3rd AfSAE Africa Association Summit

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

In 2019 AfSAE launched the Africa Associations Summit as an annual congregation of African and international not-for-profit executives drawn from professional and trade Associations, Civil Society Organizations, Travel and Tourism industry, Events industry, Industry suppliers, Government agencies, Pan African organizations such as Africa Union among other stakeholders. The inaugural summit was held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi Kenya while the 2020 event was held virtually as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Summit is a multi-stakeholder platform that enables participants to learn, share and exchange knowledge and information about Associations while at the same time offering opportunities to network and connect.

Summit Theme:

The theme for 2021 Summit is "Enhancing Partnerships, Growth and Opportunities for Associations in a Post-Pandemic Africa". This theme has deliberately been selected to coincide with prevailing situation where the world is fighting hard to gradually emerge from an economic turmoil brought by the Covid-19 global pandemic.

The Challenge:

Africa, like the rest of the world has borne the brunt of a crippling health crisis that has shaken the foundation of the socio-economic well-being of its people. The not-for profit sector including Associations has not been spared the ramifications of the pandemic. At the onset, many were forced to restructure their operations through taking tough decisions on their funding, staffing and public engagements in an effort to survive. Unfortunately, this has led to the weakening of many organizations and in some cases others have totally collapsed.

Yet, amidst this crisis, some have reinvented themselves and managed to not only stay afloat but even thrive. How have they succeeded? What separates the successful ones from the strugglers?

The Opportunity:

Answers to the above questions, analysts observe, boils down to how an organization leverages innovation, partnerships, and its unique positioning to drive growth. The covid-19 crisis has provided organizations with an opportunity to re-evaluate their long-term sustainability plans, retool their business approaches, embrace purposeful collaborations, and fully seize new emerging opportunities. Adaptation is the name of the game.

The summit will therefore seek to showcase how African Associations can take advantage of some of these new opportunities, share lessons learnt throughout the crisis, and attempt to paint the picture of associations of the future.

Specific 2021 Summit Objectives:

1. Show case opportunities for African Associations in the newly established African Free Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA).

2. Highlight the contribution of African Associations in the socio-economic development agenda of the continent.

3. Share educational and learning material on the latest global trends in Associations management.

4. Facilitate professional connections between African Associations Executives and their international counterparts.

Summit Sessions Format:

A mix of both live in person and virtual presentations as well as pre-recorded sessions will be available throughout the summit. Webinar and/or Webcasts tools to deliver quality audio and video content presented by moderators, speakers, panelists, facilitators, and sponsors shall be deployed. Planned sessions include keynote speeches, interactive panel discussions, plenary Q&A sessions, case study presentations and education tracks.