The African Leadership Network (ALN), the premier network of new generation leaders in Africa, on Monday announced that it had finalised the agenda for its 3rd Annual Gathering to be held from 10th – 13th October 2012 at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel, in Accra, Ghana. This year’s event will be attended by a stellar list of high-profile African leaders including Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Halemariam Desalegn, Zimbabwe Deputy Prime Minister, Arthur Mutambara, Nigerian businessman Alhaji Aliko Dangote, and British-Nigerian Actor, Chiwetel Ejiofor. Key speakers at the event include Matt Bannick, Managing Partner of Omidyar Network; Pedro Arboleda, Partner at Monitor Group; Hon. Hannah Tetteh, Ghana Minister of Trade and Industry; Khumo Shuenyane, Group Chief Strategy, M & A MTN Group; Kwadwo Afari Gyan, Chairman of the Electoral Commission in Ghana; and Dr.Jonathan Woetzel, Director at McKinsey & Company, Shanghai. Commenting on the event, CEO and Founder of the African Leadership Network, Mr. Fred Swaniker said, “We look forward to an exciting event, with meaningful conversations that lead to tangible partnerships. We are delighted for the enthusiastic support we have received from the government and people of Ghana, and are especially grateful for the hospitality from the Government, for agreeing to host this year’s event in Ghana”. “Ghana, whose history weaves well with that of the rest of the continent, is a most appropriate venue of this event. It is significant that the event is happening in Ghana at an exciting time when the country has just joined the ranks of oil-producing countries. The country’s immense potential mirrors the fantastic possibilities of Africa as a whole. We look forward to the participation of Ghanaian leaders at this event, and to reflecting on Ghana’s experience in relation to that of the rest of Africa,” he stated. This year’s Annual Gathering of the ALN is slated to be the most engaging yet. Key highlights on the agenda include: The Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship Gala Awards ceremony to recognise Africa’s most impressive entrepreneurs. The most prestigious African business Awards, dubbed the ‘Oscars of business’ in Africa, the Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship is this year in its sixth year of existence. The Awards are sponsored by Omidyar Network, and have attracted more than 7,000 applications from African businesses and awarded prizes of over $1.4 million to 25 leading companies since inception. The awards will be judged by an impressive panel of illustrious African business leaders including, Ahmed Heikal, Founder and Chairman, Citadel Capital, Chris Kirubi, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor, Divine Ndhlukula, Founder & CEO, Securico, Adedotun Sulaiman, Founder & Chairman Arian Capital Management, Yvonne Ike CEO, West Africa, Renaissance Group and Paul Harris, Former CEO, FirstRand Limited and Professor, University of Stellenbosch. Entrepreneurship in Africa Summit hosted by Omidyar Network in collaboration with the African Leadership Network to discuss the state of entrepreneurship on the continent and share results of a ground-breaking, pan-African survey on the entrepreneurial ecosystem. For the first time, over 350 entrepreneurs, investors, financial institutions, policy-makers and other key players in Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem will gather to address the core challenges to fostering high-impact entrepreneurship in Africa and set a vision for advancing the sector and driving greater prosperity across the continent. The Inaugural African Corporate Summit for the first time bringing together the leading corporates doing business in Africa and senior government leaders across the continent to develop a roadmap for greater collaboration between the public and private sectors in Africa’s economic development. The Corporate Summit will have a dedicated session on investment opportunities in Ghana. The Annual Gathering is ALN’s flagship event which every year brings together over 300 young dynamic new generation leaders from 40 African countries for three days to build collaborations aimed at unlocking high-potential opportunities in the continent. The event was previously held in Addis Ababa in 2010, and 2011.