Dakar, Senegal—Approximately 1,200 participants, including heads of state and government, attended the opening of the Africa Summit 2018. The international conference also brought together parliamentarians, religious and spiritual leaders, business/industry leaders, traditional African rulers and other VIPs from more than 60 countries. The two-day summit (Jan. 18-19) dealt with the theme “New Africa: Interdependence, Mutual Prosperity and Universal Values” and was held at the Abdou Diouf International Conference Center (CICAD) about 40 minutes outside Dakar, the capital and largest city of Senegal.

With Africa’s unique cultural heritage and rich human and natural resources, the summit’s goal was to discuss the crucial issues of interdependence, mutual prosperity and universal values, and to search for solutions to common issues facing the continent’s 1.7 billion inhabitants and 54 nations. Keynote speaker were UPF founder Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon and the president of Senegal, H.E. Macky Sall.

Dr. Moon welcomed the participants to the Africa Summit and offered a unifying vision for the continent with her emphasis on the family and living for the sake of others. “We have entered a new era,” she said. “My hope is that the African continent will become the heavenly continent which attends God as the central point and becomes the most prosperous nation in the world.” People naturally seek a life centered on peace, she said, “just like a sunflower follows the sun.”

Africa is a beautiful continent, she said, “and can become the shining light of the world.” She explained her motivation for coming to Senegal. “Today, with the heart of a True Mother and a True Parent, I have come here to pray and eradicate the historical pain that this continent has endured, so that this continent can stand once again in the providence of God and begin a new history.”

Dr. Moon welcomed the participants to the Africa Summit and offered a unifying vision for the continent with her emphasis on the family and living for the sake of others. “We have entered a new era,” she said. “My hope is that the African continent will become the heavenly continent which attends God as the central point and becomes the most prosperous nation in the world.” People naturally seek a life centered on peace, she said, “just like a sunflower follows the sun.”

Africa is a beautiful continent, she said, “and can become the shining light of the world.” She explained her motivation for coming to Senegal. “Today, with the heart of a True Mother and a True Parent, I have come here to pray and eradicate the historical pain that this continent has endured, so that this continent can stand once again in the providence of God and begin a new history.”

Further information: Peter Haider, Tel.: 0650 2588846, E-Mail: phaider@chello.at