Ceed Concordia was a proud sponsor of the 2021 Annual Leaders Gathering (ALG) hosted in late November by the LéO Africa Institute, an organization established by CEED’s co-founder, Awel Uwihanganye. 

Starting in 2020, the ALG has gained a reputation as an essential platform for significant conversations on ideas and issues impacting the African continent – making it the signature public convening for the LéO Africa Institute’s growing network. Over the course of three days, 40 key leaders were speakers at the forum, in addition to notable performers and artists.

The focus for this year’s event was Building Resilient Lives and ‘Imagined Communities’, which according to Awel Uwihanganye, the Institute’s founder, was “inspired by the need to re-imagine our sense of community in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.”

CEED Concordia Canada supported LéO Africa Institute by bringing in relevant speakers to the event for a mix of in-person and virtual conversations. Our very own CEED Director Hawa Keita, Co-Director Luke Ofungi, and CEED Board Member Maja Richard Byem were among the guests to speak at this forum.

A frequent theme that arose from the conversations at this gathering was the importance of creating more networks worldwide to create beneficial collaborations for the African continent. CEED Director Hawa Keita notes:

“It was beautiful to see such a great diversity of people with various expertise–belonging to different countries and cultures– all coming together for a common interest.”

 If you wish to watch some of the conversations from the ALG, you may view recorded clips on LéO Africa Institute Youtube channel. Below are some of the topics discussed:

• Why Governance of Society Must be Right, in order to Build Good Societies & Resilient Individuals

• What will Competitive and Resilient Individuals look like in Economies of the Future

• What the Pandemic has taught us about the changing nature of “Imagined Communities”
• Africa in the World
• How Arts and Culture Build Resilience in our Lives and Foster Imagined Communities