top of page

About The Summit

The Africa Summit at Princeton is a student-run association that hosts conferences and events bringing together global changemakers to discuss challenges and opportunities facing the African continent. By putting renowned scholars, visionary politicians, and cutting-edge entrepreneurs in conversation with passionate students at Princeton and neighboring institutions, the Summit offers a unique platform to translate ideas and relationships into meaningful action.

 

Why Princeton?

The major factor that differentiates our conference from the plethora of other Africa-related conferences in this country is the fact that as one of the smallest Ivy-League schools in the United States, Princeton is known for its distinct undergraduate focus. Through the leadership of the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS) and the convergence of African Studies with a special focus on governance, development, and foreign policy and the unique youthfulness of the Princeton population, new and inspiring perspectives on Africa can emerge in the world’s youngest continent.

The Africa Summit at Princeton takes a nuanced approach by confronting Africa from the developmental perspective, allowing us to cover topics such as government and public policy, social justice, civic engagement, and other elements that relate to the public sphere, rather than being primarily concerned with private bodies and how they can help Africa grow. 

The Africa Summit at Princeton is a manifestation of a cross-discipline, cross-community, and cross-background interest in Africa, and the desire to see sustainable change for the better.

African Youth Driving Change on the Continent

The 2020 Summit, which focused on post-COVID-19 economic recovery, brought together over 800 individuals and featured keynote speakers, Youth and Green Energy panels,  roundtables on the African Continental Free Trade Area, and a New Venture Competition.

bottom of page