African Parliamentarians Participate in US State Dept. Sponsored Exchange Program

State Department Photo
Office of the Spokesperson
Department of State
Washington, DC
February 10, 2015

From February 10 – 20, 22 parliamentarians from 11 countries will be in the United States for a Leadership in the Digital Economy exchange program. The program supports the United States’ global commitments to open government and development of the digital economy, as well as ensuring women and girls are at the center of development, especially in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
In Washington, D.C., participants, the majority of whom are women, will interact with current and former Members of Congress, government officials, and open government advocates. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Educational and Cultural Affairs Kelly Keiderling will welcome the group on February 11, and Ambassador Daniel Sepulveda, the State Department’s U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, will address the participants on February 13. In their second week, the parliamentarians will visit San Francisco and Silicon Valley, where they will have opportunities to meet with tech industry representatives, academic leaders, civic innovators, and entrepreneurs.

The participants will explore how to advance parliamentary leadership in open government, civic technology, and development of the digital economy. They will also examine how women, youth and other historically marginalized groups can lead on these issues. This study mission brings together representatives from a wide range of countries: Colombia, Georgia, Ghana, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Nepal, Peru, Serbia, and Tunisia.

The program is sponsored by the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and organized by the Institute for Representative Government (IRG) in close partnership with the National Democratic Institute (NDI).