The Wharton Africa Business Forum is a part of the Wharton Global Business Forum, an umbrella for annual regional conferences. During the weekend of November 20, 2004, conferences on Europe, West Asia, Latin America, Asia and India will explore global and regional issues. The Global Forum will offer unmatched insight into the challenging issues facing the world today, bringing together prominent business leaders, policy makers shaping the destinies of their countries and the brightest intellects from MBA schools.

Past Africa Business Forums have been attended by over 300 students and professionals and have enjoyed tremendous coverage from leading publications including The Wall Street Journal and Forbes. Speakers at past conferences have included, Dr. Sam Jonah, Chief Executive - Ashanti Goldfields Company, Ltd., and, Smuts Ngonyama, Head of South African Presidency and Chief Strategic Advisor to South African President Thabo Mbeki, James Harmon, Chairman of the Board, Corporate Council on Africa, and Michael Fairbanks, Executive Chairman, ontheFrontier.

The aim of this year's Wharton Africa Business Forum to stimulate discussions on the development of globally competitive corporations in Africa. We intend to channel these discussions towards supporting pro-active initiatives that enhance the economic development of this "emerging market". We are also sponsoring the annual Africa Business Plan Competition, the only Africa-focused business competition at any US business school. This is a testament to our commitment to fostering and promoting business activities on the African continent.