School of Business Events and Special Features

Equity for Africa Summit

In April, the School of Business and the Standing for Freedom Center hosted an Equity for Africa Summit. During this summit, American business leaders connected with African heads of state and other officials.

CONNECTING CONTINENTS

Summit increases cooperation, support, and aid from American businesses

LOGAN SMITH

The Liberty University School of Business, in partnership with Liberty’s Standing for Freedom Center, organized and implemented one of the most groundbreaking summits in school history April 13-15, bringing in top government and business trailblazers from across Africa to discuss ways to orchestrate and deliver Judeo-Christian foundational change for all economies involved.

These African leaders, either attending in person or through videoconferencing, included the vice president of Nigeria, president of Ghana, former president of Malawi, vice president of Liberia, and other political and economic heads of state. Members of the Congo parliament, the governor of South Sudan, and an ambassador to Rwanda also participated. Many other countries wanted to attend, like South Africa, but were prevented by absolute COVID-19 shutdowns.

American leaders included CEO of Hobby Lobby Steve Green; former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; former Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller; former NFL star and business entrepreneur Jack Brewer; former NASA Director Jim Bridenstine; World Bank Director Erik Bethel; former Chief of Staff to Vice President Mike Pence Marc Short; and Congressman Ted Yoho, among others. “This event was a herculean effort, and our whole team was blown away by what we saw,” said Dr. Dave Brat, dean of the School of Business and former U.S. Congressman. “The Bible says feed the poor. The only thing that feeds the poor in the millions is broad-based economic growth, and the major cause of economic growth is capital accumulation. … The goal of this summit was to direct capital investments to Africa.” Within a week of the summit, many of the participants were holding business meetings to make those connections happen. The summit included 20 panels that tackled a wide range of economic subjects — how countries can structure deals and implement goodwill diplomacy, emerging technologies

impacting developing countries, and how to end expropriation. African leadership also pitched economic opportunities within their countries, and American business leaders responded with possible solutions. Both days kicked off with Faith Factor events that brought all nations together in shared faith, worship, and friendship. Pompeo delivered the keynote address, focusing on religious liberty and the need for Christ-centered principles in Africa’s economic growth. “Every African, and indeed every human, wants the same basic things,” Pompeo said. “They want freedom and the ability to take care of their families, and they all understand that there’s very little that is more noble than the dignity that comes with a job and opportunity to work and to deliver on behalf of their families and community. And Africans who get the opportunity to do so are obviously better, and their nation more prosperous and secure.”

He recognized the growing threats in Africa, including terrorist regimes and communism. “Communism and socialism have failed every place they have been tried,” Pompeo said. “I hope that African nations will see that these failed socialist experiments should be of the past, and we should move forward to a new future based on a set of basic principles. … I’m supremely confident that together we can make the world better and make America better. And we are here to work on ways to make Africa stronger, more prosperous, and secure.”

The summit’s success prompted plans for a second Africa-themed summit, tentatively scheduled for late September.

MOUSE-POINTER Visit Liberty.edu/Business/Equity-for-Africa-Summit to watch the sessions and learn about upcoming events.

Business Healthcare Summit

This academic year, the School of Business was excited to host a business healthcare summit. The healthcare industry is about 1/5 of the entire economy. As the demand for healthcare increases, so does the need for all of the training and jobs across many disciplines to keep goods and services flowing smoothly. Guest speakers included the CEO of Johnson Health Center Gary Campbell and Senior Vice President & Chief Transformation Officer at Centra Michael Elliott. Guests offered students a highlevel survey of their industry and explained what the business of healthcare involves. Senior Vice President & Chief Transformation Officer at Centra Michael Elliott