“If you are doing something that you really love, it is not work.”- Barclay Paul Okari
“What keeps you going [as an entrepreneur] is the need to see your idea come to fruition.”- Kwame Abrokwa
“African youth - there will not be the expected growth without your dreams. You need to create your job. In the DNA of Africans, the entrepreneurship gene is there.”- Karl Miville de Chene
“Let’s do everything to make sure youth are key stakeholders and are included.”- Michaëlle Jean
“Europe needs to do more in Africa so that African students can return to help their countries of origin.”- José Manuel Barroso
“The country cannot develop without you. Each of you has the opportunity to reach and accomplish your dreams. The continent of Africa is the continent of the future.”- H.E. Ali Bongo Ondimba
“Africa’s strong economic growth (5 percent) is thanks to its youth, which will be the main source of production and innovation in the coming years.”- Lionel Zinsou
“Talent does not exist everywhere. The only difference between countries is access. Without having access, nothing will happen.”- Garry Kasparov
“African women have arrived.”- Isabel dos Santos
“There’s a preconceived idea on Africa which is totally obsolete. Africa is now the future.”- Laurent Fabius
“Ambition is a key factor in transformation. The will to transform a country has to be accompanied by action”- Hafid Elalami
“All the research shows that investing in women is a good investment”- Cherie Blair
“The 21st century is the century of Africa.”- Vincente Fox
“This Forum is a perfect example of Gabon's engagement as a future-thinking country, searching for innovative solutions to the challenges facing Africa in its economic growth.”- Alassane Ouattara
“Africa is now open to all investors. Its leaders are willing to preserve the continent’s resources and willing to engage in a win-win partnership.”- Macky Sall
“Together, we want to encourage young women to venture into new frontiers, and learn that they can achieve anything.”- Sylvia Bongo Ondimba
“Technology is spurring innovation, and the so-called "demographic dividend" has brought change.”- Nouriel Roubini
“We Africans must do business with each other.”- President F.W. de Klerk
“We need to have a competitive economy and proper legal environment to create enterprise, which in turn creates jobs.”- Jean-Louis Billon
“We need peace for security but we also need justice and accountability.”- Fatou Bensouda
“Given technology in tough environments, people will do more with that technology than its engineers could have ever imagined.”- Jared Cohen
“You look at Africa the biggest impediment is our not being able to work together. It’s very simple.”- Kola Karim
“If you get the politics and the policies right, the economics usually follow.”- Lord Mandelson
“The G.D.P. of african countries has been rising swiftly, but we must take into account issues like access to water supply, education, healthcare, infrastructure and employment.”- Olusegun Obasanjo

PRESS RELEASE

PRESIDENT BONGO ANNOUNCES $200 MILLION FUND TO FINANCE THE CREATION OF 50 PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS

Start-up finance will be provided by the six CEMAC member states

LIBREVILLE, June 16, 2013: H.E. Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of the Gabonese Republic, announced the creation of a $200 million fund, in association with the New York Forum Institute and with the support of the whole CEMAC region (Chad, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo). The fund, called Train My Generation, will finance the creation of 50 professional schools that will train 100,000 students in 18-24 months.

The fund was announced at the closing session of The New York Forum AFRICA, the biggest pan-African summit in the world, and will be presented to the G8 Summit.

The start-up of the fund will be financed by a $50 million contribution from the CEMAC governments and the balance will be provided by investment from the private sector in Africa and internationally.

These schools will focus on three sectors - tourism, agriculture and retail - that have the biggest growth potential, and the potential to create the most jobs.

Working with leading international vocational training institutions, Train My Generation will answer employer requirements and fill the gap between high school education and workforce entry. Training programmes will last 12 – 18 months.

The fund will be audited and fully compliant with international standards of compliance.

The New York Forum AFRICA, organized by Richard Attias & Associates under the patronage of the Office of President Ali Bongo Ondimba and in collaboration with the Government of Gabon, played host to eight African heads of state and more than 1,600 participants.

This year the NYFA played host to the Summit of the CEMAC Heads of State.

The high-profile forum hosted economic leaders, business executives, young entrepreneurs, investment funds, policy makers, and international media for intense discussions and working sessions. They discussed how to accelerate economic development across the African continent through increased trade transparency, governance, safety, entrepreneurship, and support for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which accounts for 90 per cent of the private sector on the continent.

About New York Forum
The New York Forum® was established with the conviction that business has arrived at a crossroads. It is crucial to send a strong optimistic message about the world economy’s future, to work towards redefining corporate governance, to create long-term value, and to re-invent business models through uniting all economic stakeholders. Our goal focuses on consolidating the link between economic growth and job creation, on the importance of cities as key drivers of dynamism and innovation, on the challenges that are business leaders have to meet within a climate of volatility and uncertainty, and on the special opportunities created by the growth of emerging economies.
http://www.ny-forum.com

About Richard Attias & Associates
Richard Attias & Associates is a strategic communications firm that provides private consultancy, idea initiatives, and live experiences. Our mission is to help leaders, corporations, and nations build their global influence, catalyse innovation, and lead the global exchange of ideas. Thanks to our strategic and operational expertise, we mould unforgettable experiences: interactive platforms, living laboratories of human capital, and cultural and historic exchanges that contribute to fostering a positive change for the international community.
http://www.richardattiasassociates.com

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PRESS RELEASE

PRESIDENT BONGO ANNOUNCES $200 MILLION FUND TO FINANCE THE CREATION OF 50 PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS

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