by Yuhan Liu, MSFS ’16
The Africa Forum hosted an “Opportunities in Africa Career Panel” on November 13th in the MSFS Executive Conference Room. The panel featured four distinguished professionals, who shared their experiences and insights on careers in Africa with current MSFS students.
The panelists included: Ambassador Donald Teitelbaum, Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs at U.S. Department of State; Stephen Giddings, Co-chair of Washington D.C.’s Society for International Development’s Africa Workgroup; Professor Francis Ngugi Wangendo of the African Studies Program at Georgetown University and Rebecca Lawrence, Director of Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI), Stable and Effective Governance – Africa Region.
Each of the panelists shared with students the stories, highlights and lessons from their exciting careers in Africa. Ambassador Teitelbaum noted that his diplomatic career provided him opportunities to witness, experience and understand the continent more than he ever expected. Stephen Giddings talked about the importance of patience and a long view in working in African development.
When asked what key skill sets students need to acquire for a future career in Africa, Ambassador Teitelbaum emphasized the importance of curiosity, empathy, an understanding of culture differences, and genuine passion. Rebecca Lawrence noted that it is essential to keep an open mind and treat every new experience as a learning opportunity.
Students raised other interesting questions including whether the current model of African economic development is appropriate, whether the political and economic institutions in Africa are capable of sustaining growth, and whether new major powers, such as China, will bring new opportunities and challenges to the region.