Hayes, president and
chief executive of the Corporate Council on Africa,
in a September 3 statement announcing the award.

"We are grateful for the opportunity to honor
the commitment he has shown to Africa
throughout his career."

Established in 1993, the Corporate Council

on Africa (CCA) works to strengthen and

facilitate commercial relationships between

the United States and the African continent.

CCA works closely with governments,

multilateral groups and businesses

to improve the African continent's trade

and investment climate, and to raise

the profile of Africa in the U.S. business community.

Young started his career as a top aide
to Martin Luther King Jr. during the American
civil rights movement.
He was elected to the U.S. House
of Representatives in 1972, becoming
the first African American since Reconstruction
to be voted into Congress from Georgia.

In 1977, appointed by President Jimmy Carter,
Young became the first African American
to serve as the U.S. permanent representative
to the United Nations, popularly known
as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Beginning in 1981 he served two terms

as mayor of Atlanta, bringing in billions of dollars

in new private investment.

In 1996, he also served as co-chairman of

the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games.

Young was appointed by President Bill Clinton

in 1994 to serve as chairman of the $100 million

Southern Africa Enterprise Development Fund,

whose objective is to stimulate the creation

and expansion of small and medium-sized

indigenous businesses throughout southern Africa.

The fund was also founded on the initiative

of then-South African President Nelson Mandela.

In his role as fund chairman, Young helped establish

the Eerste River Medical Centre in Cape Town,

alleviating demand on overcrowded hospitals.

Young is also co-chairman of GoodWorks International,
a for-profit consulting firm built on the belief that
the private sector can promote initiatives
that support education, social advancement,
economic development and capacity building
in Africa and the Caribbean.

He travels often to Africa, fostering partnerships
that benefit the communities in which they operate.
In 2008, the GoodWorks Foundation partnered
with the Wanawake na Maendeleo Foundation
to award educational scholarships in Tanzania.

ALSO AN AWARD-WINNING

TELEVISION PRODUCER

In June 2009, Young won three Emmy awards

for Andrew Young Presents, a series of

documentaries that appeared in the United States

and in Central and Eastern Africa as well.

One of the Emmy awards was for

"Walking With Guns," which focused on

youth violence.

The documentary also told the inspiring story

of Wheelchair Charities, a New York organization

that helps thousands of paraplegic and

quadriplegic patients,

many of them gunshot victims.

Young also produced the award-winning documentary
Rwanda Rising, which showcased modern-day
Rwanda on the global stage.

Young's commitment to education and global service

is evident at Georgia State University's

Andrew Young School of Policy Studies,

which was created to carry on the legacy

of Young's ideals through programs

he believes will "level the playing field"

for the world's poor.

The scholars and researchers at the school

operate on the principle that the key

to ending poverty is building strong

national economies.

They, like Young, who occasionally teaches

at the school, work to bring economic well-being

to developing nations in Africa.

The school works in more than 30 countries
around the globe, as well as at home, in the areas
of health care, environment, taxation, aging,
education, child care and diversity.

Programs at the school include the Mandela
Scholars program, a planned student exchange
program between the Andrew Young School
and the University of Pretoria in South Africa,
and an ongoing program on taxation in Russia.

Responding to the CCA announcement,

Young said, "I am most appreciative to the

Corporate Council on Africa for this award.

Since 1993 GoodWorks International

and the Council have partnered to promote

development, investment and trade

on the African continent.

I am looking forward to continuing

to work with CCA in this effort."

CCA will also present a business leadership

award and business excellence awards

in agribusiness, infrastructure,

financing and natural resources.

Link here

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