On October 7, 2021, Segal Family Foundation and BMW Foundation will be hosting The Future Summit which is its largest event of the year. Segal Family Foundation supports community-based organisations with the localised knowledge needed to create sustainable change in their communities and is now supporting over 250 partners across Sub-Saharan Africa. The foundation aims to create an environment for innovators to amplify and grow their impact by providing tools, building networks, and connecting them to investment. Segal Family Foundation believes in a world where development is steered by grassroots leaders and power is shifted into the hands of communities. Based in the US, SFF strives to be a true partner to its 250+ NGO grantees across Sub-Saharan Africa. Segal Family Foundation disburses over $13 million in grants annually and was named the fourth largest American funder in Sub-Saharan Africa by Council of Foundations and Candid, (formerly the Foundation Center). With the majority of its team in East Africa, SFF aims to nurture a community of locally-led organizations that are smart, resilient, and able to create and implement their own vision of development by working together. The BMW Foundation, the event co-host, promotes responsible leadership and inspires leaders worldwide to work towards a peaceful, just, and sustainable future in line with the United Nations Agenda 2030. The 2021 Future Summit, which is free and open to the public, will gather an ecosystem focusing on positive social change across all of Africa with intention to create a space for a vibrant community to spark new ideas and engage in provocative conversations.This inspiring online convening and community-building event is powered by drivers of change across the continent. The full-day virtual event will showcase possibilities of collaboration, attracting new, unlikely allies with main stage plenaries, breakout sessions, performances, and networking. The summit is expected to bring together thousands of guests, panelists, and participants across continents. These will include but are not limited to African social entrepreneurs, innovators, philanthropists, and the media. What can people expect at the Future Summit? The Future Summit will include plenary speakers meant to inspire and provoke, participatory sessions meant to engage and connect, virtual site visits meant to forge partnerships, networking meant to build relationships, and creative performances meant to delight and surprise, as well as the Umoja Fellowship meant to foster co-creation between leaders. Segal Family Foundation says there are many reasons to attend the summit: “Despite challenges with in-person gatherings, we believe it is still important to create moments that inspire, spark imaginations, and celebrate the wealth of knowledge and impact on the continent to center our attention on the future we want.” “The Future Summit is a space of people using their gifts, their talents, their commitment, and their passion to create a world for us to be seen, to be heard, to be safe, and to self-determine,” said Dedo Baranshamaje, Segal Family Foundation’s Director of Strategy–Africa. “The Future Summit is an inspiration and collective experience for those who will shape the future in Africa,” explains Darius Polok, managing director of the International Alumni Center, adding “The summit is a place for social innovators from Africa to envision an inclusive and just future for the continent.” Who are speakers? Some of the speakers of note include Degan Ali, Executive Director of African Development Solutions; Andrea Thompson, Editor in Chief at Marie Claire UK; Frank Aswani, CEO of African Venture Philanthropy Alliance; Patrick Gyimah Awuah Jr., Founder & President of Ashesi University; Ndidi Okonkwo Nwunelii, Co-Founder of Sahel Consulting; and Professor Agnes Binagwaho, Vice Chancellor, University of Global Health Equity. They will share their experiences and take on the future. The performers include Tetu Shani, Kasiva, Mufasa, Siti & the Band. Some sessions include: The Coding Revolution:How Africas Tech Wizards Are Changing the World, The Rise of Fin-Tech in Africa, Shifting the Narrative: Towards Hope & Self-Determination, The Orange Economy: The Power of Africas Cultural and Creative Industries, and From Nanjing to Nairobi: The Growth of Impact Investment Ecosystems in Asia & Africa. They also include Real Talk: The Future of Water, The Future of Health: Innovations on the Home Front, The Future is Female, Demystifying Systems Change: Learning from African Leaders, Identity & Belonging: My Africa, My Responsibility, and Tunis & Joburg Envisioning Neighborhood Regeneration | Youth Building E-Communities. What Black Men Deserve; Fertile Ground: Advances in Agribusiness; The Future of Food: Africas Contribution to the World; Proximity in Action: The Joys & Impact of Participatory Grantmaking; A Creative Engagement for Change; New Relationships & Scaling Intimacy: The Intersection of Creativity and Business are among other sessions.
