10th annual africa summit
ABOUT THE 2026 AFRICA SUMMIT
Moving the Africa Community Forward
Transforming Fears into Possibilities
It has been a year of significant new challenges for those of us who care about Africa and the African community. We have lost funding for many critical African development initiatives across the continent and here at home. We have also been beleaguered by draconian rhetoric and policies impacting immigrants and even visitors studying or touring in our state.
This year, the Summit will help us answer the question, “What can we do?” across our work and to support each other and our brothers and sisters in Africa amidst these realities.
We have critical resources to chart a path forward through the darkness—strong relationships, creativity, and the ability to turn a hard situation into opportunities for new and deeper engagement. The occasion will be an opportunity to re-energize by sharing our ideas and hearing from other leaders in our community on how we can pursue promising ways forward that sustain and build strong relationships across the continent and here at home.
The Summit is a unique event for the Africa-focused community in Colorado. In the company of friends, guests learn and hear from each other while partaking in delicious African cuisine and enjoying exhilarating African musical performances. It is an ideal venue for turning anxiety into action. An inspiring keynote speaker sets the stage for dinner discussions featuring leaders in development, business, and academia who are working on new initiatives.
This event happens every year to bring together and provide a breath of fresh air. It seeks to knit together our community and to open up opportunities in which we all can act to address the major issues that face us in sync with our African families here and on the continent.
WHEN & WHERE
DATE & TIME
Friday, May 22nd, 2026
5:00 PM MDT TO 8:30 PM MDT
LOCATION
Jewish Community Center
350 S. Dahlia Street, Denver, CO 80246
*Free parking in the parking lot as well as on the side streets is available for all guests*
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
MEET MR. MADIAMA MBAYE
This year, we are thrilled to welcome a Coloradoan and Senegalese – American, Mr. Madiama Mbaye, to The Summit.
Madiama is a leadership and executive coach, educator, and entrepreneur dedicated to helping individuals grow with clarity, integrity, and purpose.
With decades of experience as an entrepreneur, coach, and community builder, his work centers on self-leadership, identity alignment, and supporting people through seasons of transition — personally and professionally. His approach blends reflection, structure, and practical wisdom, meeting people where they are while guiding them toward who they are becoming.
He is the author of Fated to Win: 7 Steps to Finding Meaningful Success, host of the Mentium Podcast, and founder of Mentium — a platform created in service of a larger vision: to be an active participant in building a better world through meaningful conversation, education, and community.
A Certified Executive Coach with a focus on communication and mindset, Madiama has spent the last eight years teaching public speaking and leadership, with more than 300 students graduating from his classes. For over fifteen years, he has mentored and coached individuals across cultures, professions, and life stages.
Coaching, for Madiama, is both a calling and a responsibility. He believes every person is naturally creative, resourceful, and whole — and that the role of a coach is not to direct, but to help clarify vision, articulate purpose, and create a process that supports fulfillment and balance. In his work, the client always leads the way.
THE PROGRAM
5:00pm – 5:30pm: Registration
5:30pm: Networking Hour and Live Music
6:00pm: Opening Remarks
6:05pm: Keynote Address by Mr. Madiama Mbaye
6:15pm: Dinner is Served
6:45pm: Table Discussions Commence
7:30pm: Rotation & Dessert
8:05pm: Open Forum (Sharing Thoughts)
8:20pm: Closing Remarks
8:30pm: Close & Networking (Live Music)
Join us for a special evening featuring live music, African cuisine, education, entertainment, and an opportunity to take action on the critical issues facing us today.
Guest Speakers & Musical Artists
Each year, we welcome guests from around the world and members from our local and international African community to the Summit. Our doors are open to all.
Table Discussions
Table meetings bring together the NGO community, professors, students, and political leaders from across the spectrum, among others, to discuss how we can work together to solve problems.
Networking
Africa Agenda events tend to foster long-term relationships among students, professors, journalists, businesspeople, and community leaders, well beyond the event’s conclusion.
FOOD & ENTERTAINMENT
Dinner will be a continental Nigerian buffet served by chefs from Yummy Meals by Sudok.
Music by Chihera — A Zimbabwe family band in Colorado
Chihera is the Muchineripi family band from Zimbabwe, 3 generations of family members now living in Colorado: Parents Tafadzwa Obert and Mandy Dube-Muchineripi, children Chipo Veronica, Farai Chamunorwa, and Chiedza, Obert’s Father Edward Muchineripi, and family friend Mary Ellen Garrett. Chihera plays, arranges, and composes Zimbabwean traditional and contemporary music using mbira, marimbas, percussion, soaring vocals and keyboard. Chihera has performed in Denver, Boulder, Aurora and Ft. Collins in house concerts, schools, community benefits and festivals, on KGNU Radio, and at the 2015 and 2016 Zimbabwean Music Festivals in Monmouth, Oregon. Chihera recently performed at the Telemundo’s Denver 2017 Hispanic Day Auto Show. See samples on Chihera’s youtube channel.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS & PARTNERS
INFORMATION ON BECOMNG A SPONSOR
Send sponsorship inquiries to Office@AfricaAgenda.org
