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EACC to Address Barriers to EAC Students Entering American Universities

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By EADM Correspondent

Ambassador Robinson Ngithi of Kenya to the US

In Summary: Convening under the theme ‘accelerating growth’, the 2016 East African Chamber of Commerce (EACC) annual conference is poised to address barriers to the admission of international students into American universities. This unique undertaking, the first of its kind by the chamber, is riding on the back of a high-profile global partnerships and participation the EACC is drawing to its 9th annual trade conference in Dallas, Texas. Beyond its top notch  global outreach, the chamber will be showcasing cutting edge technologies in health, finance, environment, and enhancing its role in social and economic development between businesses, institutions, and government agencies in both the US and the East African region. The EACC annual conference opens this Thursday September 29 to Saturday October 01, 2016 at the Sheraton by the Galleria in Dallas, Texas.

Dallas, Texas—for the first time in its 9-year existence, the 2016 East African Chamber of Commerce (EACC) annual conference will hold a round table discussion to address barriers to the admission of students from the East African region into American universities, according to the program released by the conference organizers. The discussion will highlight and underline the concern and readiness by the chamber to address obstacles encountered by the youths from the East African region in accessing high quality education in the United States of America, Benson Kasue, an EACC board member and treasurer told the EADM in an interview Saturday. The EACC annual conference opens this Thursday September 29 to Saturday October 01, 2016 at the Sheraton by the Galleria in Dallas, Texas.

Benson Kasue, EACC founder member

“The round table on education is a welcome and timely endeavor by the chamber to expand its horizons and align its mission to the needs of its constituents,” a long-standing and active member of the chamber told the EADM. The round table is riding on the back of a high-profile global partnerships and participation the EACC is recording at its forthcoming 9th annual trade conference. The round table on education will  be held in the Hillcrest Auditorium, Underwood Law Library within the Dedman School of Law at  the Southern Methodist University (SMU), 6550 Hillcrest Avenue, Dallas, TX 75205. The discussion will feature three Ambassadors; Olivia Wonekha of Uganda, Robinson Ngithi of Kenya, and Ernest NDABASHINZE of Burundi.

 

Ambassador Ernest NDABASHINZE of Burundi.

The three diplomats, eminent scholars, and other professionals will weigh-in on how “barriers to entry” into institutions of higher learning in the USA by students from the East African region and beyond can be overcome. The inaugural round table on education, Hosted by the Dean of Deadman School of Law Dr. Martin Camp and Dr. Andrew Quicksall of the School of Engineering at SMU, will be moderated by Elizabeth Plumlee, Esq. She is expected to steer towards a thoughtful discussion addressing barriers encountered by superior East African students while competing for international admissions to American undergraduate and graduate universities. The panelists are expected to recommend strategies to overcome such barriers to foreign students to increase admission opportunities into American universities.

Ambassador Olive Wonekha of Uganda to the US

During the conference, chamber will be showcasing cutting edge technologies in health, finance, environment, and enhancing its role in social and economic development between businesses, institutions, and government agencies in both the US and the East African region. As a demonstration of its traction within the EAC region and underline its top notch  global partnership and participation, five of the six Ambassadors representing the East African Community (EAC) member states in the United States are expected to attend the annual conference, organizers confirmed. Business leaders from the USA and East Africa in addition to leading scholars from universities within the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex are also expected to grace the three-day event.

A cross-section of the EACC members

“This is going to be the most exciting chamber conference in the nine years of our existence, the gregarious Benson Kasue, a founder member and treasurer  told the EADM in an interview Saturday. “We are witnessing more integration and increased partnerships with major global organizations, corporations, educational institutions, and other entities,” he said.  Mr. Kasue cited the chamber partnerships with the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) and Southern Methodist University (SMU) as a ground-breaking development for the chamber. “We are reaching out to educational institutions to work closely with us to benefit them and the students from the East African region and Africa in general,” Mr. Benson Kasue said with discernable contentment in his voice.

With the new partnerships, the UTD will host the first event of the conference this Thursday   September 29 in the morning featuring panel discussions on topics centered on governance and World Markets.  Mr. Kasue said that with respect to integration, more people from the East African region are joining the chamber than ever before. For this conference in particular, delegations are coming from Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Ethiopia, and from the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat in Arusha, Tanzania to participate in the conference. “We are so excited that the Deputy Governor of the Bank of Uganda Dr. Louis Kasekende will grace the event to articulate the benefits of the EAC integration within the fast-paced and complex interconnected global economy,” Mr. Kasue said.  The keynote speech at the conference will be delivered by the former President of the African Development Bank (ADB) Dr. Donald Kaberuka during the celebration dinner-gala, on Saturday October 1. Dr. Donald Kaberuka, a former Finance minister of Rwanda, is now a Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a board trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation.

 

Dr. Donald Kaberuka to deliver keynote address

The guest speakers at the gala will include Ms Rebecca Kadaga, speaker of the Parliament of Uganda; Mr. Richard Lackey, Chairman Global Food Exchange; and Mr. Bryson Elder, VP, R.O.I Mantra. The dinner, scheduled to start at 6:00PM and punctuated with entertainment, will go on until the wee hours of Sunday morning.

The EACC Chairwoman, Elsa Juko McDowell, the first woman to lead the chamber told the EADM that the conference presents an invaluable opportunity to natives of the six member states in the Diaspora to learn, network, and potentially grow and expand their professional and business horizons.

EACC chairwoman Elsa Juko McDowell

“This is a big deal for me and the rest of the chamber leadership. I am excited that we are developing strong partnerships with local, national, and international organizations and attracting participation of eminent individuals to our events,” the EACC chairwoman told the EADM.  With only a couple of days away from the historic EACC conference, Elsa Juko advised those planning to attend to hurry and register and get their tickets now at:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/eacc-annual-trade-conference-accelerating-growth-tickets-21167028151